Stratosphere

The Stratosphere, manufactured by International Mutoscope Reel Company, Incorporated of New York in January 1936, is a scarce and little-documented electro-mechanical (EM) pinball machine from pinball's flipperless era, predating the 1947 invention of the flipper by over a decade.

Detailed information about Stratosphere's specific gameplay mechanics is not well documented, but as a flipperless EM machine of its period, it likely relied on scoring holes, bumpers, and gravity-driven ball movement typical of mid-1930s designs rather than any player-controlled flippers.

Little is known about the Stratosphere's theme or artwork. International Mutoscope Reel Company was also associated with early motion pictures and peep-show entertainment, suggesting the company's broader involvement in early 20th-century coin-operated amusements. The Stratosphere's obscurity makes it an intriguing subject for collectors and historians researching pinball's earliest years.