Ponies

Ponies, manufactured by Western Equipment & Supply Company of Chicago, Illinois, between 1934 and 1938, is an early electro-mechanical (EM) pinball machine dating from January 1936. It comes from pinball's formative years, when the format was still evolving out of simple coin-op amusements.

Gameplay on Ponies features 10 balls for just five cents, an affordable price point reflecting its early roots in nickel-based amusements. A period advertisement notes that the 10-ball game could play as fast as a 1-ball game if the player's selected horse wasn't reached with the first ball, ending the game early. Few other details of its rules or challenges are documented, but this quirk suggests a game built around simple, quick-play appeal.

The cabinet design measures 40 inches in length and 20 inches in width, typical for early EM machines but still compact compared to modern standards. While specific details about the artwork are not readily available, Ponies' depiction of horse racing would have been a familiar and appealing theme for the era, contributing to its charm as an artifact of pinball's early days.