# Rare Working Magic Girl Pinball Machine to Make First U.S. Appearance at Pinball Expo

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2022-08-24  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/rare-working-magic-girl-pinball-machine-to-make-first-u-s-appearance-at-pinball-expo

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## Analysis

Jersey Jack Pinball's Magic Girl machine, a historically troubled and controversial game, will make its first U.S. appearance at Pinball Expo 2024 in Chicago (Oct 19-22). A working version restored by Dutch enthusiasts will be displayed through a partnership involving Rob Berk, American Pinball, and the Dutch group. The announcement highlights community efforts to salvage this infamous machine's reputation.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Magic Girl will make its first U.S. appearance at Pinball Expo 2024 — _Official Pinball Expo announcement cited; described as confirmed show details_
- [HIGH] The Magic Girl being displayed is a working version restored by a Dutch group — _Described as managed by 'Dutch individuals' and sourced from Dutch Pinball Museum_
- [HIGH] The partnership includes Rob Berk, American Pinball, and the Dutch group managing the machine — _Explicitly stated in announcement; Rob Berk is known community figure/Pastimes Arcade operator_
- [MEDIUM] John Popaduik is 'widely disliked' in the pinball community — _Author's opinion expressed; reflects apparent community sentiment but anecdotal_
- [HIGH] Magic Girl is controversial and historically troubled — _Described as 'controversial' and 'long and twisted tale' in source; widely documented in community_

### Notable Quotes

> "I seem to be in the minority here, given how widely disliked John Popaduik is, but I think that it's cool that a couple of people actually got this game to work."
> — **Knapp Arcade (article author)**
> _Expresses contrarian appreciation for Magic Girl restoration effort while acknowledging designer's poor reputation in community_

> "This will be the first appearance of the working version of this game in the United States."
> — **Knapp Arcade (citing Pinball Expo announcement)**
> _Confirms significance of the event as milestone for Magic Girl's U.S. presence_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Magic Girl Pinball | game | Jersey Jack Pinball machine; historically troubled with incomplete animations and production issues; controversial design by John Popaduik; commanding high secondary market prices |
| Pinball Expo | event | Annual pinball convention; 2024 edition scheduled for Chicago Oct 19-22 |
| Rob Berk | person | Arcade and pinball operator/collector; owner of Pastimes Arcade collection; prominent community figure organizing Pinball Expo |
| American Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; partnering on Magic Girl display at Expo |
| John Popaduik | person | Pinball designer of Magic Girl; widely disliked in community per article; associated with controversial game design decisions |
| Dutch Pinball Museum | organization | Group in Netherlands managing the restored working version of Magic Girl |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Magic Girl; game now being restored by external parties |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Magic Girl restoration and community salvage efforts, Pinball Expo 2024 announcements and attractions
- **Secondary:** Community perception of John Popaduik and game designers, Jersey Jack Pinball's troubled production history, International pinball preservation and restoration

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.55) — Positive tone regarding restoration effort and Expo appearance, but acknowledges Magic Girl's controversial history and designer's poor reputation. Author takes somewhat defiant/contrarian stance in defending the restoration.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** International community effort (Dutch preservationists) partnering with U.S. operator (Rob Berk) and manufacturer (American Pinball) to restore and showcase historically troubled machine (confidence: high) — Partnership explicitly stated; Dutch Pinball Museum sourced working version; Expo partnership coordination
- **[event_signal]** Magic Girl working version confirmed as Pinball Expo 2024 attraction; first U.S. appearance represents significant community event (confidence: high) — Official Pinball Expo announcement; scheduled for Chicago Oct 19-22
- **[community_signal]** Community perception of John Popaduik appears significantly negative; author notes being 'in the minority' for appreciating Magic Girl despite designer's poor reputation (confidence: medium) — Author states Popaduik is 'widely disliked' in community; contrarian framing suggests consensus against designer
- **[product_concern]** Magic Girl's notorious incomplete animations and production issues remain part of its legacy; restoration by external parties necessary due to original manufacturer/designer failure (confidence: high) — Referenced as 'controversial'; Pop Sci article cited as documenting 'long and twisted tale'; requires external restoration to function properly

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## Transcript

Here's a surprise announcement, the annual Pinball Expo convention just announced that Rob Berk teamed up with American Pinball and the group of Dutch individuals who managed the few beautiful, yet controversial Magic Girl pinball machine to actually work to bring their working version of the game to this year's show, which is being held in Chicago from October 19th through the 22nd. This will be the first appearance of the working version of this game in the United States.

I seem to be in the minority here, given how widely disliked John Popaduik is, but I think that it's cool that a couple of people actually got this game to work. Below is a video from the Dutch Pinball Museum's Facebook page of the improved Magic Girl in action, a copy of the Pinball Expo announcement and a link to an article about the long and twisted tale of the machine for anyone who isn't familiar with it.

The curious story of Magic Girl, the would-be greatest pinball machine of all time

https://www.popsci.com/curious-story-magic-girl-would-be-greatest-pinball-machine-all-time/

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e5fcbc65-fa3e-4aa5-8823-c376c5541064*