Springtime

Springtime is an electro-mechanical pinball machine from Genco Manufacturing Company, dating to March 1952, notable for its mechanical backbox animation. Genco was an established manufacturer by this point, having operated since 1931, and Springtime reflects the more mature EM design conventions of the early 1950s rather than the medium's infancy.

The gameplay on Springtime features two flippers, two pop bumpers, two passive bumpers, three kick-out holes, and an unusually large complement of 14 captive balls. A distinctive design element is its score carryover system, in which scores from the flipperless vertical playfield section carry over into the next game, adding a strategic wrinkle uncommon for the period. Genco referred to its pop bumpers on this game as "Powerbumpers."

Little information survives about the machine's theme or artistic details, though schematic initials "HB" (possibly H. Berninger) and "CJ" hint at the designers behind it. Its mechanical backbox animation and unusual carryover-scoring vertical playfield make Springtime a notable, if lesser-documented, entry in Genco's early-1950s catalog.