Circus Circus

The Century Consolidated Industries Company's 1978 Circus Circus is a solid state electronic (SS) pinball machine in cocktail table form - a single-player game built to sit flat like a table, a format that enjoyed a brief vogue in the late 1970s as manufacturers sought to place pinball in bars and lounges.

The standout aspect of this machine is its "Action Ring" feature, which encloses the pop bumper within a ring of bumpers for fast scoring action. Balls that enter the ring rattle around the bumper cluster, racking up points in rapid succession. Beyond the Action Ring, the game keeps things simple with two flippers, two slingshots, and two standup targets, making for an approachable, high-score-focused experience.

The game's circus theme is represented through its artwork and graphics, evoking the excitement and spectacle of the big top. Information on its designer is scarce, and Century Consolidated Industries is a little-documented manufacturer, which makes Circus Circus a curiosity for collectors interested in the cocktail-table pinball niche of the late 1970s.