# New Mystery Pinball Company Reaches Out to Us With Clues **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2023-05-17 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/new-mystery-pinball-company-reaches-out-to-us-with-clues --- ## Analysis Knapp Arcade received a mysterious email from "George Spelvin" at mysterypinballco@gmail.com hinting at a new, unannounced pinball company. The sender provided cryptic clues referencing items seen at Texas Pinball Festival and Allentown, explicitly denied being Tilt Bob, and promised more clues. The author notes "George Spelvin" is a traditional theatrical pseudonym, suggesting this is an intentional mystery rather than a real identity. ### Key Claims - [MEDIUM] A new mystery pinball company exists and is actively reaching out to media — _Email from mysterypinballco@gmail.com; author acknowledges possibility of elaborate prank_ - [HIGH] The mystery company is not Tilt Bob — _Explicit statement in email: 'We ain't Tilt and we are certainly not Bob'_ - [MEDIUM] Evidence of the mystery company was visible at Texas Pinball Festival and Allentown events — _Email references items seen at both venues; author recalls TPF sighting but missed Allentown details_ - [HIGH] "George Spelvin" is a pseudonym, not a real name — _Wikipedia confirms it as traditional theatrical pseudonym; Georgina Spelvin adopted by adult film actress Shelley Graham (1973)_ - [MEDIUM] Similar mystery marketing campaigns occurred with Turner Pinball roughly a year prior — _Author references Chris Turner dropping 'complicated mathematic clues' about Turner Pinball formation_ ### Notable Quotes > "You saw this at TPF... You missed this at Allentown... Some of you think we are Tilt-Bob? We ain't Tilt and we are certainly not Bob... keep guessing! More clues WILL follow." > — **George Spelvin / Mystery Pinball Company**, N/A > _Core teaser message establishing the mystery and denying Tilt Bob identity_ > "George Spelvin, Georgette Spelvin, and Georgina Spelvin are traditional pseudonyms used in programs in American theater." > — **Wikipedia (cited by author)**, N/A > _Reveals the sender's name is intentionally fictitious, suggesting deliberate mystery marketing_ > "Either that or someone is playing a somewhat elaborate prank." > — **Knapp Arcade author**, N/A > _Author acknowledges legitimate uncertainty about authenticity of the mystery campaign_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Knapp Arcade | organization | Pinball news/media outlet that received the mysterious email | | George Spelvin | person | Pseudonymous sender of mystery pinball company email; confirmed as traditional theatrical alias | | Mystery Pinball Company | company | Unannounced pinball manufacturer reaching out via mysterypinballco@gmail.com; not Tilt Bob; showed evidence at TPF and Allentown | | Tilt Bob | company | Separate previously-unearthed mystery pinball company; explicitly denied as identity of sender | | Turner Pinball | company | Pinball company founded by Chris Turner; used similar mathematical clue-based mystery marketing campaign ~1 year prior | | Chris Turner | person | Founder of Turner Pinball; used complicated mathematical clues for company announcement | | Texas Pinball Festival (TPF) | event | Industry event where mystery company apparently displayed or left evidence | | Allentown | event | Event location where mystery company left additional undisclosed evidence | | Shelley Graham | person | Adult film actress who adopted screen name 'Georgina Spelvin' in 1973 film The Devil in Miss Jones | ### Topics - **Primary:** New/Unannounced Pinball Manufacturers, Mystery Marketing Campaigns in Pinball Industry - **Secondary:** Industry Events (Texas Pinball Festival, Allentown), Pinball Media & Community Engagement - **Mentioned:** Pseudonyms and Identity Obfuscation ### Sentiment **Mixed** (0.55) — Author expresses curiosity and engagement with the mystery (positive framing) but also skepticism about authenticity and recognition of prank potential (cautionary tone). The tone is playful rather than critical. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Pinball community actively speculating and discussing identity of mystery company; engagement with Knapp Arcade media (confidence: medium) — Email explicitly addresses community theories ('Some of you think we are Tilt-Bob?'); author invites reader theories - **[leak_detection]** Physical evidence of mystery company was visible at public industry events (Texas Pinball Festival and Allentown) (confidence: medium) — Email references 'You saw this at TPF' and 'You missed this at Allentown' with image references - **[market_signal]** Mystery/cryptic teaser marketing approach adopted by new pinball manufacturer; precedent established by Turner Pinball's mathematical clue campaign (confidence: high) — Author explicitly compares to Chris Turner's Turner Pinball announcement method; notes similarity in 'secret decoder ring' mystery approach - **[rumor_hype]** New, unannounced pinball company actively teasing its existence via mystery marketing campaign (confidence: medium) — Email from mysterypinballco@gmail.com with explicit teasers and promise of additional clues; author acknowledges possibility of elaborate prank --- ## Transcript Late last night, the Knapp Arcade Inbox received a mysterious e-mail from a "George Spelvin" at the e-mail address mysterypinballco@gmail.com . Of course, I didn't get around to checking that e-mail account until this afternoon. Then I had to sit on this post because of the fascinating Harry Potter and The Matrix pinball news that I shared earlier, but now it's time to talk about this. The message said the following: "You saw this at TPF: [Editor's Note. I do remember seeing pictures of that from TPF and I think that I may have even written about it at the time] You missed this at Allentown: [Editor's Note: Well, I wasn't at Allentown, so I technically didn't "miss" it per se LOL] Some of you think we are Tilt-Bob? We ain't Tilt and we are certainly not Bob... keep guessing! More clues WILL follow." Hmmmmm. I wonder what this is all about. It appears as though there is another mystery pinball company in addition to the one that I unearthed in my article about Tilt Bob pinball a few weeks ago. Either that or someone is playing a somewhat elaborate prank. We haven't seen a secret decoder ring pinball mystery like this since Chris Turner dropped all sorts of complicated mathematic clues about his new company Turner Pinball a year or so ago. Does anyone have any idea what this is all about? I certainly don't. When I saw that there was an actual name associated with the secret e-mail address, I thought to myself "AH HA! I caught you." Then I Googled the name. Aaaaand, not so much. According to Wikipedia, the name "George Spelvin" is... George Spelvin, Georgette Spelvin, and Georgina Spelvin are traditional pseudonyms used in programs in American theater. "Georgina Spelvin" has fallen out of general use since it was adopted as a screen name by pornographic actress Shelley Graham, who was credited by that name in The Devil in Miss Hilton Jones (1973) and her subsequent films. OK then LOL, I guess that's not a real name after all. So much for that. I'd love to hear others theories as to what this mystery is all about. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: d7f63502-2940-4a7c-80d1-1e1c9339f8d2*