# The Goonies Pinball…What Might Have Been **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2022-03-23 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/the-goonies-pinball-what-might-have-been --- ## Analysis Discovery of whitewood prototypes for unreleased Deeproot Pinball games at a bankruptcy auction reveals that Robert Mueller's troubled company was working on The Goonies and The Who pinball machines, though licensing was likely never secured. High-quality auction walkthrough photos show detailed playfield designs, including one with Food Truck artwork on the head, along with design notes and blueprints. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Deeproot Pinball had whitewood designs for The Goonies and The Who pinball machines in development — _Photos from bankruptcy auction walkthrough posted on Pinside showing clear whitewood designs for both games_ - [MEDIUM] Deeproot probably never secured licenses for The Goonies or The Who — _Author speculation based on Robert Mueller's company management reputation: 'Knowing what a mess Robert Mueller's company was, Deeproot probably never secured the license for either them'_ - [HIGH] One of the games (likely Goonies) was to have Food Truck artwork on the head — _Visible in auction photos described as 'The Goonies playfield with Food Truck art laid out on the head'_ - [HIGH] Design notes and blueprints were present with the prototype machines — _Photos show 'notes and a blueprint' alongside the Food Truck game prototype_ - [HIGH] Auctioneers are destroying Deeproot's hard drives and computer data — _Direct observation: 'the auctioneers seem to be destroying the hard drives for all of Deeproot's computers and throwing them out'_ ### Notable Quotes > "Knowing what a mess Robert Mueller's company was, Deeproot probably never secured the license for either them" > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Directly references Robert Mueller's poor management reputation and suggests unlicensed development was characteristic of Deeproot_ > "Alas, even if someone wanted to salvage these games, the auctioneers seem to be destroying the hard drives for all of Deeproot's computers and throwing them out" > — **Author (Knapp Arcade)** > _Laments loss of design data and technical documentation from the failed company_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Deeproot Pinball | company | Bankrupt pinball manufacturer owned by Robert Mueller; had whitewoods for unreleased games in development | | Robert Mueller | person | Owner of Deeproot Pinball; characterized as poor manager resulting in company bankruptcy | | The Goonies | game | Unreleased pinball game prototype by Deeproot with Food Truck artwork theme; likely unlicensed | | The Who | game | Unreleased pinball game prototype by Deeproot; likely unlicensed | | Food Truck | game | Deeproot Pinball game with design notes and blueprint visible in auction photos; appears to be playable prototype | | Gladiator | game | Deeproot Pinball game referenced in bankruptcy auction; whiteboard design notes visible | | Pinside | organization | Pinball community forum where bankruptcy auction walkthrough photos were shared | ### Topics - **Primary:** Deeproot Pinball bankruptcy and asset liquidation, Unreleased pinball game designs and prototypes - **Secondary:** IP licensing challenges in pinball development, Loss of design documentation and technical data, Pinball industry manufacturing mismanagement ### Sentiment **Negative** (-0.65) — Tone is melancholic and frustrated—discovery of unreleased designs is interesting but bittersweet given they'll never be completed, licenses were likely never secured, and valuable technical data is being destroyed ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Deeproot Pinball bankruptcy proceeding with assets liquidated; whitewoods and design documentation for unreleased games recovered at auction (confidence: high) — Bankruptcy auction walkthrough with photos showing incomplete prototypes and design notes; auctioneers destroying computer hard drives - **[design_philosophy]** Unreleased Goonies prototype shows Food Truck artwork theme rather than expected Goonies movie aesthetic; design direction unclear (confidence: medium) — Photos show 'The Goonies playfield with Food Truck art laid out on the head'—unclear if Food Truck is separate game or Goonies thematic element - **[leak_detection]** Unreleased Deeproot game designs (Goonies, The Who prototypes) publicly revealed through bankruptcy auction photos on Pinside forum (confidence: high) — High-quality photos from auction walkthrough showing detailed whitewoods and design blueprints now public via community sharing - **[licensing_signal]** Deeproot Pinball likely never secured licenses for The Goonies and The Who IP before bankruptcy, suggesting unlicensed development phase (confidence: medium) — Author's educated speculation: 'Knowing what a mess Robert Mueller's company was, Deeproot probably never secured the license for either them' --- ## Transcript There was a location walkthrough for the Deeproot Pinball bankruptcy auction this afternoon that a number of people shared pictures from on Pinside. These pics are much better quality than the ones that were used for the auction lots. In them one can clearly make out what are the whitewood designed for two games that Deeproot was rumored to be working on, The Goonies and The Who. Knowing what a mess Robert Mueller’s company was, Deeproot probably never secured the license for either them, but it’s still interesting to see what the pinball machines for them might have been like. Here’s The Goonies playfield with Food Truck art laid out on the head… Here’s The Who… Here’s a better look at what likely would have been Food Truck, with notes and a blueprint… Here’s a look at the Gladiator pin with a white board containing notes… Alas, even if someone wanted to salvage these games, the auctioneers seem to be destroying the hard drives for all of Deeproot’s computers and throwing them out… _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 92bffd72-ddef-4ec5-9ed1-f2a30631827a*