The Addams Family

The Addams Family pinball machine, designed by Pat Lawlor and Larry DeMar and manufactured in 1992 by Midway (under the Bally trade name), is a seminal title that earned its place at the very top of pinball history: it broke all previous sales records for flipper games and, with a confirmed 20,270 units produced, became the best-selling flipper pinball machine of all time. Based on the beloved Addams Family franchise, released alongside the hit 1991 feature film, the game's success can be attributed to its clever blend of humor, gameplay, and innovative engineering, with artwork by John Youssi and music and sound by Chris Granner.

One of the key features that set this machine apart is the bookcase, home to the first-ever optical target bank, which rotates when active to reveal a lock hole. The game boasts four flippers - one of which doubles as a game-controlled mini-flipper that the software fires at certain points in play - plus five pop bumpers, two slingshots, two ramps, two kick-out holes, and dual left inlanes. Magnets beneath the playfield activate as 'The Power', an earned feature that seizes and flings the ball in unpredictable ways, and the game offers 2- or 3-ball multiball.

The machine's most memorable toy is 'Thing', a large plastic hand that emerges from its box in the upper right playfield to magnetically pick up the ball and carry it below the playfield, joined by the electric chair kick-out. The game's record-breaking success was later commemorated with gold-cabinet machines - including a special 1994 'Gold Edition' run with gold ramps, legs, lettering, and a signed certificate from the design team. Weighing a measured 255 pounds, The Addams Family is a testament to the craftsmanship of its design team and remains the benchmark against which blockbuster pinball machines are judged.