Derby Day

Derby Day, released by Gottlieb in April 1956, is a single-player electro-mechanical game from the golden age of Gottlieb's woodrail era, designed by the prolific Wayne Neyens with artwork by Roy Parker, the team behind many of the company's 1950s classics. A confirmed 1,600 units were produced, and the backglass proudly carries Gottlieb's famous slogan: "Amusement Pinballs, as American as Baseball and Hot Dogs!"

The playfield offers two flippers, one pop bumper, six passive bumpers, four standup targets, two slingshots, and a gobble hole, the classic risk-reward feature of the era that swallows the ball in exchange for a rich award. A technical curiosity lies in the replay unit, which has two step-up coils: one coil steps up one replay at a time, while the other steps two replays at a time.

Roy Parker's horse racing artwork brings the track to life in the colorful cartoon style that defined 1950s Gottlieb. Interestingly, at least one variant backglass exists: the book 'Pinballs le temps des flippers' documents a glass on which the crowd scene was completely redrawn, differing from the manufacturer's flyer art in details such as the sheen on a woman's hat and the stripes on a man's shirt. For collectors of 1950s Gottlieb woodrails, Derby Day is a fine representative of the Neyens/Parker partnership at work.