Bambino

The Bambino, manufactured by Exhibit Supply Company (ESCO) of Chicago in June 1936, is an early electro-mechanical (EM) baseball-themed payout machine. Its name honors "The Bambino" - one of the nicknames of baseball legend George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr. - and its release during the mid-1930s, when baseball was enormously popular, shows how quickly the coin-op industry capitalized on the sport's appeal.

The game offers ten balls per play, with a playfield featuring ten gobble holes and a kicker. Its standout feature is playfield light animation depicting players running the bases, with scored runs displayed using red lamps at the bottom of the playfield - a clever effect for 1936. The layout and light animation invite comparison with Exhibit's own 1935 'Play Ball', and an earlier Exhibit game, 1935's 'Star Lite', used playfield light animation in a different way. The cabinet was advertised as 44 inches long by 22 inches wide, the game operates on line power, the metal balls measure just 1 inch in diameter, and a single bell provides the sound.

Although the designer is not documented, the Bambino remains an intriguing piece of pinball history, combining sports theming, light animation, and payout-era mechanics in one vintage package.