Le Rex Boule

Le Rex Boule, manufactured in 1932 by Dudouit Fils of Paris, France, is a pure mechanical (PM) single-player pinball game closely derived from Bally's 1932 'Ballyhoo' — one of the games most credited with launching the American pinball craze that year. Le Rex Boule shares Ballyhoo's basic playfield layout, but its designers modified the formula: the top outhole was converted into a scoring hole, and four free-play holes, each marked "A REJOUER" ("to replay" in French), were added in the middle and lower playfield areas.

With ten trap holes and four free-play holes, the game offered players a chance at extending their session without additional coins — a feature that added replay value to what was otherwise a straightforward mechanical layout inherited from its American inspiration.

Little else is documented about Le Rex Boule's specific artwork, designer, or production numbers. As a French adaptation of one of 1932's most influential American pinball designs, it offers an interesting example of how quickly the Ballyhoo-style playfield spread and was adapted by manufacturers across Europe during pinball's earliest boom year.