Guess What’s Up in Sales Due to the Coronavirus?

Since Coronavirus hit back in the Spring, we've been spending more time inside. Evidence proves that by the upswing in sales of pinball machines.  One company in Illinois that makes them says it's sold five times more than usual.

According to an article in foxbusiness.com:

With additional pocket money to spare this year due to the reduction in traditional expenditures like travel or dining out, pinball machine sales have surged amongst first-time buyers.

I remember the days of settling in on a Saturday afternoon at the local bowling alley or skating rink, dropping in a quarter in your favorite pinball machine, and trying to keep the steel ball from dropping out-of-sight by using the flippers and bumpers to get the highest score?  Where have all the machines gone?

Bally Hoo was the first coin-operated pinball game and was invented by the founder of the Bally Corporation, Raymond Maloney in 1931.

There was a time when you could physically shake and lift the machines to benefit your style of play. Then, a gentleman by the name of Harry Williams invented the tilt mechanism to answer the problem.  From then on it was fair game. (Get it, fair game?)

So with the first digital scoring pinball machine, "Rally Girl", that was released in 1966, and the first solid-state electronic pinball machine released in 1975, most versions of the games are software based with graphics.  

So if you find one of the old-fashioned machines, grab a handful of quarters and settle in for a trip down memory lane.