Bowling League

The Bowling League pinball machine, designed by Harry Mabs with artwork by Roy Parker and manufactured by D. Gottlieb & Company in August 1947, is a significant example of late pre-flipper electro-mechanical pinball design. Released just months before Gottlieb introduced the flipper to the world, this flipperless game capitalized on the growing popularity of bowling in post-war America, and had a confirmed production run of 1,200 units.

Key gameplay features include ten bumpers, five kick-out holes, and distinctive left and right Jet Kickers - kick-back lanes that propel the ball back onto the playfield. These mechanisms made for dynamic gameplay and gave players more ways to keep the ball alive. The machine's art and design are also noteworthy, coming from Roy Parker, Gottlieb's celebrated house artist of the era.

Gottlieb would go on to produce many of the most successful pinball machines of the following decades, cementing its reputation as a leading manufacturer of electro-mechanical games. Bowling League stands as one of the final flipperless games of the Mabs/Parker partnership, offering a fascinating glimpse into pinball at the very moment before the flipper changed everything.