Joker

Joker, designed by Wayne Neyens with artwork by Roy Parker, was manufactured by Gottlieb in November 1950. With a confirmed production run of just 850 units, this single-player electro-mechanical game with a poker theme is a genuinely scarce entry in Gottlieb's early flipper-era lineup.

The Joker's layout is straightforward but has some real quirks. Players control two flippers that are mounted in a reversed orientation, though the controls remain intuitive: the left flipper button operates the flipper on the left, and the right button operates the flipper on the right. The playfield features three pop bumpers, four passive bumpers, and a kick-out hole, and, unusually, no slingshots. Seven aces and four jokers light up on the backglass as score objectives, tying the scoring directly into the backglass art.

The Joker's playing-card theme and artwork are quintessential early-1950s Gottlieb, with Roy Parker's stylized illustrations and a striking color scheme. Its small production run and historical position in Gottlieb's early flipper games make it an attractive addition to any serious collection, a testament to the era of designers like Wayne Neyens and Gottlieb's enduring contributions to the industry.