Challenger
About This Machine
The Sullivan-Nolan Advertising Company's Challenger, released in March 1943, is a wartime conversion combining elements of two earlier Bally titles: 1938's 'Sport Page' and 1939's 'Blue Ribbon.' Sullivan-Nolan operated only from 1942 to 1943, producing exclusively these kinds of conversions to keep pinball games in operation despite WWII-era material shortages.
As a 1943 electro-mechanical machine, Challenger predates the pinball flipper, which was not introduced until Gottlieb's Humpty Dumpty in October 1947. Gameplay relied on the plunging, tilting, and target-scoring mechanics typical of the pre-flipper era rather than flipper control.
Little documentation survives regarding Challenger's specific artwork or theme, consistent with the plain, utilitarian presentation typical of wartime conversions, when resources were scarce and manufacturers prioritized function over decoration. Its short production window and status as a composite conversion make it a scarce find for collectors of WWII-era pinball.