Palooka

The Palooka pinball machine, designed by Steve Kordek with art by Art Stenholm, was manufactured by Williams in April 1964. It's a boxing-themed, add-a-ball electro-mechanical (EM) game, with 700 confirmed units produced. The Palooka's playfield uses a Plastikote finish, and the cabinet has a reverse wedge head design.

Key to the Palooka's gameplay is traditional EM mechanics: two flippers, three pop bumpers, three passive bumpers, five drop targets, four rollover buttons, and two ball kickers (notably, no slingshots). The maximum displayed point score is 9,999 points, and the machine uses a bell, wooden box chime, and knocker for its sound package.

The Palooka's theme is drawn from the long-running 'Joe Palooka' boxing comic strip, which ran in newspapers from 1930 to 1984. This was Art Stenholm's first pinball machine as an artist, and Steve Kordek, one of the most prolific EM-era designers, brought his experience to its layout. With its boxing theme and classic EM feature set, the Palooka is a solid representative of mid-1960s Williams output.