# Gary Stern: Stern Pinball Will “Have Some Surprises” at Pinball Expo

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2023-10-15  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/gary-stern-stern-pinball-will-have-some-surprises-at-pinball-expo

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## Analysis

Gary Stern teased "surprises" at the upcoming Chicago Pinball Expo in a WGN Radio interview. The author speculates these could include a limited 500-unit "Blood Red Kiss Edition" of Elvira's House of Horrors, official Foo Fighters or Venomized Ghost Rider toppers, or other unannounced items. The article reflects community anticipation ahead of the major annual industry show.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Gary Stern stated Stern Pinball will have 'surprises' at Chicago Pinball Expo beyond the standard booth lineup — _WGN Radio interview quote directly cited by article author_
- [MEDIUM] Stern is planning a limited 500-unit 'Blood Red Kiss Edition' of Elvira's House of Horrors — _Author speculation based on patterns, not confirmed in the interview text provided_
- [LOW] Possible surprises include official Foo Fighters topper with moving head or Venomized Ghost Rider Venom topper — _Pure speculation by article author; no sourcing provided_

### Notable Quotes

> "We'll have some surprises at the show also"
> — **Gary Stern**, WGN Radio interview (pre-Expo)
> _Direct tease of unannounced content; high-signal statement for community speculation_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Gary Stern | person | Founder of Stern Pinball; made public statement teasing Expo surprises |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer preparing booth for Chicago Pinball Expo |
| Chicago Pinball Expo | event | Upcoming major annual pinball industry show and community gathering |
| Elvira's House of Horrors | game | Stern pinball game; rumored limited edition variant being prepared |
| Foo Fighters | game | Stern pinball game; possible topper announcement |
| Venom | game | Stern pinball game; possible Ghost Rider crossover topper variant |
| WGN Radio | organization | Radio station that conducted interview with Gary Stern |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pinball Expo announcements and surprises
- **Secondary:** Limited edition game variants, Aftermarket toppers and cosmetic variants, Stern Pinball product roadmap

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.8) — Author expresses enthusiasm about upcoming announcements and community anticipation. Tone is speculative and playful rather than critical.

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Gary Stern publicly hints at unannounced surprises for Chicago Pinball Expo, generating community speculation and hype (confidence: high) — Direct quote from WGN Radio interview: 'We'll have some surprises at the show also'
- **[market_signal]** Gary Stern using vague teaser language to generate pre-Expo hype and media coverage (confidence: high) — Classic marketing tactic: specific announcement deferred to create FOMO and draw attendance
- **[announcement]** Possible official Foo Fighters and/or Venomized Ghost Rider toppers expected at Expo (confidence: low) — Pure speculation by article author; no supporting evidence provided
- **[announcement]** Potential announcement of limited-run Elvira House of Horrors variant (Blood Red Kiss Edition, 500 units) expected at Expo (confidence: medium) — Author speculation based on Stern's pattern of LE releases; not confirmed in provided interview text

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## Transcript

There's just a constant flow of amazing pinball news now heading into this week's Chicago Pinball Expo. It's tough to keep up with all of it lol.

I'm sitting here eating breakfast before my son's lacrosse game listening to a recent WGN Radio interview with Stern Pinball's founder Gary Stern. In it he talks about Stern's booth at Expo and all the games they will have there. At the end of the list of games that he rattles off he said:

"We'll have some surprises at the show also"

Ooh, I wonder what that is? Here's a couple of possibilities...

Stern probably will show off its new 500 unit black & white "Blood Red Kiss Edition" of its Elvira's House of Horrors pinball machine. Other possibilities include either the official Foo Fighters topper with a moving head on top or the Venomized Ghost Rider Venom topper, or both or neither lol.

I wonder if Stern has any other surprises up its sleeve for all of us beyond any of those? I sure hope so, I love talking about this stuff!

Pinball wizard Gary Stern of Stern Pinball: Pinball Expo, manufacturing expansion, Venom, Foo Fighters, Stern Pro Circuit

https://wgnradio.com/dave-plier/pinball-wizard-gary-stern-of-stern-pinball-pinball-expo-manufacturing-expansion-venom-foo-fighters-stern-pro-circuit/amp/

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 81b67de2-aded-400f-9c79-b60e5821b618*