Pinball machines are filled with amazing original artwork. These artworks are created to represent the title and theme of the game. A lot of artwork on the playfield even has rules and tips to playing the pinball machine. But some pinball machine artworks are really worth paying attention to.
The 30 best pinball machine artworks of all time are:
- Space Invaders – Bally, 1980
- Xenon – Bally, 1980
- Creature from the Black Lagoon – Bally,1992
- Theatre of Magic – Bally, 1995
- Scared Stiff – Bally, 1997
- Tales of the Arabian Nights – Williams, 1996
- Cirqus Voltaire – Bally, 1997
- Twilight Zone – Bally, 1993
- Medieval Madness – Williams, 1997
- Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure – Williams, 1993
- Monster Bash – Williams, 1998
- Star Wars – Data East Pinball, 1992
- Elvira and the Party Monsters – Bally, 1981
- The Addams Family – Bally, 1992
- Fish Tales – Williams, 1992
- Revenge from Mars – Bally, 1999
- Stargate – Gottlieb, 1995
- Junk Yard – Williams, 1996
- Haunted House – Gottlieb, 1982
- Judge Dredd – Bally, 1993
- The Machine: Bride of Pin Bot – Williams, 1993
- Black Knight – Williams, 1980
- Pin Bot – Williams, 1986
- Cactus Canyon – Bally, 1998
- Black Rose – Bally, 1992
- Centaur – Bally, 1981
- Star Trek: The Next Generation – Williams, 1993
- Funhouse – Williams, 1990
- Attack from Mars – Bally, 1995
- The Simpsons Pinball Party – Stern, 2003
Below, we’ll give you a bit of information about who designed each machine and who was responsible for the artwork. We’ll also show you some pictures of each one, so you can see for yourself why each one made it onto our list of the best pinball artworks of all time.
A Note On Our List
In order to put this list together I have used the IPDB top 300 list of games that have been voted on by players around the world. This database has specific voting categories of the art, how fun the game is, the playfield design and the audio as well.
But we are only focusing on the art scores, not the title itself or how well it ranked overall. Also, since there are various numbers of votes per game, we will only count games that have over 100 votes (with one exception). This will help us better understand what votes and users believe are some of the best pinball machine artworks.
The 30 Best Pinball Machine Artworks Of All Time
1. Space Invaders – Bally, 1980
The first on the list is the only exception to our voter rule, getting only 75 votes. However, it was voted highest on the artwork scale, so it was only right to include it at number 1. It came in with 9.1/10 for its artwork.
It truly makes sense why this machine has such a high rating. The details on the field and the backglass really immerse you into the alien environment. Designed by Jim Patla and art created by Paul Faris.
2. Xenon – Bally, 1980
Designed by Greg Kmiec and the art created by Paul Faris, this one ranked 8.8/10 with 108 votes.
3. Creature From The Black Lagoon – Bally, 1992
Designed by John Trudeau and with art by Kevin O’Connor, this scored 8.7/10 with 348 votes.
4. Theatre Of Magic – Bally, 1995
Designed by John Popadiuk and with art done by Linda Deal (aka Doanne), this pinball machine scored 8.6/10 with 428 votes.
5. Scared Stiff – Bally, 1997
This table was designed by Dennis Nordman and Mark Weyna, with the artwork done by Greg Freres. It had 269 votes and scored 8.6/10.
6. Tales Of The Arabian Nights – Williams, 1996
John Popaduik designed this table, and the artwork was by Pat McMahon. It scored 8.6/10 with 285 votes.
7. Cirqus Voltaire – Bally, 1997
Designed by John Popadiuk and Cameron Silver, and with artwork by Linada Deal, Cirqus Voltaire scored 8.5/10 with 330 votes.
8. Twilight Zone – Bally, 1993
Twilight Zone was designed by Pat Lawlor, Larry DeMar and Ted Estes, with artwork by John Youssi. It scored 8.4/10 with 720 votes.
9. Medieval Madness – Williams, 1997
Chicago Gaming made a resurrection of this game, which scored 8.3/10 and had 453 votes. It was designed by Brian Eddy with artwork from John Youssi and Greg Freres.
10. Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure – Williams, 1993
Designed by Mark Ritchie and Doug Watson, Indiana Jones scored 8.3/10, with 419 votes. Doug also did the artwork.
11. Monster Bash – Williams, 1998
This one was designed by George Gomez with artwork by Kevin O’Connor, and it scored 8.3/10 with 275 votes.
12. Star Wars – Data East Pinball, 1992
Designed by John Borg and with artwork by Markus Rothkranz, Star Wars scored 8.3/10 with 126 votes.
13. Elvira And The Party Monsters – Bally, 1981
Designed by Dennis Nordman and Jim Patta, and with artwork from Greg Freres, this one scored 8.3/10 and got 108 votes.
14. The Addams Family – Bally, 1992
The Addams Family is one of the most famous pinball machines of all time, and it was designed by Larry DeMar and Pat Lawlor, with artwork from John Youssi. It scored 8.2/10 and had 525 votes.
15. Fish Tales – Williams, 1992
Designed by Mark Ritchie and with artwork from Pat McMahon, Fish Tales scored 8.2/10 with 260 votes.
16. Revenge From Mars – Bally, 1999
George Gomez designed this one, and the artwork was created by John Youssi and Greg Freres. It had 206 votes and scored 8.2/10.
17. Stargate – Gottlieb, 1995
Stargate was designed by Ray Tanzer and Jon Norris, with artwork from Constantino Mitchell, David Moore and Jeanine Mitchell. It received 152 votes and scored 8.2/10.
18. Junk Yard – Williams, 1996
Designed by Barry Oursler and Dwight Sullivan, with artwork from Paul Barker, Pat McMahon and Linda Deal, Junk Yard scored 8.2/10 with 128 votes.
19. Haunted House – Gottlieb, 1982
This was designed by John Osborne with artwork from Terry Doerzaph, and it scored 8.2/10 with 103 votes.
20. Judge Dredd – Bally, 1993
Designed by John Trudeau and with artwork from Kevin O’Connor, Judge Dredd scored 8.1/10 and had 216 votes in total.
21. The Machine: Bride Of Pin Bot – Williams, 1993
Designed by John Trudeau and Python Anghelo, and with artwork by Python and John Youssi, this machine scored 8.1/10 and had 207 votes.
22. Black Knight – Williams, 1980
Designed by Steve Ritchie, with artwork by Tony Ramunni, Black Knight scored 8.1/10 with 172 votes.
23. Pin Bot – Williams, 1986
Pin Bot was designed by Barry Oursler and Python Anghelo, with the latter also responsible for the artwork. It scored 8.1/10 with 143 votes.
24. Cactus Canyon – Bally, 1998
Cactus Canyon was designed by Tom Kopera and Matt Coriale, with artwork by John Youssi. It received 124 votes and scored 8.1/10.
25. Black Rose – Bally, 1992
John Trudeau and Brian Eddy designed this one, with artwork from Pat McMahon. It got 114 votes and scored 8.1/10.
26. Centaur – Bally, 1981
This mostly black and white machine was designed by Jim Patla and the art was created by Paul Faris. This machine scored 8.1/10 with 111 votes.
27. Star Trek: The Next Generation – Williams, 1993
This pinball machine was designed by Steve Ritchie, Dwight Sullivan and Greg Freres, with Greg also responsible for the artwork. It scored 8/10 with 540 votes.
28. Funhouse – Williams, 1990
Designed by Pat Lawlor and Larry DeMar, and with artwork from John Youssi, this machine got 345 votes and scored 8/10.
29. Attack From Mars – Bally, 1995
Designed by Brian Eddy and with artwork from Doug Watson, Attack from Mars scored 8/10 with 323 votes.
30. The Simpsons Pinball Party – Stern, 2003
This machine was designed by Keith P. Johnson and Joe Balcer, with artwork from Kevin O’Connor and Margaret Hudson. It scored 8/10 and had 233 votes.
Final Thoughts
Most pinball machines are designed to be eye-catching with great designs and vibrant artwork. However, the 30 pinball machines listed above are what we believe to be the very best. We’ve relied on the IPDB to ensure we take into account the views of the pinball community, but it really comes down to personal preference as to which one takes number one!