Happy Papeete

Happy Papeete is a two-player electro-mechanical pinball machine manufactured by Rally Play Company of Nice, France, in 1963. Its title and theme — blending happiness, pirates, and world travel — reference Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia on the island of Tahiti, and its playfield design bears similarities to earlier Gottlieb machines such as 1958's 'Rocket Ship' and 1959's 'Atlas.'

Gameplay features include four flippers, four pop bumpers, two passive bumpers, two slingshots, five standup targets, and two rollunders. A distinctive design choice is the use of kickback lanes instead of outlanes to propel the ball toward the center targets, adding an extra layer of strategy compared to more conventional outlane designs of the period. The game displays a maximum score of 1,999 points per player.

Little is documented about the machine's designer or specific artwork. Its blend of playful theming and mechanical ingenuity makes Happy Papeete a notable example of Rally's output during the 1960s, and its rarity today makes it an appealing find for collectors and pinball historians.