Dogies
About This Machine
Dogies is an intriguing electro-mechanical pinball machine from 1968, designed by Ted Zale for Bally Manufacturing Corporation with artwork by Jerry Kelley. Bally produced a confirmed 3,670 units of this four-player game, which features the company's signature zipper flippers. The machine's unique design and playfield layout make it a distinctive addition to any serious pinball collection.
One of the standout aspects of Dogies is its intricate ball flow, which involves multiple detour gates, slingshots, and rollover buttons. Players must navigate the ball through the Dogies Canyon, a challenging section of playfield that requires strategic thinking and quick reflexes. The machine's use of mushroom bumpers to control gate openings adds an extra layer of complexity: hitting the lower mushroom bumpers can turn the Canyon into a drain risk, while the top mushroom bumpers activate a rescue gate, making it a true test of skill for experienced players.
The machine's artwork and American West theme are also noteworthy, with a colorful backglass featuring the Cactus Juice Score display that allows each player to keep a separate tally of points toward earning replays. The overall design and build quality reflect the craftsmanship of Bally's engineers and artists during this era, giving collectors and enthusiasts a memorable piece of late-1960s pinball history.
Images (41)
Technical Details
- Theme:
- American West
- Model Number:
- 814
- Notable Features:
- Zipper flippers (2), Pop bumpers (3), Mushroom bumpers (5), Slingshots (2), Regular size and mini-rollover buttons (9). Sneaky Joe Free Ball return lane with scoring gate, Left drop lane with detour gate, Right outlane ball return gate. Backglass has Cactus Juice Score allowing for each player a separate tally of points towards earning replays. 3 or 5 ball play. The Dogies Canyon in upper left playfield has three normally-closed gates that, when all are closed, route the ball across three rollover buttons to exit the Canyon near the bottom pop bumper which also lights the top two pop bumpers. Only one of these three normally-closed gates can be open at a time, as controlled by their corresponding mushroom bumpers located in mid-playfield. When open, these gates will detour the ball to remain inside the Canyon. When this happens, a long and inconspicuous fourth detour gate quickly and temporarily opens to block the entrance and route the ball to an otherwise inaccessible left drop lane (the Devil's Canyon). In effect, hitting any of the lower three mushroom bumpers during play turns the Dogies Canyon into a large drop lane entrance so, if that happens, it is essential to first hit either of the two mushroom bumpers at top of playfield before entering the Canyon in order to activate a fifth detour gate in the drop lane to rescue the ball from draining. Maximum displayed point score is 9,999 points per player. Replay wheel maximum: 25 Tilt penalty: ball in play plus any shoot again privilege. Sound: 1 bell, knocker Actual measured weight: 270 lbs (includes legs).
Credits
- Designer:
- Ted Zale
- Artist:
- Jerry Kelley