Bumper Bowling

Bumper Bowling is an electro-mechanical, flipperless rolldown game from 1937, produced by Daval Manufacturing Co. of Chicago, Illinois in July of that year. Notably, IPDB research suggests this might be the first rolldown game ever produced, giving it genuine historical significance beyond its bowling theme.

The gameplay on Bumper Bowling is straightforward: players get five balls per play and score by navigating rubber balls (3 inches in diameter) around a playfield studded with 19 spring bumpers, described in period manufacturer advertising as 'jumbo-size bumper springs.' The manufacturer also noted that the machine counted balls put into play, with a sixth ball canceling the score -- a built-in safeguard against players trying to sneak extra shots.

Little information survives about the machine's designer or specific artwork, but its bowling theme and rolldown mechanics make it a fascinating piece of pre-flipper pinball history, especially given its possible status as the format's originator.