Love Bug

The Love Bug, designed by Norm Clark and manufactured by Williams Electronics in 1971, is an add-a-ball electro-mechanical (EM) game with a dancing, happiness, and music theme, reflecting the more playful, pop-culture-influenced themes that became common in EM pinball design during the early 1970s.

Gameplay on the Love Bug features two flippers, five pop bumpers, and two slingshots, providing a dynamic and engaging playfield. A standout feature is the Doodle Bug scoring animation below the playfield, which showcases a captive ball repeatedly crossing a point-scoring rollover button—a feature also found on Bally's earlier 1938 'Paramount' and later revived on Williams' 1981 solid-state game 'Solar Fire.' The machine also boasts a unique gap between the flipper and adjacent slingshot, preventing cradling of the ball using an energized flipper. Players can choose to play with either three or five balls, depending on their preference.

The Love Bug's design and art, by Christian Marche, reflect its 1970s theme, featuring dancing and musical imagery. The machine also boasts a distinctive backglass design, complete with an 'Over The Top' display that lights up when the player exceeds the maximum point score of 199,990 points (1,999,990 in early production versions). Documented variations in sound effects between early and regular production games—early models featuring a bell, wooden box chime, and knocker, versus later models with two bells and a knocker—reflect changes made during the game's production run.