# The Rumored Story Behind the Mysterious Harry Potter Pinball Picture - UPDATED with New Info

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2023-05-17  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/the-rumored-story-behind-the-mysterious-harry-potter-pinball-picture-updated-with-new-info

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## Analysis

An analysis of how Jersey Jack Pinball secured the Harry Potter pinball license after Stern Pinball apparent failed attempt. The article cites insider testimony from Christopher Franchi podcast co-host about a Stern mockup used to pitch the game to J.K. Rowling, who allegedly had concerns about pinball's association with gambling and bars. An update suggests Joe Kaminkow laid groundwork at Stern but someone failed to submit a timely bid, allowing Jack Guarnieri to leverage his Warner Brothers relationship to win the license.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Christopher Franchi created artwork for a Stern Pinball mockup of Harry Potter intended to pitch the game to WB — _Christian Line citing Franchi's work on Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast; described as firsthand knowledge from co-host relationship_
- [LOW] J.K. Rowling has been 'totally anti-pinball' because she views it as a gambling device associated with bars and places of ill repute — _Christian Line reporting rumor on LoserKid Pinball Podcast; explicitly framed as rumor, not confirmed fact_
- [LOW] Joe Kaminkow laid groundwork for Harry Potter pinball at Stern but someone at Stern failed to submit a bid in time — _Knapp Arcade reports hearing 'through the grapevine'; explicitly states uncertainty ('I have no way of knowing for sure')_
- [LOW] Jack Guarnieri used his good relationship with Warner Brothers to secure the license after Stern missed the deadline — _Knapp Arcade reporting unverified update; described as plausible speculation based on known facts_
- [MEDIUM] The Facebook post picture of Harry Potter pinball was a Stern machine prototype mockup — _Christian Line confirming mockup was Franchi's art and Stern prototype; from LoserKid podcast ~30 minute mark_

### Notable Quotes

> "I can confirm that the mockup that was posted on that Factbook post was indeed Christopher Franchi's art and that was a Stern machine prototype that he was going to hopefully use to sell this game to WB as a machine that could be made."
> — **Christian Line (Dr. Pin)**, ~30 minute mark, LoserKid Pinball Podcast Ep 109
> _Primary insider testimony confirming the mockup's origin and intent; based on his co-host relationship with Franchi_

> "the rumor is that she has been totally anti-pinball because she thinks that it's a gambling device and associates it with bars and places of ill-repute"
> — **Christian Line**, LoserKid Pinball Podcast Ep 109
> _Key explanation for licensing difficulty; explicitly framed as rumor, not confirmed_

> "How it got from Stern to Jack Guarnieri, there's the mystery and I don't know that anyone fully knows why."
> — **Christian Line**, LoserKid Pinball Podcast Ep 109
> _Acknowledges the central unknown: how the license moved from Stern to Jersey Jack_

> "Kaminkow laid all of the groundwork for a Harry Potter pinball machine, but someone at Stern dropped the ball didn't get their bid in in time."
> — **Knapp Arcade (reporting unverified rumor)**, Article update
> _Speculative explanation for Stern's loss of the license; plausibility acknowledged but unconfirmed_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer that secured the Harry Potter pinball license; mentioned as having beaten Stern to secure the IP |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major manufacturer that allegedly lost the Harry Potter license after failing to submit a timely bid; created mockup through Christopher Franchi |
| Christopher Franchi | person | Pinball artist who created the Stern mockup artwork for Harry Potter pitch to WB; co-host on Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast |
| Joe Kaminkow | person | Announced JJP securing Harry Potter license via Facebook; allegedly laid groundwork for the license at Stern before it was lost |
| Jack Guarnieri | person | CEO/founder of Jersey Jack Pinball; reportedly leveraged Warner Brothers relationship to win the license after Stern's failure |
| J.K. Rowling | person | Harry Potter creator/rights holder; allegedly anti-pinball due to perception of gambling associations; had to approve the Stern mockup |
| Warner Brothers | company | Controls Harry Potter IP licensing; recipient of Stern's pitch mockup; has relationship with Jack Guarnieri |
| Christian Line | person | Co-host with Christopher Franchi on Super Awesome Pinball Show; guest on LoserKid Pinball Podcast providing insider insight on Harry Potter licensing story |
| Sarah Line | person | Known as Mrs. Pin; guest alongside Christian Line on LoserKid Pinball Podcast episode discussing Harry Potter situation |
| LoserKid Pinball Podcast | organization | Podcast that featured Christian and Sarah Line discussing the Harry Potter licensing situation |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Author of article analyzing the Harry Potter licensing situation based on podcast testimony and industry gossip |
| Super Awesome Pinball Show | organization | Podcast featuring Christopher Franchi and Christian Line as co-hosts |
| Harry Potter | game | Pinball machine theme secured by Jersey Jack Pinball; previously the subject of a Stern mockup attempt |

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern's licensing bidding process failure; someone internally did not submit a timely bid for Harry Potter (confidence: low) — Knapp Arcade: 'Kaminkow laid all of the groundwork for a Harry Potter pinball machine, but someone at Stern dropped the ball didn't get their bid in in time'
- **[competitive_signal]** Stern Pinball created a mockup to pitch Harry Potter but lost the license to Jersey Jack, possibly due to failed bid timing (confidence: medium) — Knapp Arcade update reporting that Stern missed deadline and JJP's Guarnieri leveraged WB relationship to 'swoop in and snatch the Harry Potter license'
- **[leak_detection]** The Facebook mockup image by Joe Kaminkow revealing the existence of a Stern Harry Potter prototype (confidence: medium) — Christian Line confirmed 'the mockup that was posted on that Factbook post was indeed Christopher Franchi's art and that was a Stern machine prototype'
- **[licensing_signal]** J.K. Rowling allegedly has anti-pinball bias due to gambling/disreputable venue associations, creating licensing difficulty that required specific strategy to overcome (confidence: low) — Christian Line on LoserKid podcast: 'rumor is that she has been totally anti-pinball because she thinks that it's a gambling device and associates it with bars and places of ill-repute'
- **[personnel_signal]** Christopher Franchi's involvement in Stern's Harry Potter pitch effort; later known to transition to Spooky Pinball (confidence: medium) — Franchi created artwork for Stern mockup; Christian Line's insider knowledge via co-host relationship on Super Awesome Pinball Show
- **[rumor_hype]** Speculation about the internal failure at Stern and JJP's advantage in securing the license (confidence: low) — Knapp Arcade explicitly states uncertainty: 'I wasn't there, so I have no way of knowing for sure, but it certainly sounds plausible to me'

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## Transcript

Ever since Sunday's Facebook by Joe Kaminkow stating that Jersey Jack Pinball has secured the license for a Harry Potter pinball machine the industry has been completely abuzz. I've listened to a number of podcasts on the subject since the news broke. The most recent of which - the LoserKid Pinball Podcast - had by far the most insider take on the situation.

LoserKid had Christian and Sarah Line aka Dr. and Mrs. Pin on as guests for their most latest episode. Christian had unique insight about the Harry Potter situation because he is friends with and was co-host with well-known pinball artist Christopher Franchi on the Super Awesome Pinball Show podcast.

In the episode, Christian said the following, which leads me to believe that the picture of a Harry Potter pinball machine that Joe Kaminkow shared in his post was an actual mockup of a potential Stern Pinball Harry Potter game that was used to attempt to secure the license:

"I can confirm that the mockup that was posted on that Factbook post was indeed Christopher Franchi's art and that was a Stern machine prototype that he was going to hopefully use to sell this game to WB as a machine that could be made. Beyond that a lot of this is speculation. I know for sure that because that image was made that it was brought to WB and to J.K. Rowling and they were trying to get that past past by her because the rumor is that she has been totally anti-pinball because she thinks that it's a gambling device and associates it with bars and places of ill-repute. And so I think that they probably though that and through Kaminkow's actions got them to lighten up a little bit and to loosen up with the chance to make this a pinball machine. From there, it gets murky...

How it got from Stern to Jack Guarnieri, there's the mystery and I don't know that anyone fully knows why."

So this is what a Stern Pinball Harry Potter game may have looked like had they gotten the license. Very interesting stuff. I wish that I had saved a clearer picture of it :).

Below is a link to the episode of the LoserKid Pinball Podcast that I referenced. The quote that I shared is from about the 30 minute mark:

Ep 109: Jersey Jack has Harry Potter?!
LoserKid Pinball Podcast

https://soundcloud.com/loserkidpinballpodcast/ep-109-jersey-jack-has-harry-potter?fbclid=IwAR03760kD7VMsprXoygKKIdyCNM5jgPGrS5mMeOGaX0R8SCkxX7EYKyPMU8

UPDATE: I heard through the grapevine that Kaminkow laid all of the groundwork for a Harry Potter pinball machine, but someone at Stern dropped the ball didn’t get their bid in in time. So Jack used his good relationship with Warner Brothers to swoop in and snatch the Harry Potter license out from under them.

Is this true? I wasn't there, so I have no way of knowing for sure, but it certainly sounds plausible to me given the facts that we know.

To read this story from the start, make sure to check out my original article on the subject:

Joe Kaminkow States that Jersey Jack Pinball has the Harry Potter License

https://www.knapparcade.org/post/joe-kaminkow-states-that-jersey-jack-pinball-has-the-happy-potter-license

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-06-06 | Item ID: 20a98f93-5d28-4aff-a591-710c88bdba87*