# Is the Theme for the Mystery Pinball Company’s Upcoming Game David Bowie’s Movie Labyrinth? **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-09-30 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/is-the-theme-for-the-mystery-pinball-company-s-upcoming-game-david-bowie-s-movie-labyrinth --- ## Analysis Knapp Arcade reports that Chris from Kaneda's Pinball Podcast has made a credible guess that the Mystery Pinball Company's (MPC) upcoming game is themed around David Bowie's 1986 Jim Henson film Labyrinth, based on puzzle clues MPC released. The article suggests former Spooky Pinball animator David Van Es may be involved, noting he had previously tried unsuccessfully to get Spooky to make a Labyrinth pinball machine. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Mystery Pinball Company released puzzle clues hinting at their upcoming game's theme — _Knapp Arcade directly references 'the newest entrant to the Pinball World' releasing 'a grade school ditto of puzzles' with clues_ - [HIGH] Chris from Kaneda's Pinball Podcast guessed the theme is David Bowie's 1986 film Labyrinth — _Knapp cites Chris making this guess on Facebook Live at 4 AM; Knapp endorses it as 'the best guess' he's seen_ - [MEDIUM] David Van Es, former Spooky Pinball animator, previously tried unsuccessfully to get Spooky to make a Labyrinth pinball machine — _Knapp states this was 'rumored' and notes Van Es may be involved in MPC's project_ - [MEDIUM] The puzzle clues fit a Labyrinth theme: maze reference, licensed game, David Bowie music, and 'raise the roof' reference — _Knapp correlates clue sheet content with Labyrinth elements, though admits uncertainty about the 'raise the roof' reference without seeing the film recently_ ### Notable Quotes > "the currently named Mystery Pinball Company (MPC) this morning we have what may be the best guess as to what all of the newfound clues mean" > — **Knapp Arcade** > _Establishes MPC as a new entrant to the pinball industry with a mystery reveal campaign_ > "Chris from Kaneda's Pinball Podcast went on Facebook Live with his guess for the game's upcoming theme...the 1986 Jim Henson directed, David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly movie 'Labyrinth'" > — **Knapp Arcade** > _Credits Kaneda's Pinball Podcast with the credible guess; positions this as the leading community theory_ > "I don't always mention game guesses and predictions beforehand but this one sounds right to me. Kudos to him if it is." > — **Knapp Arcade** > _Knapp's editorial endorsement of the Labyrinth guess, suggesting he finds it unusually convincing_ > "If you look at the clues with Labyrinth in mind, they definitely fit." > — **Knapp Arcade** > _Knapp validates the guess by matching clues to Labyrinth elements_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Mystery Pinball Company (MPC) | company | Newly announced pinball manufacturer conducting a puzzle-based mystery theme reveal campaign for their first game | | Labyrinth (1986 film) | product | Jim Henson-directed film starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly; suspected theme for MPC's upcoming pinball machine | | Chris | person | Host of Kaneda's Pinball Podcast; made the Labyrinth theme guess based on puzzle clues | | Kaneda's Pinball Podcast | organization | Pinball podcast where Chris made the Labyrinth theme prediction on Facebook Live | | David Van Es | person | Former Spooky Pinball animator; rumored to have previously pitched a Labyrinth pinball to Spooky; possibly involved with MPC project | | Spooky Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer where David Van Es previously worked as an animator | | David Bowie | person | Actor and musician who starred in the 1986 film Labyrinth and performed music for its soundtrack | | Jim Henson | person | Director of the 1986 film Labyrinth | | Jennifer Connelly | person | Actress who starred in the 1986 film Labyrinth | | Knapp Arcade | organization | Pinball media outlet/news source reporting on MPC's mystery reveal and analyzing theme clues | ### Topics - **Primary:** New pinball manufacturer entry (Mystery Pinball Company), Theme announcement/reveal campaign and community guessing, Labyrinth (1986) license for pinball - **Secondary:** Personnel movement and design team composition, Community engagement and speculation ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.75) — Knapp expresses enthusiasm about the mystery reveal campaign and endorses the Labyrinth guess as credible. Tone is speculative but optimistic about MPC as a new entrant. No criticism or negative sentiment detected. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** MPC's puzzle-based reveal campaign generating active community participation and speculation (confidence: high) — Knapp describes 'all of us furiously trying to solve' puzzles; Chris publicly shared guess on Facebook Live overnight; Knapp article itself is community engagement commentary - **[event_signal]** Mystery Pinball Company conducting an unconventional puzzle-based theme reveal campaign, building community engagement and speculation (confidence: high) — MPC released puzzle clues that sparked immediate community analysis and Chris's public guess on Facebook Live - **[leak_detection]** Puzzle clues released by MPC have been decoded by community members (particularly Chris/Kaneda's Pinball) to identify likely theme (confidence: high) — Knapp reports puzzle clues being matched to Labyrinth elements; Chris made public guess based on clue analysis - **[licensing_signal]** Labyrinth (1986 David Bowie film) licensing for pinball is being pursued by new MPC manufacturer (confidence: medium) — Puzzle clues reference 'Licensed' game; Labyrinth guess incorporates David Bowie music and film elements fitting the clue set - **[personnel_signal]** David Van Es, former Spooky Pinball animator, rumored to be involved with new Mystery Pinball Company venture (confidence: medium) — Knapp states 'Chris believes that the former Spooky Pinball animator David Van Es...is involved in this new project' based on rumor of prior Labyrinth pitch to Spooky - **[rumor_hype]** Speculation that David Van Es previously pitched a Labyrinth pinball to Spooky Pinball unsuccessfully (confidence: medium) — Knapp notes this was 'rumored to have unsuccessfully tried to get the company to make a Labyrinth pin' --- ## Transcript After all the excitement last night that saw all of us furiously trying to solve a grade school ditto of puzzles (remember those?) from the newest entrant to the Pinball World - the currently named Mystery Pinball Company (MPC) this morning we have what may be the best guess as to what all of the newfound clues mean. While I was still sleeping at 4 AM, Chris from Kaneda's Pinball Podcast went on Facebook Live with his guess for the game's upcoming theme...the 1986 Jim Henson directed, David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly movie "Labyrinth." I don't always mention game guesses and predictions beforehand but this one sounds right to me. Kudos to him if it is. If you look at the clues with Labyrinth in mind, they definitely fit. The clue sheet that MPC sent over contained an actual maze or a form of Labyrinth if you will. It would be a "Licensed" game. David Bowie's "Rock and Roll" "Music" is in the movie. Supposedly there's references in Labyrinth to "raise the roof" but I haven't seen the movie in 30 years so I'm going to need a refresher to see that. Chris believes that the former Spooky Pinball animator David David Van Es, who was rumored to have unsuccessfully tried to get the company to make a Labyrinth pin, is involved in this new project. So there's the best theme guess that I've seen so far for the new game. What do you think? Would you be interested in a Labyrinth pin? _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: a7d3213d-be13-492a-8ab6-8fb1d4ef13c9*