Flying Colors

Flying Colors is a fascinating purely mechanical pin game from Genco Manufacturing Company, released in September 1935. What sets Flying Colors apart is its distinctive design, in which five colored balls are shot at once and the order in which they land in the outhole trough determines the payout, which was paid by the location.

The gameplay is simple yet intriguing. Slightly pulling the plunger knob releases a spring-loaded device that propels all five balls at the same time - the feature Genco's September 1935 Billboard ad touted as "the only game with the new automatic plunger." The payouts range from 2 free plays for the red ball landing first up to 20 free plays for the full red, white, black, yellow, and green sequence. The game was available with a 5-cent coin chute or a combination 5-10-25 cent coin chute, and a "Junior" model followed in October 1935.

Notably, Flying Colors features a mirrored backboard, which the ad explains let the merchant check the rewards through the mirror - convenient for a barkeeper behind the bar who couldn't easily walk over to the game. As an entirely mechanical payout game from the mid-1930s, Flying Colors is an evocative artifact of pinball's pre-electric era and a treat for any serious enthusiast.