Hula-Hula (Italy)

Hula-Hula (Italy) is the export version of Chicago Coin's 1966 'Hula-Hula', manufactured by the Chicago Coin Machine Manufacturing Company and dated May 1966. Built for the Italian market, it carries Italian-language text on the backglass and swaps the USA version's replay mechanism for a "kick-up" add-a-ball feature at the outhole — a dual kick-out hole beneath the flippers that either drains the ball to the outhole or kicks it back up into play through the flipper gap, lit by a red insert between the flippers.

The game's lively theme centers on music, dancing, and swimming. It is a two-player electro-mechanical machine featuring two flippers, five pop bumpers, two slingshots, five standup targets, and a kick-out hole. A mechanical backbox animation of a hula dancer adds visual flair to gameplay, reflecting the playful, recreation-themed pinball design common in the mid-1960s.

Designed by Al Schlappa, Jerry Koci, and John Gore, with art by Roy Parker, Hula-Hula captures the carefree spirit of its era. As an Italian-market variant of a broader USA release, it offers collectors an interesting window into how American pinball manufacturers adapted games — including their add-a-ball mechanisms — for export markets.