1952 · Chicago Coin
Whiz Kids
Flat lime-green to yellow airbrushed gradient, indoor recreation room drawn in thin olive line with skirting boards and wood-grain cabinet edge surrounding the painted panel.
- Year
- 1952
- Maker
- Chicago Coin
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Backglass lights
- Players
- 1
Made by
- Design
- Jerry Koci
- Design
- John Gore
- Design
- Al Schlappa
Vision analysis
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- lime green
- yellow
- maroon
- red
Fingerprint: 'Whiz Kids' title in white arched script with red inline, '1·2·3·4 Million' banner top, grid of numbered score cards (100,000-900,000), sparse brown-outline children skating around round table indoors, one in pink top, flat yellow background, HOME and VISITOR points grid bottom, mid-century painted flat style, lime-green to bright yellow gradient.
A lime-green and yellow backglass whose whole surface is printed score material: a top "1·2·3·4 Million" banner, a wall of numbered score cards in the upper half, and a maroon-and-yellow HOME POINTS / VISITOR POINTS grid across the bottom quarter. The centre illustration is unusually sparse for the era, just thin brown outline figures of children skating around a small round table on flat yellow. The arched white script logo with red inline sits over the score cards rather than in a clear sky.
Setting
- Flat lime-green to yellow airbrushed gradient
- Indoor recreation room drawn in thin olive line with skirting boards
- Wood-grain cabinet edge surrounding the painted panel
Symbols
- Round table with heavy black outline
- Row of numbered score cards
- Red numeral blocks 1 2 3 4
- Maroon and yellow points grid
- Wood-grain border
Lettering
- Large arched white brush script with red inline and black drop shadow for the logo; bold block capitals on maroon and red bands for the scoring labels; black numerals on yellow cards and yellow numerals on red cards for the scores
Themes
- Children
- School sports
- Skating
- Recreation hall
- Quiz scoring
- Points table
Title on it
- Whiz kids
Text on it
- 1·2·3·4 Million
- Whiz Kids
- 300 000
- 400 000
- 600 000
- 700 000
- 200 000
- 800 000
- 100 000
- 900 000
- HOME POINTS
- VISITOR POINTS
- 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Child | Figure in a white sleeveless top and dark shorts skating at the far left of the illustration |
| Child | Girl in a pink/red top and dark skirt standing near the left with arms out |
| Child | Small child in shorts mid-stride at centre-left |
| Child | Child leaning forward in shorts at upper centre |
| Child | Child in shorts standing beside the round table at centre |
| Child | Girl in a white skirt at the right of the table |
| Child | Child in shorts skating at upper right |
| Child | Child in a white top and shorts at the far right edge |
| Child | Small child crouched low at bottom centre of the illustration |
A painted backglass with a lime-green to bright yellow airbrushed gradient background, bordered by a wood-grain cabinet edge. Across the top a white banner reads "1·2·3·4 Million": the four digits sit in separate red-and-white slab blocks with black drop shadows, the word Million in flowing red script. Below it a grid of small yellow score cards with heavy black-outlined numerals, some reversed as red cards with yellow numerals: left column 300 000, 200 000, 100 000; right column 400 000, 600 000, 700 000, 800 000, 900 000. Centre of the upper panel is a large arched script logo, "Whiz Kids", in white brush letters with heavy red inline and a black drop shadow, with small red capitals above it. The middle third is a sparse line illustration on flat yellow: about nine children and young teenagers in sleeveless tops, shorts and skirts, drawn in thin olive-brown outline, skating, running and larking about in an indoor recreation room with skirting boards, around a heavy black-outlined round table; one girl wears a pink top, several figures are white-filled. The bottom quarter is a maroon-and-yellow points grid: "HOME POINTS" and "VISITOR POINTS" in block capitals on maroon and red bands, with rows 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 and beneath 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. Style is flat mid-century painted illustration with bold outlines and no photographic elements.