Dipsy Doodle

Dipsy Doodle, manufactured by Williams Electronics in December 1970, is a four-player electro-mechanical game designed by Norm Clark with artwork by Christian Marche. With a confirmed production run of 4,703 units, it was a solid seller for Williams, and the same design was also released in 1971 as the single-player 'Doodle Bug'.

At its core, Dipsy Doodle offers a lively blend of classic pinball elements. The two flippers, five pop bumpers, and two slingshots create an engaging play experience, while five standup targets and four rollover buttons provide scoring opportunities, alongside a kick-out hole, a right outlane free-ball gate, and an up-post between the flippers. The standout feature is the Doodle Bug animation unit beneath the playfield, which uses an electromagnet to move a captive ball repeatedly across a point-scoring rollover button - a mechanism with roots reaching back to Bally's 1938 'Paramount' and later revisited in Williams' 1981 'Solar Fire'.

The machine's dancing-themed artwork radiates 1970s charm. Collectors may also enjoy the game's documented production quirks: early flyer and promotional materials show 4-digit scoring, while production games moved to 5-digit scoring, forcing the game's name to be relocated to the lower right corner of the backglass. Some early 4-digit backglasses are known to exist, making variant-spotting part of the fun for enthusiasts of this Williams classic.