Baby Face

Baby Face is a charming example of early electromechanical (EM) flipper-era pinball design, manufactured by United Manufacturing Company of Chicago in December 1948. Released just a couple of years after flippers first appeared in pinball, it reflects the industry's rapid experimentation with the new mechanism - United even used its own terminology, referring to the flippers on this game as 'Control Kickers'.

The gameplay on Baby Face is straightforward yet engaging, offering five balls for five cents. Players score the numbers 1 through 10 by hitting rebound switches (bumpers) and kick-out holes (pockets), and the rebound switches also spell out B-A-B-Y F-A-C-E. Completing these sequences awards high points and lights side lane Specials, giving the game a clear set of objectives that adds challenge and strategy.

The theme, with artwork by George Molentin, is quintessentially representative of its time, featuring a feminine aesthetic that was common in pinball art of the era - and possibly a nod to the 1933 Hollywood movie 'Baby Face', about a woman who used her beauty to climb the social ladder. The game's designer and production numbers remain undocumented, adding an air of mystery to this intriguing machine.