# CBC News Featured the World's Only "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" Simpsons Pinball Machine! **Source:** Pinball Shenanigans **Type:** video **Published:** 2026-06-18 **Duration:** 1m 22s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGcl5NeT5Z8 --- ## Analysis A pinball enthusiast and artist built a custom pinball machine themed around The Simpsons' "Who Shot Mr. Burns?" episode over three years, combining hand-drawn art, mechanical engineering, coding, and 3D printing. The machine was featured in a CBC News segment. The builder, who has an art rather than engineering background, hired a voice actor for Simpsons voices and is planning a future video game project featuring Looney Tunes characters. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Built a commercial pinball machine themed on The Simpsons' 'Who Shot Mr. Burns?' episode — _Builder speaking directly about their project; CBC News feature confirms visibility_ - [HIGH] Project took almost three years to complete from design to finished machine — _Builder's direct statement about project timeline_ - [HIGH] Builder has an art background rather than engineering background — _Builder explicitly contrasts their background with typical pinball builders_ - [HIGH] The pinball machine features hand-drawn art — _Builder's description of artistic approach_ - [HIGH] A voice actor was hired to perform all Simpsons character voices for the machine — _Builder mentions hiring voice actor specifically for Simpsons voices_ ### Notable Quotes > "I built a commercial pinball machine. Finally achieved a lifelong dream of mine." > — **[name withheld pending review]**, 0:00 > _Establishes the personal significance and ambition of the project_ > "I feel like when people come to a project like this, usually they have an engineering background. I'm reverse. I have the art background." > — **[name withheld pending review]**, ~0:30 > _Highlights the unconventional path and unique perspective the builder brought to machine design_ > "The Simpsons, but specifically it's Who Shot Mr. Burns? That is my all-time favorite Simpsons episode." > — **[name withheld pending review]**, ~1:00 > _Explains thematic choice and personal emotional connection to the game_ > "It's just the ultimate gaming art experience all bundled into one." > — **[name withheld pending review]**, ~1:30 > _Articulates the builder's philosophy about what makes pinball special as a medium_ > "I do try and travel, get some public plays on it because I love watching other people play it even more than I enjoyed playing it myself." > — **[name withheld pending review]**, ~1:45 > _Shows the builder is operating this as a playable public machine, focusing on community experience_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Pinball Shenanigans | organization | YouTube content creator/channel that documented and aired the machine and CBC News feature | | CBC News | organization | Canadian news organization that featured the custom Simpsons pinball machine | | The Simpsons | product | TV show IP used as theme for custom pinball machine | | Who Shot Mr. Burns? | product | Specific Simpsons episode and theme of the custom pinball machine | | Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner | product | IP that builder plans to use for upcoming video game project | ### Signals - **[design_innovation]** Artist-led approach to custom pinball machine design, combining hand-drawn art, 3D printing, metal work, and coding—unconventional path compared to typical engineering-first builders (confidence: high) — Builder explicitly states having art background rather than engineering background, describes learning metalwork, coding, and 3D printing - **[content_signal]** Custom pinball machine received mainstream media coverage on CBC News, indicating growing interest in pinball customization and homebrew machines in traditional news outlets (confidence: high) — CBC News featured the machine; Pinball Shenanigans created video covering the feature - **[community_signal]** Builder prioritizes public play experience and community engagement with the machine over personal play, suggesting a venue/operator mindset rather than pure collector focus (confidence: high) — Builder states travels to get public plays and loves watching others play more than personal play - **[licensing_signal]** Custom builder successfully created Simpsons-themed pinball machine; indicates either licensing clarity for custom/homebrew projects or potential grey area in IP enforcement for non-commercial custom builds (confidence: medium) — Machine features The Simpsons and Who Shot Mr. Burns? theme with voice acting; no mention of licensing complications - **[design_innovation]** Custom pinball machine incorporated professional voice acting for character voices, suggesting homebrew builders are investing in higher production quality for audio experiences (confidence: high) — Builder mentions hiring a voice actor to perform all Simpsons character voices --- ## Transcript I built a commercial pinball machine. Finally achieved a lifelong dream of mine. This project took almost three years to finish. I started with a design just on paper and you just start building one piece after another. I feel like when people come to a project like this, usually they have an engineering background. I'm reverse. I have the art background. I had to learn how to work with metal and computer coding and 3D printing and all these kind of things to make a pinball machine. Different elements come together in a gameplay. The art is all hand-drawn. The theme of mine I went with, it's The Simpsons, but specifically it's Who Shot Mr. Burns? That is my all-time favorite Simpsons episode. I've been into pinball my whole life. It's just the ultimate gaming art experience all bundled into one. I play it every day. I do try and travel, get some public plays on it because I love watching other people play it Even more than I enjoyed playing it myself. So it takes art, it takes mechanics, it takes a voice. He had to hire a voice actor to do all the Simpsons voices, which he won't need for his next project, which is a video game featuring Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. I guess he'll need the beep beep, but maybe he can do that himself. _(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v5)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: b0f4c673-6017-4e40-907e-4acd11694c94*