Figure 8

The Figure 8, manufactured by the Hercules Novelty Company of Chicago in July 1932, is a rare and significant piece of early pinball history. Rather than being an original design, it was produced mostly as a copy of Gottlieb's 1932 'Five Star Final Jr.' — as several manufacturers did at the time — and Hercules also sold a conversion kit version for Gottlieb's 1931 'Baffle Ball.'

The Figure 8's gameplay is characterized by a straightforward objective: guiding the ball through a playfield laid out in the shape of a figure eight, which gives the game its name. The machine's mechanical components are largely responsible for the gameplay experience, with the ball's trajectory influenced by the pins and lanes forming the figure-eight path. In keeping with games of the era, it lacks elaborate art or theming, instead focusing on a functional, novelty-driven design.

While there is limited information available about the machine's designer or any notable aspects of its production, the Figure 8 remains an interesting artifact of the early 1930s pinball boom, when small manufacturers frequently copied each other's popular designs. One surviving example is even known to have used metal balls instead of the more common wooden or glass balls of the period. Its rarity makes it a fascinating piece for collectors and historians of pre-flipper pinball.