The Addams Family Special Collectors Edition

The Addams Family Special Collectors Edition, released in October 1994 by Midway Manufacturing Company (under the Bally trade name), is a limited 'Gold' edition of Midway's 1992 'The Addams Family' — the game that broke previous sales records for any flipper pinball game. Only 1,000 units were produced, each dressed in gold accents including metal ramps, gold legs and bolts, gold lettering, gold bumper caps, and a gold-trimmed Thing box. Every machine carries a numbered gold plate and a certificate signed by the members of the design team; machine #1 is the property of designer Pat Lawlor himself.

Designed by Pat Lawlor and Larry DeMar with artwork by John Youssi, the game features four flippers — three regular-sized plus the game-controlled 'Thing Flips' mini-flipper — five pop bumpers, two ramps, three cellar holes, and dual left inlanes. The bookcase contains the first ever optical target bank and, when active, rotates to reveal a cellar hole. Magnets under the lower playfield activate as 'The Power', an earned feature that affects ball movement during play, and the game offers 2- or 3-ball multiball.

The machine's signature toy is 'Thing', a large plastic hand on the upper right playfield that emerges from its box to magnetically pick up the ball and carry it below the playfield. With music and sound by Chris Granner and software by Larry DeMar and Mike Boon, this commemorative edition of one of pinball's best-selling designs has become a favorite among collectors and enthusiasts alike.