# Jaws, Godfather, Wednesday Addams, Pink Floyd & Other Interesting Live Pinball Machine Trademarks

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2023-02-07  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/jaws-godfather-wednesday-addams-pink-floyd-other-interesting-live-pinball-machine-trademarks

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## Analysis

Knapp Arcade analyzed USPTO trademark filings to identify potential future pinball machine themes, discovering active filings for Jaws, Godfather, Wednesday, Pink Floyd, and Rebel Moon. The analysis contextualizes these findings against known industry rumors and licensing history, noting that Jaws was previously considered by Jersey Jack before being picked up by another manufacturer (likely Stern), and that Godfather has been rumored at Jersey Jack for some time.

### Key Claims

- [MEDIUM] Jack Guarnieri of Jersey Jack Pinball previously pursued a Jaws license but it was too restrictive without enough assets, leading them to pass and another manufacturer (presumably Stern) picked it up — _Direct reference to a prior Jack Guarnieri interview; indicates Jack Danger or industry knowledge_
- [LOW] Jersey Jack Pinball is rumored to be making a Godfather pinball machine — _Author states this rumor 'has been floating around for a while' but provides no specific source_
- [HIGH] The Addams Family (1992 Bally) is the best-selling pinball machine of all-time — _Widely accepted industry fact cited as context for Wednesday potential_
- [HIGH] Stern Pinball has an existing relationship with Netflix due to the Stranger Things pinball machine — _Stern has confirmed multiple Netflix titles; Stranger Things is a known released title_
- [HIGH] Rebel Moon is a Netflix space fantasy film directed by Zack Snyder inspired by Seven Samurai — _Public film industry information_

### Notable Quotes

> "Years ago, Jersey Jack Pinball's founder Jack Guarnieri strongly hinted during an interview that his company had looked into making a Jaws pinball machine, but the license ended up being too restrictive without enough assets, so they passed and it was picked up by another pinball manufacturer, presumably Stern."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Provides historical context for why Jaws ended up at Stern rather than Jersey Jack; indicates known licensing complexity_

> "The Jersey Jack is making a Godfather pinball machine rumor has been floating around for a while now as well."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Acknowledges Godfather as an established industry rumor but doesn't provide sourcing_

> "Whenever people talk about themes that they would like to see for pinball over on Pinside, inevitably someone brings up the band Pink Floyd."
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _Indicates Pink Floyd is a frequently requested theme in community discussions, adding credibility to trademark filing relevance_

> "Would a manufacturer risk making a pinball machine to coincide with the launch and risk making another of the proverbial great pin, bad movie games like The Shadow or Congo?"
> — **Knapp Arcade (author)**
> _References historical pinball culture risk of licensing mediocre films; positions Rebel Moon as uncertain investment_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; rumored to be working on Godfather; previously passed on Jaws license due to restrictions |
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; presumably picked up Jaws license from Jersey Jack; has Netflix relationship evidenced by Stranger Things |
| Jack Guarnieri | person | Founder of Jersey Jack Pinball; previously discussed Jaws licensing pursuit in interview |
| Planetary Pinball | company | Filed trademark for Big Bang Bar pinball machine according to USPTO database research |
| American Pinball | company | Let lapse trademark filing for Wrath of Olympus according to USPTO database research |
| Jaws | game | Potential pinball machine IP; licensing previously considered by Jersey Jack, reportedly picked up by Stern; rumored to be in development |
| Godfather | game | Potential pinball machine IP; long-standing rumor of Jersey Jack development |
| Wednesday | game | Netflix series; trademark shows pinball on radar; positioned as possibility given Addams Family pinball success |
| Pink Floyd | game | Band with trademark filing; frequently requested by community; 15 studio albums available for theming |
| Rebel Moon | game | Unreleased Netflix space fantasy film by Zack Snyder; trademark filed; high-risk licensing proposition for pinball |
| The Addams Family | game | 1992 Bally pinball machine; best-selling pinball of all-time; referenced as context for Wednesday potential |
| Stranger Things | game | Stern pinball machine based on Netflix series; evidence of Stern-Netflix relationship |
| The Shadow | game | Historical pinball example of 'great pin, bad movie' scenario |
| Congo | game | Historical pinball example of 'great pin, bad movie' scenario |
| Big Bang Bar | game | Planetary Pinball trademark filing identified in USPTO database |
| Avatar | game | IP with pinball mentioned as part of broader trademark filing |
| Wrath of Olympus | game | American Pinball trademark filing that was allowed to lapse |
| Zack Snyder | person | Director of Rebel Moon; known for Dawn of the Dead, 300, Justice League |
| USPTO | organization | United States Patent and Trademark Office; source of trademark filing data analyzed |
| Knapp Arcade | person | Author/researcher conducting USPTO trademark database searches for pinball-related filings |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Trademark filings and upcoming pinball machine announcements, Jaws pinball licensing history and current development, Jersey Jack Pinball upcoming titles (Godfather rumor)
- **Secondary:** Netflix IP partnerships with Stern Pinball, Community-requested pinball themes (Pink Floyd), Historical pinball licensing risks and failed movie-based games, IP licensing complexity and deal-making in pinball

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0.5) — Author maintains objective, investigative tone while presenting trademark findings. Shows appropriate skepticism toward rumors and licensing risks without editorial bias. Expresses personal opinion on Pink Floyd's suitability for pinball while acknowledging its community appeal.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball has established Netflix relationship evidenced by Stranger Things pinball; increases likelihood of Wednesday and Rebel Moon licensing (confidence: high) — Author notes Stern 'presumably already has a relationship with Netflix as a result of its Stranger Things pinball machine'; Wednesday and Rebel Moon are Netflix originals with active trademark filings
- **[licensing_signal]** Trademark database reveals active filings for multiple potential pinball themes: Jaws, Godfather, Wednesday, Pink Floyd, Rebel Moon (confidence: high) — Author conducted USPTO database search and identified live trademark filings; concrete documentation source
- **[licensing_signal]** Licensing complexity demonstrated by Jaws case: Jersey Jack pursued but found license 'too restrictive without enough assets' (confidence: medium) — Jack Guarnieri quote attributed to prior interview regarding Jaws licensing negotiations and restrictions
- **[market_signal]** Movie-based pinball licensing carries high risk; historical examples of 'great pin, bad movie' failures cited (The Shadow, Congo) (confidence: high) — Author directly references this as industry risk when discussing Rebel Moon movie uncertainty
- **[rumor_hype]** Community frequently requests Pink Floyd as pinball theme on Pinside forums (confidence: medium) — Author states 'whenever people talk about themes that they would like to see for pinball over on Pinside, inevitably someone brings up the band Pink Floyd'
- **[rumor_hype]** Godfather pinball machine rumored to be in development at Jersey Jack Pinball (confidence: low) — Author states rumor 'has been floating around for a while' with no specific source attribution
- **[rumor_hype]** Jaws pinball machine long-standing rumor; Jack Guarnieri previously pursued license but passed; another manufacturer (presumably Stern) picked it up (confidence: medium) — Direct attribution to Jack Guarnieri interview; clear sourcing trail from JJP to Stern

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## Transcript

A couple of days ago I poked around in the United States Patent and Trademark Office database looking for pinball-related filings. This lead to my previous posts about Planetary Pinball filing one for Big Bang Bar, pinball being part of the Avatar trademark and American Pinball letting its filing for Wrath of Olympus lapse.

Today I thought that I'd share a few other interesting active aka "Live" trademark filings for pinball machines of various IPs. None of these are singular filings specifically for a pinball machine, they're much broader than that. However, they at least show that pinball is on the radar of the company who filed the trademark. A couple of these themes are currently rumored to already be in various stages of development at manufacturers. 

Years ago, Jersey Jack Pinball's founder Jack Guarnieri strongly hinted during an interview that his company had looked into making a Jaws pinball machine, but the license ended up being too restrictive without enough assets, so they passed and it was picked up by another pinball manufacturer, presumably Stern. So the Jaws rumor has been out there for a while.

The Jersey Jack is making a Godfather pinball machine rumor has been floating around for a while now as well.

Those are the two most likely themes that we'll see, but what about the rest? Wednesday is a recent, popular Netflix series. I wouldn't ordinarily put much stock in this as a potential theme, except for the fact that Bally's 1992 pinball machine The Addams Family is the best selling pin of all-time. So maybe.

Whenever people talk about themes that they would like to see for pinball over on Pinside, inevitably someone brings up the band Pink Floyd. The band has a pretty big following and 15 studio albums to draw from. I'm not a big Pink Floyd guy myself and the music seems a little slow for pinball to me, but this one seems possible as well.

The last noteworthy pinball trademark reference that I came across is a new theme. In fact, it's so new that the show isn't even out yet. Rebel Moon is a big budget Netflix movie that is being made by Zac Taylor Snyder, of Dawn of the Dead, 300 and Justice League fame. It is a space fantasy themed film that was "inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s iconic Seven Samurai." Who knows if the movie will be any good? Would a manufacturer risk making a pinball machine to coincide with the launch and risk making another of the proverbial great pin, bad movie games like The Shadow or Congo?

Interestingly, two of these themes are new shows on Netflix. Stern Pinball presumably already has a relationship with Netflix as a result of its Stranger Things pinball machine, so that adds a little more smoke to the fire.

Time will tell if any of these themes actually make it to the market as pins. If anything, at least the pinball trademark search served as interesting fodder for conversation and speculation. I'll do a follow-up search in a couple of months to see if there's anything new out there.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 7366d282-70a3-47df-90a4-3d44d60032cd*