Easy Steps

Easy Steps, manufactured by Rock-ola Manufacturing Corporation of Chicago in February 1938, is a flipperless novelty game from pinball's pre-war era. Rock-ola first mentioned the game in The Billboard on February 19, 1938, describing it as a 5-ball novelty game with 'bumpers, kickers and holes' - a snapshot of how games were marketed in the busy coin-op trade of the late 1930s.

The gameplay of Easy Steps is characterized by its spring bumpers and trap holes. Players get 5 balls per play and face 14 spring bumpers scattered throughout the playfield, while 16 or more trap holes offer both scoring opportunities and hazards for those seeking high scores. The game also features one or more kick-out holes, adding another element to the flipperless action, where plunger skill and nudging carried the day.

Little additional information about this machine has been documented in historical accounts, making it all the more intriguing for those who appreciate the obscure corners of pinball's pre-war years. As one of the last games from Rock-ola's 1932-1938 run as a pinball manufacturer, Easy Steps offers a glimpse of the industry just before the company turned its full attention elsewhere.