Moon Glow

The Moon Glow, manufactured by United Manufacturing Company in December 1948, is a notable example of early electro-mechanical (EM) pinball design. Its features reflect the gameplay conventions and design language of late-1940s pinball, offering a window into the industry's development during that period.

The machine plays 5 balls per turn and includes 12 scoring bumpers and 5 kick-out holes. A distinctive detail is its flippers: mounted in the upper playfield, they use an early style consisting of two posts with a rubber band stretched between them, rather than the solid flipper bats familiar from later machines. The flipper-shaped plastics visible in the lower playfield are actually stationary ball guides rather than functional flippers.

Moon Glow's theme, 'Adventure - Foreign Peoples,' was a common motif of the era, and its artwork and layout would have transported players to exotic destinations typical of the period's pinball design. As an example of a transitional-era EM machine, from the years when the flipper itself was still a relatively new invention, Moon Glow offers a glimpse into pinball's early evolution.