Ragtime

Ragtime, produced by Genco Manufacturing Company in 1938, is an early example of electro-mechanical pinball, predating the invention of the flipper by nearly a decade. As a flipperless, single-player replay machine, it relied on skillful nudging and precise plunging rather than flipper control.

Ragtime's gameplay centers on 13 spring bumpers scattered across the playfield. The machine also features two fixed extra-ball score thresholds, awarding an extra ball for each score of 12,000 and 14,000 points, adding an element of strategy to an otherwise straightforward layout.

Ragtime's theme, centered around happiness, music, and dancing, was a common motif in early pinball machines. Specific details about its designer or artistic influences are unknown. As a surviving example of a flipperless electromechanical replay game from the late 1930s, Ragtime offers a glimpse into pinball's pre-flipper era.