kirabug's idea files

Genesis, Gottleib, 1986.

One would think looking at this backglass that it was based on a science fiction movie, and it sort-of is, but nothing you’ve probably heard of. According to the Internet Pinball Database (IPD) entry for Genesis, designer John Gottleib based the concept on a 1927 German film called Metropolis.

Anyway, the backglass is eye-catching in how different it is from most designs of its era. It’s a photo of three people, an old man dressed like a mad scientist, a younger woman with big 80s hair and lots of fishnets, and a younger man possibly with dwarfism dressed in a black leather vest but no shirt.

Behind them one can see a wall of devices, all painted the same matte grey, a weird looking machine to the left and a screen of some sort to the right. Definitely hearkens back to the age of b-movie science fiction, even if the exact plot is known only to the designer.

October 19, 2023October 28, 2023

Spider-Man

Pinball

Spider-Man, Stern, 2007.

Spider-man as a movie has been rebooted so many times even Marvel can’t keep track of the retcons. I’m pretty sure this one is referring to the Tobey Maguire one from 2002, and possible some of its sequels.

Spider-man in his trademark blue and red suite is dead center of this backglass, mid-swing between two buildings that are both out of view. Behind him a bunch of other characters from the movie(s) — Green Goblin, Sandman, Venom, Doc Oc, and a few I don’t recognize, are all in a darker palette. There are some explosions behind them, and behind the explosions is a cityscape.

Less boring than the Iron Man backglass, for sure, but Hollywood just isn’t great at this whole “interesting image” thing.

October 18, 2023October 21, 2023

Ultraman Kaiju Rumble

Pinball

Ultraman Kaiju Rumble, by Spooky Pinball, 2021.

I know nothing about Ultraman except that the main character is Ultraman. He’s dead center of the backglass, shooting some kind of white beam at a Godzilla-like monster who is mostly off-camera left. Behind him to the left is another Godzilla-like monster.

Behind him to the right is a jet, a bug-like monster, a monster spouting yellow rays toward the center of the backglass, and the snout of a monster that could be a rhino if his horn wasn’t on backwards and he didn’t look like he was wearing a helmet.

In the bottom right corner some humans in orange jumpsuits and helmets comfort a strange looking fuzzy monster and menace everyone else with ray guns.

This probably makes sense if you have any idea who anyone is, but i do not.

October 17, 2023October 28, 2023

Chicago Cubs Triple Play

Pinball

Chicago Cubs Triple Play by Premier, 1985.

The bottom third of the backglass is an illustration of Wrigley Field’s outside gates, with their famous red sign, and lots of people heading toward the box offices.

The top two thirds of the backglass are two drawings of pictures. Illustrations of photos are always cool, right? On the left, the view from up in the nosebleed seats of the grounds, with home plate closest to the camera. On the right, a zoomed in view of the famous and old scoreboard in Wrigley field.

Across the top is the name Chicago Cubs (where the word “Cubs” is embedded in the o of Chicago, like their logo at the time) and the words “triple play” in scare quotes. As a baseball fan, I do fear the triple play when my team is up, but I don’t think I fear it enough to put it in scare quote.

October 16, 2023October 28, 2023

Slick Chick

Pinball

Slick Chick, 1963, another goddamned Gottleib.

This backglass hearkens back to a simpler era, one where printing could only really cover about six colors. One where men sang in barbershop quartets while women wore bunny suits that actually covered their hips. Since this machine is a single player, the score reels are in the center. A stage fills the foreground and behind the stage, or I guess in front of it, four men sing in a barbershop quartet surrounded by tables where people are sitting and potentially eating. Think of any 1940s era musical where someone is singing in a night club.

On the left, a blonde wears a pink sleeveless one piece with deep cleavage that ends in a fur-lined skirt. She also wears a pink hat with bunny ears, and pink heels.

On the right, a woman sitting on a bar stool (on the stage) is wearing a blue sleeveless one piece with almost no cleavage. Hers also ends in a fur-lined skirt. She wears blue heels and blue bunny ears.

The pink bunny girl is carrying a very old camera. The blue bunny girl is holding nothing. Both seem oblivious to the quartet, who are singing in front of the stage instead of on it. I guess they didn’t want to hit their head on the score reels.