Carnival Target Gallery
About This Machine
The Carnival Target Gallery, manufactured by Midway in January 1963, is an unusual electro-mechanical 'bat game' with a circus/carnival theme, offering a minimum of ten balls for ten cents. Rather than a conventional pinball layout, it presents players with a target-gallery style challenge featuring four slingshots and two stand-up targets, and its unique blend of gameplay mechanics and construction makes it an interesting addition to any collection.
The machine's internals show real mechanical ingenuity. A continuous-stepping unit controls the Extra Ball lights and Reset Target lights, illuminating them in a different combination every time the ball hits a 10-point target, and a three-position plug lets the operator set how frequently the Extra Ball light appears. Hidden beneath the 'Stars' and 'Clowns' shields are metal loops that steer balls down side lanes behind the 'Extra Ball' shield, with rollover switches in each side lane resetting the targets. The maximum displayed point score is 9,990 points, while the replay count is shown on two small plastic wheels numbered 0-9; in one known example, a thin pin stopped the tens wheel past '1', capping displayed replays at 19.
The build quality is equally distinctive, with all-metal playfield shields and a Formica-topped lockdown bar. Surviving examples show interesting production variations, including wireforms and rubbered posts at the lower ends of the side lanes that do not appear in the original flyer and may reflect a production change or manufacturer-issued field modification. These quirks invite further exploration by enthusiasts of Midway's early novelty games.
Images (24)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- Circus/Carnival
- Notable Features:
- Minimum 10 balls for 10 cents. Slingshots (4), Standup targets (2). The playfield shields are all made of metal. The lockdown bar 's top surface is Formica. Hidden beneath each of the 'Stars' and 'Clowns' shields is a metal loop to steer balls down the side lane located behind the 'Extra Ball' shield. Each side lane rollover switch resets the targets. The slingshots are located at the Action rebounds at the bottom of the playfield and at the 100-point rebounds, for a total of four. The upper two rebounds on each side of playfield have no slingshots but have holes drilled for them. Under the playfield, there are no cut wires, screw holes, discolorations, or other evidence that slingshots ever were installed at these holes. A continuous-stepping unit inside the game controls the Extra Ball lights and the Reset Target lights, illuminating them in a different combination every time the ball hits a 10-point target. A three-position plug allows the operator to set the frequency of the Extra Ball light on this unit. The replay mechanism uses two small plastic wheels, each numbered 0-9. In one example of this game, a thin pin stopped the tens wheel from turning past the '1', making the maximum displayed replays be 19. We do not know if this pin can be removed by the operator. Maximum displayed point score is 9,990 points.