Big Boy

Big Boy, manufactured by The Snicker Table Company of Pittsburgh, Kansas in June 1931, is a rare relic from the earliest, pure mechanical era of pinball. It predates the electromechanical (EM) and solid-state pinballs that would follow, and little is documented about its design, gameplay, or theme.

As a Pure Mechanical (PM) machine, Big Boy had no electrical scoring, lights, or flippers - flippers would not be introduced to pinball until 1947, more than fifteen years later. Play on machines of this type relied entirely on gravity, plunger-launched balls, and mechanical scoring pins or pockets, with the layout and rules typical of the earliest amusement-hall pinball games of the early 1930s.

Given the era, elaborate artwork or a defined theme would not have been a priority, and no specific details survive. Even so, Big Boy's age and rarity make it a significant artifact for pinball historians, illustrating the primitive mechanical roots from which the modern game evolved.