Stars

The 1941 'Stars' pinball machine, manufactured by Exhibit Supply Company (ESCO) of Chicago, is an example of early single-player electro-mechanical pinball. ESCO was a prominent player in the industry from 1932 to 1957, producing numerous classic pinball models, and by 1941 the EM format—pioneered nearly a decade earlier—was well established.

Stars is a flipperless machine: players guide five balls (for five cents) through the playfield to score via its 14 passive bumpers, relying on skillful plunging and table nudging rather than flipper control, in keeping with the pre-flipper design conventions of its era.

The 'Stars' machine features a colorful, art deco-inspired aesthetic depicting athletes in various sports, including archery, high diving, majorettes, skating, swimming, and tennis. Interestingly, surviving examples of the backglass show some color variation between copies, though this may be due to differences in original photography and lighting rather than genuine printing differences.