Horsefeathers

Horsefeathers, designed by Harry Williams with artwork by George Molentin, was released by Williams Manufacturing Company in January 1952. This unusual electro-mechanical game was built for one or two players and housed in an unconventional cabinet measuring roughly five feet wide by two and a half feet deep - a striking departure from standard pinball dimensions.

The machine features two playfields with a total of eight flippers and eight pop bumpers between them, and each player's flipper buttons are located on the lockdown bar. The backbox features mechanical animation of racing horses, tying into the game's horse racing theme. Notably, Horsefeathers was a novelty-play game: no replays or other rewards were given for skillful play, an approach focused purely on entertainment.

One curiosity for collectors: a promotional photo shows only six pop bumpers (three per playfield), while all other known images show four pop bumpers per playfield, leaving room for speculation about design changes before production. With its twin playfields, racing animation, and oversized cabinet, Horsefeathers stands as one of the more distinctive experiments of Williams' early years.