Snooks

Snooks, manufactured by Stoner Manufacturing Company in May 1939, is a flipperless electro-mechanical (EM) pinball machine that showcases the pre-flipper style of gameplay common in the late 1930s. It was sold in both a regular version ($79.50) and a free-play version ($89.50), and its flyer mentions an extra-ball feature without further elaboration.

A key feature of Snooks is its use of 15 spring bumpers paired with a unique scoring system: hitting numbered bumpers lights up corresponding numbers on the backglass, with each subsequent strike scoring an additional point. Lighting all numbers achieves a "perfect game," signified by lighting the sun on the backglass. Tilting is triggered by striking the bottom of the cabinet, which activates a switch.

The machine's stated theme is beaches, boating, sailing, swimming, and women, a common leisure motif for the era, though specific details of the backglass and cabinet artwork have not survived in the documentation. Little is known about Snooks' designer or full production history, but the mystery only adds to its interest for collectors of pre-war pinball.