Be-Bop

Be-Bop, manufactured by Exhibit Supply Company (ESCO) of Chicago in March 1950, is an electro-mechanical game whose name nods to the jazz style that had swept through American music in the late 1940s. Its theme combines music with a high-school setting, capturing the youth culture of the era.

The game features two flippers, which by 1950 had become standard equipment on pinball machines, along with two pop bumpers and two kick-out holes. An unusual design touch sits in the lower playfield: two flipper-like bumpers on the left and right that are purely stationary and do not flip, giving the layout a distinctive look while forcing players to adjust their expectations.

The machine measures 50 inches long, 24 inches wide, and stands 61 inches high on its legs. As a product of ESCO's postwar years, Be-Bop offers an appealing glimpse of a smaller manufacturer's take on the early flipper game.