Rockettes
About This Machine
The Rockettes, designed by Harry Mabs with art by Roy Parker, was manufactured by Gottlieb in August 1950, with a Happiness - Circus/Carnival theme. 1,000 units were produced.
The machine's gameplay mechanics are its standout feature: it has four flippers, two pop bumpers (always lit, but wired to blink with each pop), and four passive bumpers. Most notable are its four 2-way kick-out holes, which kick in unison in the same direction, advancing the ball to the next hole. The holes change direction with each step of the 10,000-point unit or via either of two rollover buttons. If the ball lands in the bottom hole when it's lit for 500,000 points and the holes are set to kick upward, each hole takes a turn being worth 500,000 points - allowing an advancing ball to score up to 2 million points across the four holes.
The Rockettes' circus/carnival theme and classic Gottlieb artwork give it a charmingly retro aesthetic, and its inventive kick-out hole scoring system makes it a standout among early-1950s EM machines.
Images (16)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Happiness - Circus/Carnival
- Model Number:
- 41
- Notable Features:
- Flippers (4), Pop bumpers (2), Passive bumpers (4), 2-way kick-out holes (4). The pop bumpers are always lit but the lamps are wired through the pop bumper relay, making them blink with each pop. The kickout holes kick in unison in the same direction, advancing the ball to the next hole. They change direction with each step of the 10,000 points unit or by either of two rollover buttons. If ball lands in the bottom hole when lit for 500,000 points and if the holes are set to kick upward, then each hole takes turns being worth 500,000 points, making the advancing ball score 2 million points across the four holes.
Credits
- Designer:
- Harry Mabs
- Artist:
- Roy Parker