Spoofus

Meet Spoofus, a table-top skill game manufactured by Northwest Coin Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois in September 1932. A Pure Mechanical game, Spoofus was originally released under the name 'Goofus' before an injunction from Bally Manufacturing -- aimed at stopping copycat production of Bally's own 1932 'Goofy (Junior)' -- forced a name change. Existing advertising flyers were updated with text noting the change, even though some still pictured the game under its original name.

Spoofus offered players flexibility: the game shipped with both ten marbles and ten steel balls, letting operators choose which set to use, and could be played for 10 balls at either 1 cent or 5 cents. The cabinet measured about 28 inches long and 14 inches wide, standing 6 inches tall at the front and 8 inches at the back.

The game's marketing was handled through International Amusement Company, a sister operation of Northwest Coin Machine sharing the same address; by around October 1932, 'Spoofus' was being advertised under that marketing name. Little else is documented about the machine's designer or specific scoring rules, but its unusual naming history -- caught in the middle of an early pinball-industry trademark dispute -- makes it a notable curiosity from the medium's earliest days.