World Champ (Extended Play Prototype)

The World Champ (Extended Play Prototype) is a one-of-a-kind experimental machine built by D. Gottlieb & Company in 1957, modified from the standard production run of Gottlieb's 1957 'World Champ' boxing-themed game. Designed by Wayne Neyens with art by Roy Parker, only a single unit of this prototype is known to exist, tagged '#131 SPECIAL' and carrying a cabinet serial number within the range of the regular World Champ production run.

Rather than using a traditional coin-operated replay system, this prototype tested an alternate 'Extended Play' mechanism: pressing a button on the coin door awards five additional balls at a time (up to 26 replays' worth), tracked on a replay wheel labeled 'Balls' instead of the usual replay numbering. A 1997 GameRoom Magazine article speculated that a handwritten 'VT SPEC' marking on the cabinet bottom might indicate the unit was built for a Vermont-specific market, though this theory has never been confirmed.

In terms of gameplay, the machine retains the standard World Champ layout, with two flippers, four pop bumpers, two slingshots, four standup targets, and a gobble hole, and no outlanes. Its unique wiring and extra relay hardware, housed in a widened motor board, make it a rare physical record of Gottlieb's experimentation with alternate replay mechanisms during the late 1950s.