Bowling Alley

Bowling Alley, released by Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company in October 1949, is a shuffle bowler (also called a puck bowler) rather than a true pinball machine -- it is officially classified as 'Not A Pinball,' though it is sometimes listed as one in other resources. This two-player game let patrons alternate turns bowling for a dime per player across 10 frames each, with a strike on the first shot completing a frame outright, and two shots otherwise required.

The cabinet was advertised at roughly 8 feet by 2 feet, giving it the elongated footprint typical of shuffle-style bowling games rather than a standard pinball cabinet. Chicago Coin advertised that the game debuted in late October 1949 and began shipping samples to distributors within weeks, initially set up for dime play but convertible to nickel operation.

Specific details about the designer or artwork are not well documented, though several distinct backglass variations are known to exist for Chicago Coin's various 'Bowling Alley' releases, including a later six-player version. This 1949 two-player edition is distinguished by its horizontally tallied scoring display, making it an interesting artifact of the postwar boom in bowling-themed amusement games.