1983–1984 · Bally & Bell Games
X's & O's
Known for Tic tac toe board, X-O card targets, Upper three-bank and Far left upper lane. Prehistoric rock face or cave dwelling with a lit window, blue night sky wash, green ground with grass tufts and grey classical stone column on the right.
- Years
- 1983–1984
- Maker
- Bally & Bell Games
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- board
Tic tac toe board
- Target
X-O card targets
- Drop target
Upper three-bank
- Lane
Far left upper lane
- saucer
Right saucer
2 games under this title
On the playfield
Hole 1
- Right saucer saucer
Drop target 1
- Upper three-bank
Target 1
- X-O card targets
Lanes 4
- Far left upper lane
- Extra ball lane
- Special lane
- Left in/out lanes
Slingshot 1
- Passive slingshots
Flipper 1
- Upper right flipper extra flipper
Lights 1
- X and O lights indicator
Backbox 1
- TIC-TAC-TOE letters backglass toy
Other 1
- Tic tac toe board board
On the backglass
Who and what
- man Large central caveman, bare-chested with shaggy dark hair, huge toothy grin, wearing a brown fur loincloth, raising a pale bone club over his right shoulder with both hands; bare feet planted wide
- woman Caveman woman immediately right of the man, long dark hair, tan skin, wearing a torn sleeveless tan hide dress, one hand resting on his arm, smiling
- man Smaller caveman left of centre in a red-brown loincloth, dark hair, holding a long spear upright, facing right
- woman Small crouching caveman at far left in a red-brown hide garment, near a rock
- other Two further small background cavemen figures, one holding a spear, standing near the lit rock-cave opening behind the main pair
- woman Top-left corner figure in a blue-green dress with orange hair, standing on a green platform, one arm raised, beside an insert-card panel
Setting
- Prehistoric rock face or cave dwelling with a lit window
- Blue night sky wash
- Green ground with grass tufts
- Grey classical stone column on the right
Text on it
- Bally
- MIDWAY
- XS
- 8,033,480
- 00
- TICK TACK TOE
- GAME OVER
How it plays
-
Goals 3
- Three-in-a-row
- Card
- Superbonus
Made by
- Design
- George Christian
- Art
- Pat McMahon
- Art
- Margaret Hudson
- Software
- Rehman Merchant
Reference
Linked terms
- Tic tac toe board also called X-O card
- Upper three-bank also called Upper drop targets
- Far left upper lane also called Outer-left orbit also called outer-left lane
- Right saucer also called Ball save saucer
- Passive slingshots also called No Sling-Drains
- Three-in-a-row also called tic-tac-toe
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield Standard
- brown
- orange
- yellow
- blue
Fingerprint: Large pale blue rectangular plastic window panel centre occupying two-thirds height, busy comic-strip collage surrounding in brown and orange, three bright yellow glowing bumpers above, cream instruction cards PINBALL, clear saucer opening upper left, dense patchwork appearance
A large plain pale blue-grey rectangular plastic window panel set in the centre of the playfield, with almost no artwork on it, which contrasts oddly with the extremely busy comic-strip collage surrounding it. Three bright yellow-glowing pop bumper domes clustered in a triangle immediately above it. The apron carries two cream card instruction sheets bolted to a dark blue V-shaped apron under big white block letters spelling PINBALL. The upper-left corner has a clear circular saucer opening with a chrome wire ball guide looping around it.
Setting
- Comic-strip collage of brick walls and stone textures
- Indoor playfield under glass
- Cream instruction cards on apron
Symbols
- Round orange and yellow lane inserts
- Card-suit-like square inserts
- White arrows
- Brick wall motif
- Score numerals
Art motifs
- Dense hand-drawn panels
- Crossed diagonal rails
- Painted textures
Themes
- Comic strip
- Score chasing
- Number and letter bonus
Title on it
- X's and q's
Text on it
- Bally MIDWAY
- For Amusement Only
- X'S AND Q'S
- INSTRUCTIONS
- 1 PLAY 1 QUARTER
- 1 DOLLAR 1 PLAY
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- 3 BALLS PER GAME
- EXTRA BALL W/ EACH 1000 POINTS
- ENGLISH LANGUAGE
- PINBALL
- 90,000 280,000 2,000,000 SPECIAL
- 20,000 3-IN-LINE BONUS
- 1 PLAY QUARTER
- 1 DOLLAR 5 PLAYS
- Bally
A photographed pinball playfield under glass, seen from above, with the cream apron and coin door at the bottom of frame. The playfield art is a busy printed collage in brown, tan, orange, black and yellow, resembling a dense patchwork of comic-strip panels, brick and stone textures, criss-crossed by white arrows and score bands. Upper playfield: three round pop bumpers with glowing yellow-orange domed caps sit in a tight triangle below a blue and yellow plastic lane/rail assembly; a clear plastic curved chute and a chrome wire ball guide arc around the upper left; a large circular clear saucer/cap opens in the upper left corner and a second wire ramp or guide runs down the right side. Mid-playfield is dominated by a plain rectangular pale-blue/grey plastic window panel framed in dark trim. Below it a dark blue-grey band carries white score lettering including a large '90,000 280,000 2,000,000 SPECIAL' line, and further down '20,000 3-IN-LINE BONUS'. Two red-and-white flipper bats sit wide apart over blue plastic flipper lane guides; metal slingshots flank them, with yellow lane inserts and round orange inserts dotted around the wood. Two cream card-stock instruction cards sit on the apron, plus a Bally logotype on the coin door and yellow-on-black price windows. The cabinet front is grey with blue and yellow side art.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass Standard
- blue
- orange
- yellow
- red
Fingerprint: bally midway, enormous three-dimensional crimson-pink XS monogram dominates yellow rock face dwarfing all, pair of grinning stone-age cavemen: man hoisting bone club, woman in torn tan dress leaning on him, four score windows glow with same eight-million figure, red barrel marked with three X marks, pale blue TICK TACK TOE banner stretches across base, prehistoric cartoon style
The most memorable element is the enormous three-dimensional crimson-and-pink XS monogram carved into a glowing yellow rock face at the top centre, dwarfing everything below it. Second is the pair of grinning stone-age cavemen in the foreground - the man hoisting a bone club over his shoulder, the woman in a torn tan dress leaning on him. Third, four separate score windows all glowing with the same 8,033,480, plus a fifth small window reading 00 beside a grey classical column. Fourth, the red barrel at lower right stencil-marked with three X's and a small reptile perched on its lid. Fifth, the pale blue bottom banner reading TICK TACK TOE in thin outlined capitals.
Setting
- Prehistoric rock face or cave dwelling with a lit window
- Blue night sky wash
- Green ground with grass tufts
- Grey classical stone column on the right
Symbols
- Large xs monogram
- Score windows with seven-segment digits
- Three x marks stencilled on the red barrel
- Small instruction card panel at top left
- Grass tufts
- Grey column capital
Lettering
- Red cursive script brand name with an orange block-capital maker name, plus a huge chunky three-dimensional xs monogram in crimson with a pink highlight; bottom banner in thin pale outlined capitals on a blue panel
Themes
- Prehistoric cavemen
- Stone age
- Xs bonus
- Rock cave
- Funny bone club
Title on it
- Bally midway
Text on it
- Bally
- MIDWAY
- XS
- 8,033,480
- 00
- TICK TACK TOE
- GAME OVER
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Large central caveman, bare-chested with shaggy dark hair, huge toothy grin, wearing a brown fur loincloth, raising a pale bone club over his right shoulder with both hands; bare feet planted wide |
| Woman | Caveman woman immediately right of the man, long dark hair, tan skin, wearing a torn sleeveless tan hide dress, one hand resting on his arm, smiling |
| Man | Smaller caveman left of centre in a red-brown loincloth, dark hair, holding a long spear upright, facing right |
| Woman | Small crouching caveman at far left in a red-brown hide garment, near a rock |
| Other | Two further small background cavemen figures, one holding a spear, standing near the lit rock-cave opening behind the main pair |
| Woman | Top-left corner figure in a blue-green dress with orange hair, standing on a green platform, one arm raised, beside an insert-card panel |
| Creature | Small reptile or lizard perched on the lid of the red barrel at lower right |
| Animal | Small flying bird or pterosaur silhouette in the upper right sky |
A roughly square backglass with a blue cave-and-rock backdrop showing a prehistoric stone-age scene. Top left carries a red cursive script brand name followed by block capitals reading MIDWAY in orange-red. Dominating the upper centre is a huge three-dimensional crimson-and-pink XS monogram set into a yellow-ochre rock face with a glowing white-pink window. Four rectangular score windows show seven-segment orange digits reading 8,033,480, and a small fifth window at mid right reads 00. Across the foreground, five cartoon cavemen: a large grinning man centre-left in a brown fur loincloth raising a bone club over his shoulder, a woman beside him in a torn tan dress, and three smaller figures to the left and behind. At right stands a grey stone column and a red barrel marked X X X with a small creature on top. The bottom banner reads TICK TACK TOE in pale outlined capitals on a blue panel, with small orange GAME OVER lettering to its right. The cabinet's black side rails and a reflection on the protective glass are visible.
Backglass Super Bowl
- green
- red
- orange
- black
Fingerprint: Enormous 'SUPER BOWL' in red varsity letters with gold trophy between words, green football field from low angle with helmeted players around brown football, striped referee right, gold arch of stadium lights curves around, white and orange football helmets on turf bottom, red LED score panels top and bottom, sports stadium scene, vibrant painted style.
The enormous SUPER BOWL title in red, star-speckled varsity block letters with a gold trophy standing in the gap between the words, lit by a row of yellow stadium lamps. Beneath it a low head-on view of a green pitch crowded with four helmeted players lunging and colliding around a brown football, with a striped referee standing apart at the right. A gold arch of round stadium lights curves around the oval window and four red blank LED score panels are let into the black surround. Two loose football helmets rest on the turf in the bottom border, one white-and-blue at left and one orange at right.
Setting
- American football pitch seen head-on
- Flat green turf with white yard lines
- Dark indoor room and ceiling lights reflected in the backglass glass
- Black cabinet frame
Symbols
- Gold trophy cup
- Brown football
- White stars inside the title letters
- Round yellow stadium floodlights on a gold arch
- Football helmets
- White yard lines and hash marks
Lettering
- Large varsity collegiate block capitals, red fill with white star speckle, thick cream-white outline and black drop keyline, gently arched across the top
Themes
- American football
- Super bowl
- Sports
- Trophy
- Stadium
Title on it
- Super bowl
Text on it
- SUPER BOWL
- 22
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Central-right ball carrier, adult male, large build, bright red jersey with white trim, orange helmet with white centre stripe and orange facemask, grey-white pants, running forward and to the left while gripping a brown football in both hands |
| Man | Front centre, adult male in an orange jersey with white shoulders, white helmet with orange facemask, orange pants, lunging low and diving with arms extended toward the ball carrier |
| Man | Left rear, adult male standing upright in a navy blue jersey bearing the white number 22, white helmet, orange pants, arms slightly raised |
| Man | Far left, adult male in a navy blue jersey with orange striping and a dark helmet, reaching forward with both arms, leaning into the play |
| Other | A fifth player sprawled face-down at the lower left of the field in orange, partly overlapping a pale grey-white form |
| Man | Far right, referee in a black-and-white vertically striped shirt, white peaked cap, dark trousers, standing upright watching the action |
Landscape backglass in a black cabinet frame, shot through reflective glass with a room interior and warm ceiling light reflected across the top. A red-and-yellow banner of stadium lights frames an oval window onto an American-football pitch: flat mid-green turf with white yard lines, seen from a low, head-on angle. The title spans the whole top in huge varsity block capitals reading SUPER BOWL, letters filled bright red with a scatter of white stars and outlined cream with a black keyline; a tall gold trophy cup with a football perched on top stands between the two words. Four red LED score windows, two at the top flanking the trophy and two at the bottom, sit in black bezels. Five painted figures fill the field: four players in helmets and pads plus a referee. A large player in a red jersey and orange helmet strides forward at centre-right clutching a brown football; in front of him a player in an orange jersey and white helmet lunges low; behind on the left a player in a navy jersey numbered 22 with a white helmet stands upright, and left of him another navy-jerseyed player in a dark helmet reaches forward. A fifth player lies sprawled face-down at lower left. At far right a referee in a black-and-white striped shirt, white cap and dark trousers watches. A gold scroll of stadium lights sweeps around the oval, and the bottom strip shows turf with a white-and-blue helmet at left and an orange helmet at right.