Zingo

Zingo, produced by Williams Manufacturing Company in November 1944, holds a special place in pinball history as the first pinball game made by Williams (the company's very first product was actually a fortune-telling arcade machine called "Select-A-Scope"). With its vertical cabinet design, Zingo was among the earliest machines to depart from the traditional horizontal playfield layout.

Gameplay on Zingo was straightforward: for five cents, players received five balls to play in a single-player game. According to pinball historian Russ Jensen, in a 1979 interview designer Harry Williams admitted to "one mistake" in the game -- sloping the playfield instead of keeping it perfectly vertical, which he felt made it harder for players to shoot the ball with velocity.

Some sources suggest Zingo may have reused cabinets or parts from other standard machines of the era, though its design doesn't closely resemble any specific predecessor. Its plain, utilitarian appearance is typical of early 1940s pinball, and while little else is documented about its full design credits, its status as Williams' debut pinball title secures its place in the company's history.