State Fair

The 1947 State Fair pinball machine, manufactured by Genco Manufacturing Company of Chicago, is a single-player, flipperless electro-mechanical machine with an auto-racing and fairground theme. Produced in a confirmed run of 1,265 units in early 1947, it belongs to the wave of postwar pinball production that followed World War II.

Gameplay-wise, State Fair uses 12 passive bumpers and two kick-out holes, typical of flipperless EM machines of the period, where scoring relies on the ball's path through the layout rather than flipper control. Its standout feature is a backbox light animation depicting racing cars, which a contemporary 1947 Billboard magazine review described as scoring by 'bringing in one of five racing cars which light up on backboard.'

The design plays on a fair/carnival and auto-racing motif, in keeping with Genco's playful, crowd-pleasing house style of the era. Little else is documented about the machine's designer or full production history, but State Fair remains an interesting example of late-1940s flipperless EM design.