Ding Dong

Ding Dong, designed by Norm Clark with artwork by Christian Marche, was manufactured by Williams in February 1968. It is a single-player electro-mechanical game with a lighthearted school theme, and a confirmed 1,850 units were produced.

Ding Dong is the replay version of Williams' 'Smarty', a common practice of the era in which the same design was released in both replay and add-a-ball configurations for different markets. An intriguing piece of trivia surrounds the game: an anonymous submission to IPDB, reportedly from the son of a Williams vice-president, claims that Ding Dong is essentially a reissue of a 1954 Williams game called 'Ding Dong Schoolhouse', with a nearly identical playfield and backglass.

For collectors, Ding Dong offers a snapshot of late-1960s Williams design: straightforward, skill-focused electro-mechanical gameplay dressed in Christian Marche's cheerful school-themed artwork.