Magic Circle

The Magic Circle, designed by Ted Zale and manufactured by Bally starting in June 1965, is a single-player electromechanical (EM) pinball machine with a fortune-telling, dancing, and music theme, one of 580 units produced.

The playfield features two flippers, three pop bumpers, six mushroom bumpers, and two slingshots, along with an upper free ball gate and a right outlane free ball gate. Shooting a ball through the upper free ball gate lights a horseshoe on the backglass; collecting all ten horseshoes scores 1, 2, or 3 replays (operator adjustable), and this progress carries over from game to game. The game supports 3 or 5 ball play, with a maximum displayed score of 9,999 points, a replay wheel maximum of 25, and a tilt penalty that ends the game.

The machine's design and art lean into its fortune-telling and nightlife theme, with a backglass depicting a lively dance scene. Despite its relatively modest production run of 580 units, Magic Circle remains an engaging piece of mid-1960s Bally EM design, notable for its horseshoe-collection carry-over mechanic.