Ginger

Ginger, produced by Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company in February 1936, is an early electro-mechanical pinball machine from the era when manufacturers were first adding electrically powered features to their games. A confirmed 967 units were built.

Ginger offered players 8 balls for one cent. The playfield features five ball kickers, four kick-out holes, a habitrail wire ball guide, and a Free Play hole that awards another game. A battery drawer slides out at the rear of the cabinet, a practical touch that let operators service the machine's power source easily. Interestingly, a Billboard ad from February 1936 shows an earlier variant of the game with two center habitrails, ten-ball play, and different artwork, suggesting the design was updated to the 8-ball, single-habitrail version early in production.

While little is known about Ginger's artwork or designer, its age and its documented design changes make it a fascinating study for enthusiasts of pre-flipper pinball, offering a window into how quickly games evolved during the mid-1930s.