The New Champ

The New Champ is a 1941 reissue of D. Gottlieb & Company's 1940 game 'The Champ,' brought back into production in response to demand from operators and distributors. Designed by Harry Mabs with artwork by Roy Parker, this electro-mechanical (EM) boxing-themed game is a flipperless machine offering five balls for five cents.

Gameplay features 15 scoring bumpers, providing plenty of opportunities to rack up points. Its signature mechanic is a knob on the front of the cabinet that lets the player select, via the backglass, the number of the winning round to earn indicated 'skill points' -- a feature whose popularity with operators suggests it was actively used as a basis for payoffs at the location level.

As a direct reissue of a proven earlier design, The New Champ reflects the strong demand boxing-themed pinball had among operators in the early 1940s, and its 'skill points' mechanic stands out as an inventive way of tying player choice to payout at a time when most EM machines relied purely on cumulative scoring.