Big Chief

Big Chief, produced by Bally Manufacturing Corporation in 1932, is one of the earliest known machines from the manufacturer, dating to just a year after Bally's founding. It was created as a conversion of Bally's own 'Ballyhoo,' one of the company's first major hits.

As with many games from this period, detailed documentation of Big Chief's specific gameplay mechanics has not survived, and little is known about its designer or theme. Games of this era typically relied on simple mechanical or early electrical scoring, with play focused on guiding the ball into scoring pockets rather than the flipper-based shot-making that would arrive later in the decade.

Given its age and its direct lineage from Ballyhoo, Big Chief is a notable artifact for tracing Bally's earliest product line, even though specific details about its artwork and design have largely been lost to history.