# Pinball Expo 2024 Recap [ 06 / 08 ] - Howard and Kaj with Project Pinball

**Source:** In Before the Lock  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-10-31  
**Duration:** 12m 44s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esHQ9EpuhFQ

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## Analysis

Jon interviews Howard and Taj from Project Pinball, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that places pinball machines in children's hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide. They discuss the organization's mission, history (founded after discovering a broken Spider-Man machine with 30,000+ plays), current footprint of 81 machines, and Pinball Expo 2024 fundraising activities including silent auctions, gift basket raffles, high-score contests, and the Freedom to Play tournament featuring adaptive controllers for players with mobility limitations.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Project Pinball has placed 81 machines nationwide after the 2024 Love Across America tour (10th annual) — _Howard explicitly states: 'we will be up to 81 machines nationwide' after the tour_
- [HIGH] The organization was founded after Paul Daniel Spooler discovered a beloved Spider-Man machine in Dallas Auto Children's Hospital in Fort Myers that had been broken down despite having 30,000+ plays — _Taj describes the origin story: founder saw broken machine with 30,000 plays, got permission to repair it, then discovered 9 other Florida hospitals needing the service_
- [HIGH] Project Pinball maintains all machines with volunteer-run maintenance programs to ensure they stay operational — _Howard explains: 'we put it on a maintenance program to have a life for the pinball machine maintained by volunteers'_
- [HIGH] Pinball Expo 2024 features a silent auction with approximately 200 donated items including artwork, mods, and parts — _Howard and Taj repeatedly reference the auction: '200 items for people to pick on and win' and 'over 200 items to bid on'_
- [HIGH] Stern Pinball donated a signed Uncanny X-Men playfield from the design and development team for auction — _Taj shows the playfield: 'the design and development team at Stern donated a play field, a brand new play field signed by the entire design and development team'_
- [HIGH] Rob Burke (Pinball Expo promoter) owns the original Electric Playground Captain Fantastic topper; a prototype copy was donated to Project Pinball — _Taj states: 'One is owned by Rob Burke, the promoter of Pinball Expo, and the other one was donated to Project Pinball'_
- [HIGH] The Freedom to Play tournament uses adaptive hand controllers developed by Inclusive Gameworks (Colorado) for players with mobility issues — _Howard explains: 'hand controllers for pinball developed by a group of folks called Inclusive Gameworks out of Colorado'_
- [HIGH] Project Pinball is including adaptive hand controllers with every machine dedication — _Howard states: 'every single dedication on this tour, we actually put a controller with the machine'_

### Notable Quotes

> "the machine was beloved. I think when he first looked at it, it had over like 30,000 plays on it, and it was broke. Nobody was maintaining it."
> — **Taj (Project Pinball)**, ~2:30
> _Describes the origin moment for Project Pinball — the catalyst that inspired the nonprofit's founding_

> "We Are Pinball a 501c nonprofit organization. We place pinball machines in children's hospitals and Ronald McDonald houses and other medical facilities."
> — **Howard (Project Pinball)**, ~0:30
> _Core mission statement of the organization_

> "the doctors are playing it too. I mean, they're there for 12 hours a day. They need something too."
> — **Taj (Project Pinball)**, ~1:45
> _Highlights unexpected benefits of machines beyond intended patient use — staff engagement_

> "after our Love Across America tour this year, which is the 10th annual, we will be up to 81 machines nationwide."
> — **Howard (Project Pinball)**, ~2:00
> _Key metric showing organizational growth and current deployment scale_

> "So he asked them, can I take this and shop it out and bring it back and you guys can play it? And they were in tears like, yes, we would love that."
> — **Taj (Project Pinball)**, ~3:00
> _Emotional origin story showing the impact and emotional value of the service_

> "It's designed for people of different abilities to be able to play pinball. Not everybody's able to stand up to a pinball machine or some people even have mobility issues."
> — **Howard (Project Pinball)**, ~8:30
> _Explains the accessibility mission and adaptive controller initiative_

> "The Burke family is amazing. We love them so much. They donated a pinball machine that we raffle off. They do that every year."
> — **Howard (Project Pinball)**, ~5:15
> _Highlights key donor relationships and annual fundraising partnerships_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Project Pinball | organization | 501(c)(3) nonprofit placing pinball machines in children's hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses; founded after discovering broken Spider-Man machine; operates with 81 machines nationwide as of 2024 |
| Howard | person | Project Pinball representative; discusses organization operations, maintenance programs, and fundraising |
| Taj | person | Project Pinball representative; co-host of interview; discusses history, fundraising, and tournament operations |
| Paul Daniel Spooler | person | Senior founder/director of Project Pinball; discovered broken Spider-Man machine at Dallas Auto Children's Hospital in Fort Myers that inspired the organization's founding |
| Jon | person | Host of In Before the Lock; conducts interview with Project Pinball representatives |
| Rob Burke | person | Promoter of Pinball Expo; owns original Electric Playground Captain Fantastic topper; Burke family donates pinball machine annually for Project Pinball raffle |
| Greg Frisbee | person | Pinball artist; donated original artwork pieces (Greg Heads) to Project Pinball silent auction; reportedly retired but continuing work |
| Elijah the Cup Guy | person | Artist; built 15-foot high solenoid sculpture for Project Pinball fundraiser at Pinball Expo 2024 |
| Inclusive Gameworks | organization | Colorado-based group that developed adaptive hand controllers for pinball; controllers enable play for people with mobility issues |
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; donated signed Uncanny X-Men playfield from design and development team to Project Pinball silent auction |
| Electric Playground | company | Custom pinball topper manufacturer; created prototype Captain Fantastic topper; one prototype donated to Project Pinball |
| Pinball Expo 2024 | event | 40th anniversary pinball convention; features Project Pinball booth with fundraisers including silent auction (200+ items), gift basket raffles, high-score contests, and Freedom to Play tournament |
| Freedom to Play Pinball Tournament | event | IFPA-sanctioned tournament at Pinball Expo 2024 featuring adaptive hand controllers for players with mobility limitations; free entry; promotes accessibility in pinball |
| Love Across America Tour | event | Project Pinball's 10th annual tour (2024); results in 81 total machines placed nationwide |
| Dallas Auto Children's Hospital | organization | Fort Myers hospital where founder Paul Daniel Spooler discovered broken Spider-Man machine with 30,000 plays that inspired Project Pinball |
| Uncanny X-Men (Stern) | product | Pinball machine recently released by Stern; design team donated signed playfield to Project Pinball silent auction |
| Captain Fantastic Pinball | product | Classic pinball machine; Electric Playground created custom topper for it; prototype owned by Rob Burke, copy donated to Project Pinball |
| Spider-Man (Dallas Auto Children's Hospital machine) | product | Pinball machine at Dallas hospital with 30,000+ plays; was broken down when discovered; repair and restoration of this machine inspired Project Pinball's founding |
| Flipping Out Pinball | company | Pinball distributor/podcast; donated gift basket to Project Pinball raffle at Pinball Expo 2024 |
| Indie Pinball | company | Pinball-related company; donated Chris Craft-themed gift basket to Project Pinball raffle |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Project Pinball organization and mission, Pinball Expo 2024 fundraising activities, Adaptive/accessible pinball gaming, Silent auction items and donations
- **Secondary:** Therapeutic benefits of pinball in medical settings, Community support and donor relationships, Pinball machine maintenance and preservation
- **Mentioned:** IFPA tournament sanctioning

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.92) — Uniformly positive tone throughout; hosts and Project Pinball representatives express enthusiasm about the nonprofit's mission, community support, and fundraising success. Jon praises their work; Howard and Taj convey passion and gratitude for donor contributions. No criticism or negative sentiment present.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Project Pinball scaling operations — currently 81 machines deployed nationwide with volunteer maintenance model; planning website revamp and new merchandise (confidence: high) — Howard states placement target of 81 machines after Love Across America tour; closing remarks mention website revamp and new merchandise launching soon
- **[community_signal]** Adaptive pinball controllers being integrated into hospital deployments as standard feature, promoting accessibility and inclusive gaming (confidence: high) — Howard explains: 'every single dedication on this tour, we actually put a controller with the machine so that they have it. It's there for them to use it, so anybody can play'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Pinball community demonstrates strong support for accessibility and inclusive gaming initiatives through donation of adaptive technology and tournament sponsorship (confidence: high) — Howard describes Free-to-Play tournament as IFPA-sanctioned with adaptive controllers: 'we run an IFPA tournament every year that's sanctioned... designed for people of different abilities to be able to play pinball'
- **[community_signal]** Project Pinball receiving substantial institutional support at Pinball Expo 2024, including booth placement, donated machines for raffle, and 200+ auction items from industry vendors and manufacturers (confidence: high) — Howard states: 'Pinball Expo the 40th anniversary the show really supports us. It gives us booth placement, a giant booth, front center, right by the entrance. The Burke family is amazing... They donated a pinball machine that we raffle off. They do that every year'
- **[event_signal]** Pinball Expo 2024 (40th anniversary) showcases major fundraising push with silent auctions, raffles, gift baskets, and specialized tournaments (confidence: high) — Taj and Howard detail multiple concurrent fundraisers: silent auction with 200+ items, 18 gift baskets, high-score contests, solenoid sculpture raffle at 8:30pm, and Freedom to Play tournament
- **[manufacturing_signal]** Stern Pinball providing signed playfield from Uncanny X-Men design team to Project Pinball auction, indicating strong manufacturer backing for nonprofit mission (confidence: high) — Taj describes: 'Stern Pinball recently released their Uncanny X-Men pinball machine... the design and development team at Stern donated a play field, a brand new play field signed by the entire design and development team'

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## Transcript

 Hey everyone, I'm here with Taj and Howard from Project Pinball. Yes. Project Pinball booth, been a very busy booth this next month. Very busy. And I'd like to talk to you a little bit about Project Pinball, what it's all about and how it all started out. Let's do it, yeah. So we are a 501c nonprofit organization. We place pinball machines in children's hospitals and Ronald McDonald houses and other medical facilities. goal is to have the therapeutic benefits available for the patients and the family. So hand-eye coordination, motor skills, physically standing, all of that really helps them with rehabilitation and getting going again, get on their feet. So anything I missed, Howard? Well, I would just say our program dedicates a pinball machine to the children's hospital, but then just as important, we put it on a maintenance program to have a life for the pinball machine maintained by volunteers. So it's always ready if the kid wants to play pinball. Or the visitor, family member, even the staff really enjoy having the pinball machine in the hospital. Yes, it actually stays inside there. It does. Yeah, we don't move it. It stays there. I mean, the doctors are playing it too. I mean, they're there for 12 hours a day. They need something too. And they bring their patients in and they just have this bonding experience. It's so cool. So do you guys work with specific hospitals? So, I mean, really the way we get our foot in the door is knowing someone in the hospital. So we either, like, if you know a doctor or a nurse, we get their contact and we start chatting with the hospital. And that's really how we get our foot in the door. And right now, after our Love Across America tour this year, which is the 10th annual, we will be up to 81 machines nationwide. That's amazing. 81, yeah. So how did it all start out then? Yeah, so our senior founder director, Daniel Spooler, he saw a Spider-Man machine in the Dallas Auto Children's Hospital in Fort Myers, and it was broken down. And I mean, the machine was beloved. I think when he first looked at it, it had over like 30,000 plays on it, and it was broke. Nobody was maintaining it. No one was maintaining it. And he's like, we got to do something about this. Like, they wanted to play the machine. So he asked them, can I take this and shop it out and bring it back and you guys can play it? And they were in tears like, yes, we would love that. And that's kind of how it started. He was like, okay, let's see if we have some other hospitals in Florida. And little did he know there was like nine other hospitals just in Florida. So that's when he thought this can be everywhere. Yeah. Fantastic. So how are you raising money? How are you raising money? So many ways to raise money. He's our fundraising guy. So we do things, this charity runs on the support of the community. Absolutely. So outside of being here at Pinball Expo and the different communities, people do fundraisers, charity pinball tournaments, all kinds of activities, even non related to raise money for Project Pinball But here at Pinball Expo the 40th anniversary the show really supports us It gives us booth placement, a giant booth, front center, right by the entrance. The Burke family is amazing. We love them so much. They donated a pinball machine that we raffle off. They do that every year, and that money goes to help support Project Pinball. In this booth today, we're running high score contests where you pay a couple of dollars, and if you have the high score, you'll win a Project Pinball t-shirt. All of that money is collected to help our mission. Our big fundraisers at Pinball Expo is we have an annual silent auction. We're standing in the middle of the booth here, but we have about 200 items for people to pick on and win. some one-of-a-kind items, artwork, pinball mods, pinball parts. Yeah, a cutting board, a handmade wood cutting board. I mean, so many cool items. You should go and have a little look through what you found. Let's go have a look through. Do you want to hear the overview of the other things? Sure, yeah, yeah, let's do it. Do the rest, do the rest. You got it, I believe. We have a gift basket raffle this year. We have 18 gift baskets donated by generous people all over the country, different types of items. We sell raffle tickets and we'll raffle them off later today. We've got, definitely going to have to go back and see it, but we have a sculpture, a piece of art by Elijah the Cup Guy who built a 15-foot high sculpture of soul. They're not held together by anything. We're raffling off the opportunity to break it up. To run through it. I hope you come back for that because that's going to be at 8.30. 8.30. 8.30. I'm going to call the winners. Hopefully they'll be here and they're going to have fun busting it up. Yeah. Sounds like a heck of a lot of work. We've got this, can we come around the corner? Of course. We've got the pinball tournament, yeah. We are running a pinball tournament from, well it's called the Freedom to Play Pinball tournament. Come out this way. You want me to hold it? I will hold this. So this is called the Freedom to Play Pinball Tournament. It's a tournament featuring adaptive controllers, hand controllers for pinball developed by a group of folks called Inclusive Gameworks out of Colorado. And it's just designed for people of different abilities to be able to play pinball. Not everybody's able to stand up to a pinball machine or some people even have mobility issues. And we run an IFPA tournament every year that's sanctioned that we're competing in today for some prizes and trophies. So it's something unique we do here at Pinball Expo. Not really a fundraiser, this is a free tournament Free an IFPA sanction Yeah And we just promoting it through Project Pinball Charity And we starting to place these hand controllers in the kids hospitals Ronald McDonald houses. Yeah, so every single dedication on this tour, we actually put a controller with the machine so that they have it. It's there for them to use it, so anybody can play. Yeah, so if you want, we can go back in the booth and look at some of the items in the silent auction. Yeah. The gift baskets. Okay, take me through some of the items. Yeah, no problem. So we're in the middle of the booth here in our annual silent auction. Over 200 items to bid on. We've got one-of-a-kind historical pinball-related items. You have the table that you're focused on here. It has about 50 different pinball mods. People like personalizing their games. Some things are one-of-a-kind. That's a Gary Cern bobblehead. And it's really easy to enter the raffle. You just find an item that you're interested in, scan the QR code. Whoever has the high bid at 4 o'clock today is going to win the item. Yeah. What are some of the items that people have been most interested in on the desk? Yeah, I'm going to say, I'm going to come around this way. I think one of the hottest items are these original artworks by the artist Greg Freris. The Greg Heads. Yeah, exactly, the Greg Heads. He's done a bunch of different designs. he's supposed to be retired supposed to be retired yeah but you know no fear of retirement that's one of his pieces there so I think these are going to be some of the hottest tickets we've got a so Stern Pinball follow me this way Stern Pinball recently released their Uncanny X-Men pinball machine so the design and development team at Stern donated a play field, a brand new play field signed by the entire design and development team. Lights on? Yep. So this is going to be something nobody else in the world is going to own except the person that places the high bid in today's Starland Auction. Another hot item, this is a custom designed topper for Captain Fantastic Pinball. This is my top pinball. This is made by the Electric Playground. I forgot the artist's names, but it's all signed by the artist. This is a prototype made. There's only two in the world. One is owned by Rob Burke, the promoter of Pinball Expo, and the other one was donated to Project Pinball. We got a mirrored back glass from Pope Fiction Pinball Machine We got the Trans Life from Ninja Eclipse All kinds of items Oh, let's show the Elvira banner over there. Oh yeah, we could do that. So much to see. Oh, we have raffle baskets on the way. Yeah, so as we're walking around the booth, these are the raffle baskets that we have where people, you can see right now, are buying tickets. And a lot of these... We've got 18 baskets this year. A lot of these make specific kinds of drinks too, like whiskey sours, there's sake, that's cool. There's some good craft, so a craft basket from Indie Pinball. Pinball Expo donated this basket, Flippy Family. Yeah, and take a look at this. So, this is Pinball. This is Pinball. They make all these products, like full plunge mascara. Pop, blusher. All these cool cosmetics that are themed as pinball. It's amazing. Absolutely. Fantastic. Well, you guys are doing great work here. And it's fantastic to see. We've got one more Elvira. Elvira. Yeah, come on. So we've got the Elvira House of Horrors banner. Also signed by Greg. very generously donated. So, again, everything that John Youssi in this booth is here to support Plattec Pinball's mission. Before we go, here's the cup sculpture we were talking about. It looks different, yeah. So, Elijah the Cup Guy, he built this. And right now, when I'm looking at it, I do not see what people are seeing through the camera. So, like, John Youssi the logo, but when I look at it, I see all the colors. It's so interesting. We've been trying to find a way to explain to people the difference with the camera, and it's just amazing. Yeah, there you go, Howard. It's almost like the eye sort of functions. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And then the other side is actually the Project Pitbull logo. So he came up with this whole thing. So what we're doing here, how this becomes a fundraiser, I'm going to bring you over to the signage here so people have the opportunity to buy a raffle ticket at 8.30 tonight to take this sculpture down, however they want to do it. Go to watch it. Go to watch it. Yep. So people are here all weekend taking their photos in front of the booth, and somebody later today is going to have the opportunity to have some fun and blast through it. Come and check out our website, projectpinball.org. We're going to have some new merch soon. And we're on all social media, and our website is also, we're revamping the website. That's going to launch really soon, so please come and check it out. And thanks for your support. We appreciate it. Thank you. Bye-bye.

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 1d9f566c-af59-41f8-a20d-8e753d92a6c7*