Bee Jay
About This Machine
The Bee Jay, manufactured by Pacific Amusement Manufacturing Company (PAMCO) in November 1936, offers a glimpse into the nascent years of the pinball industry. PAMCO operated for only a short period (1932-1937), and the Bee Jay comes from near the end of the company's run, an era when manufacturers were still experimenting with mechanisms and gameplay elements.
Bee Jay is an electro-mechanical payout machine, meaning it could dispense winnings to players -- a common design in the mid-1930s, a full decade before the invention of the flipper. Without surviving documentation, the specifics of its playfield layout and rules can only be guessed at.
Unfortunately, little information is available on the Bee Jay's design, art, or theme; PAMCO's output was not extensively documented, and few records have survived. Its historical interest lies in its place within the early payout-game chapter of pinball's timeline.