Internet Pinball Machine Database: Bally 'Bumper'

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Bumper

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Bumper / IPD No. 405 / December, 1936 / 1 Player

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Average Fun Rating:

Needs More Ratings! 3.0 / 10 (1 ratings) [ Add Your Rating! ]

Manufacturer:

Bally Manufacturing Corporation (1931-1983) [Trade Name: Bally]

Date Of Manufacture:

December, 1936

Model Number:

126

Type:

Electro-mechanical (EM)

Serial Number Database:

View at The Internet Pinball Serial Number Database (IPSND.net) (External site)

Specialty:

Flipperless

Notable Features:

1,2,3,4, or 5 ball play. Game measures 44 inches by 22 inches. Power supplied by wall outlet.

Ball size: 1 1/8 inch, steel.

Notes:

Contrary to widespread belief, 'Bumper' was not the first pinball machine to have bumpers. Bally copied the idea from Pacent Novelty's 1936 'Bolo', a game that came out several months earlier. Bally did change the bumper design enough to obtain a patent on it.

Patent No. 2,109,678 ("CONTACT SWITCH FOR BALL ROLLING GAMES") application was made on January 12, 1937 after the game was already in full production, and issued March 1, 1938 to Nils A. Nelson, a staff draftsman.

According to interviews recorded in the Encyclopedia of Pinball Vol 2, inventor Donald E. Hooker did the work of inventing the Bally bumper while Nils Nelson got the credit.

In the January 1953 issue of Bally-Who, a monthly newsletter from Bally, this game was identified as the "first spiral-wire bumper-type game". That designation is not inaccurate, as Pacent's bumpers did not use spiral wires.

'Bumper' used an electrical progressive score unit in the backbox which kept a running total using light projection. This was an improvement over previous pinball machines where the player had to add up the score by counting balls on the playfield. The new bumper allowed balls to exit the playfield after play while the score was maintained on the backbox.

An earlier game having a mechanical progressive score unit is Gottlieb's 1934 'Register'.

Patent No. 1,802,521 ("GAME APPARATUS") was filed Aug 14, 1928 and issued April 28, 1931 to George H. Miner.

Photos in:

Bally-Who, Vol 5 No.1, January 1953, page 2
PinGame Journal, No. 41/42 Sept/Oct 1995, pg 43
The Complete Pinball Book External Link

, page 115
The Pinball Compendium 1930s - 1960s External Link

, pages 21 and 25
Pinball 1 External Link

Illustrated Historical Guide to Pinball Machines Volume 1, page 178
Encyclopedia of Pinball Volume 2 External Link

, page 115
Pinball Portfolio External Link

, page 23
Pinball Art External Link

, page 32
Pinball Memories External Link

, page 17
Special When Lit, page 107

Files:

2 MB

PDF

U.S. Patent No. 1,802,521

254 KB

PDF

U.S. Patent No. 2,109,678

Images:
(click to zoom)

Playfield 446x655 [Russ Jensen]	Playfield 425x568 [Russ Jensen]	Cabinet - Full View 220x288 [Russ Jensen]	Backbox 564x462 [Russ Jensen]	Backbox 800x389
Playfield 640x480	Cabinet - Full View 640x480	Cabinet - Front View 864x1080 [Adrian & Sarah Lodge]	Playfield 600x800 [Glenn P. Knapke]	Cabinet - Left 563x523 [Glenn P. Knapke]
Cabinet - Front View 576x768 [Glenn P. Knapke]	Inside Backbox Slides Out 792x594 [Glenn P. Knapke]	Playfield 800x1034 [Raphael Lankar]	Instruction Card 800x434 [Raphael Lankar]	Cabinet - Front View 800x633 [Raphael Lankar]
Cabinet - Right 800x561 [Raphael Lankar]	Cabinet - Full View 1024x1405 [Raphael Lankar]	Billboard Ad* 640x480 [John Gray]	Projected Score 576x436	Upper Playfield 576x436
Playfield 1024x1365 [Christopher Wolf]	Backbox 1024x675 [Christopher Wolf]	Cabinet - Front 1024x804 [Christopher Wolf]	Cabinet - Left 1024x768 [Christopher Wolf]	Backglass 640x480
Game Tilted 640x480	Projection Score 640x480	Projection Score 640x480	Instructions 640x480	Score Card 640x480
Cabinet - Left 573x480	Cabinet - Right 615x480	Cabinet - Front 589x480	Manufacturer 640x480	Inside Backbox 640x480
Cabinet - Front View* 441x600 [Wisconsin Historical Society]

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