Catalina

The Catalina, manufactured by Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company in February 1948, arrived in the earliest days of the flipper era, just months after flippers first appeared on pinball machines in late 1947. With four flippers on its playfield, it shows how quickly manufacturers embraced and multiplied the new invention, and its confirmed production run of 2,700 units made it a solid seller for the company.

At the heart of the Catalina lies its beach-and-boating theme, which takes players on a virtual journey to idyllic American waterside destinations. With its eleven passive bumpers and five kick-out holes, the game blends the pre-flipper style of scoring with the new player control the flippers provided - an early taste of the excitement and challenge that would come to define pinball.

The Catalina's artwork is by Roy Parker, whose colorful illustrations evoke a sense of carefree joy typical of late-1940s pinball aesthetics. The game was designed by Jerry Koci, a longtime Chicago Coin designer whose career with the company spanned decades, making the Catalina an early entry in a substantial body of work.