Golden Gloves

The Golden Gloves pinball machine, designed by Harry Mabs and manufactured by Williams in January 1960, is a classic single-player electromechanical game with a boxing theme. Mabs, the designer credited with introducing the flipper on Gottlieb's Humpty Dumpty in 1947, was near the end of his career here, and surviving factory drawings for this game are signed and drawn by Mabs himself - an unusual level of personal draftsmanship noted by pinball historians. The colorful artwork is by George Molentin.

Gameplay is straightforward 1960s Williams fare: two flippers to control the ball, three pop bumpers to add action, and a single gobble hole that swallows the ball in exchange for a big score - a risk-and-reward feature typical of the era. Its compact, open playfield is characteristic of single-player EM games of this period.

With its Golden Gloves amateur boxing theme, the game captures a slice of American sports culture at the turn of the 1960s, and it stands as one of the last games from the man who gave pinball its flippers.