Nags

Nags, manufactured by Williams in July 1951, is a single-player electromechanical (EM) pinball machine designed by Harry Williams. Its horse-racing theme is brought to life through a mechanical backbox animation in which horses race, one of the game's standout features. Model number 56, Nags offered 5 balls for 5 cents, a common play format of the era.

Gameplay combines two flippers with six pop bumpers for a lively, fast-paced experience typical of early-1950s pinball. The horses on the backglass -- Uncle Miltie, Lulu Bell, Whiz Kid, Louie II, Frustration, and Tizzie Liz -- race as part of the game's novelty animation, a hallmark feature that set Nags apart from more conventional scoring-focused machines of the period.

Nags was later followed by a replay version, Williams' 1951 'Hayburners'. As one of Williams' horse-racing themed novelty machines from the early 1950s, Nags is a notable example of the mechanical animation gimmicks that manufacturers used to attract players in the pre-solid-state era.