Cosmos

The Cosmos pinball machine, designed by Ted Zale and manufactured by Bally in January 1969, is a notable example of the late electro-mechanical era, produced in a confirmed run of 2,160 units. Its outer space theme, rendered by artist Jerry Kelley, captured the public's fascination with space flight at the height of the space race. Kelley originally gave the game a black cabinet -- he believed no color made others 'jump out' like black -- but Bally management overruled him and switched the base color to white early in production, a dispute that contributed to Kelley leaving the company and the industry.

Cosmos boasts an impressive array of mechanical features characteristic of Ted Zale's designs. Its zipper flippers, three pop bumpers, six mushroom bumpers, and three slingshots provide dynamic action, while six rollover buttons, a kick-out hole, a right drop lane, and a right outlane ball return gate add strategy. The game is adjustable for 3 or 5 ball play, and each player's score includes a separate reel counting 'Fuel Pod' scoring toward additional replays.

The machine's showpiece is its mechanical backbox animation: a ball shot into the Blast Off area of the playfield appears to take off into the lower left corner of the backglass and orbit the Earth before returning to play. With its space-age spectacle and inventive Zale mechanics, Cosmos remains an iconic piece of late-1960s Bally history.