G I - Joe

The G I - Joe, offered by Victory Games starting in July 1944, is a wartime-themed conversion kit for Genco's 1941 'Jungle.' Its wartime aircraft and combat theme reflected the era, and it remained in Victory Games' catalog for years -- their last advertisement for the kit ran in October 1946, by which point prices for their kits had risen from $9.50 to $12.50.

What sets the G I - Joe apart is its gameplay: 5 balls were awarded for 5 cents, and the playfield included 17 passive bumpers. Replays were awarded for high scores, and hitting the six bumpers spelling out 'G I J O E' in sequence lit them on the backglass to qualify for additional replays. The machine's sound was minimal, with a single bell marking scoring events -- typical of EM pinball design in the 1940s.

The G I - Joe's aircraft and military theme fit the wartime mood of mid-1940s America. As a flipperless conversion kit typical of its era -- predating the 1947 invention of the flipper -- it relied on bumpers, targets, and skillful nudging rather than player-controlled flippers. Specific production numbers are not documented, but the kit's multi-year run in Victory Games' catalog suggests it found steady interest among operators.