Mike & Ike

Mike & Ike, manufactured by Bally in February 1933, is an unusual entry in early pinball history. This Pure Mechanical (PM) table-top/counter game was created to use up leftover cabinets from Bally's 1932 game 'Ballyround,' and was advertised for penny or nickel play.

The Mike & Ike features two playfields side by side within a single cabinet, each with its own ball shooter, allowing two games to be played simultaneously. This design made it a compact, coin-operated novelty suited to counter-top placement.

A notable aspect of Mike & Ike's design is its utilitarian aesthetic, born from repurposing existing cabinet stock. Little information is available regarding the machine's original art or theme, leaving some aspects of its history to speculation. Despite this, Mike & Ike remains an interesting curiosity from pinball's formative years, illustrating the resourceful, low-cost approach manufacturers took during the Great Depression.