Hi-Stepper

The Hi-Stepper, manufactured by the Stoner Manufacturing Company of Aurora, Illinois in July 1941, is a single-player, flipperless electro-mechanical game from the last months before America's entry into World War II halted most game production. It was among the final games from Stoner, whose run ended in 1941.

As a flipperless machine, play centers on the launch and the playfield's sixteen passive bumpers, with nudging and plunger skill determining the ball's path. The standout feature is the backglass light animation, in which the illustrated girls light up during play, an eye-catching touch for its day.

The art and theme are quintessential representations of early-1940s American culture, with beach-inspired imagery evoking happiness, recreation, and leisure. A small quirk of its identity: the backglass shows the name as "Hi-Stepper," while the schematic diagram refers to the game as "High Stepper." IPDB previously dated the game to August 1941 before revising it to July.