Natural

The Natural pinball machine, produced by Bally Manufacturing Corporation in 1936, is an early example of electro-mechanical (EM) pinball design from the depths of the Great Depression. It was a one-ball payout machine, model number 88, sold new for $139.50 complete with an Electropak, with no extra charge for a check separator.

Like other pinball machines of its era, the Natural predates the invention of the flipper by more than a decade; players had no direct control over the ball once it was launched, with scoring determined by where it came to rest on the pin-studded playfield. The single-ball format was typical of the payout machines Bally and its competitors produced heavily throughout the 1930s.

The Natural's cabinet was advertised as 50 inches long and 26 inches wide, modest dimensions by later pinball standards. Little information survives about its original artwork or theme, but as one of Bally's one-ball payout games from the mid-1930s, the Natural offers a glimpse into the coin-operated amusement business as it existed before flippers and multiplayer scoring reshaped the game.