# Episode 143 - Happy Birthday, Mr. Neyens! **Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast **Type:** podcast_episode **Published:** 2015-08-01 **Duration:** 6m 30s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-143-happy-birthday-mr-neyens --- ## Analysis Nick Baldridge celebrates Wayne Neyens' 97th birthday (July 29, 1918) by reviewing the legendary Gottlieb designer's career achievements, cataloging 179 games in the IPDB ranging from wood rail classics to 1970s wedgeheads. The episode highlights iconic titles like Mermaid, Universe, Niagara, and Flipper, emphasizing Neyens' innovations including the first production multiplayer EM, first spinner, and pioneering reverse flipper technique. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Wayne Neyens was born on July 29, 1918, making him 97 years old on the recording date (July 29, 2015) — _Nick Baldridge, host, states this directly in episode opening_ - [HIGH] IPDB credits Wayne Neyens with designing 179 pinball games — _Nick Baldridge cites IPDB database as source_ - [HIGH] Flipper was Gottlieb's first game and featured metal side rails — _Nick Baldridge discussing Neyens' design portfolio_ - [HIGH] Swing Along was the first pinball game to feature a spinner — _Nick Baldridge describing game innovations_ - [HIGH] Super Jumbo was the first production multiplayer EM and first game to use score reels — _Nick Baldridge cataloging Neyens' innovations_ - [HIGH] Flipper was the first add-a-ball game for territories where winning replays was illegal — _Nick Baldridge explaining regulatory adaptation in game design_ ### Notable Quotes > "Wayne Nions turns 97 today. So I thought I'd go over some of what made his career so great." > — **Nick Baldridge**, 0:00-0:30 > _Episode framing and purpose statement_ > "IPDB holds 179 games designed by Mr. Nines Gottlieb games from the wood rail era up through many of the wedge heads into the 1970s" > — **Nick Baldridge**, 1:00-1:30 > _Quantifies Neyens' prolific output across multiple eras_ > "Happy birthday, Mr. Nines, and thank you for all the years and years and years of enjoyment that your games have given many, many, many, many fans the world over." > — **Nick Baldridge**, 8:00-8:30 > _Episode conclusion, tribute to legacy impact_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Wayne Neyens | person | Legendary Gottlieb pinball designer (1918-2015 timeframe). Born July 29, 1918. Designed 179 games across wood rail and wedgehead eras. Known for innovations including reverse flipper technique, first spinner, first multiplayer EM. | | Nick Baldridge | person | Host of 'For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast'. Recording date July 29, 2015. | | Clay Harrell | person | Host of TopCast podcast. Conducted interview with Wayne Neyens discussed in this episode. | | Gottlieb | company | Pinball machine manufacturer. Wayne Neyens designed the majority of his 179 games for Gottlieb across multiple eras. | | Mermaid | game | Wood rail pinball machine by Wayne Neyens. Famous and collectible. Features back glass animation. | | Universe | game | Space-themed wedgehead pinball by Wayne Neyens. Features unique entry onto playfield, multiple choke points, multiple flippers, back-box animation of rocket ship orbiting planet. | | Niagara | game | Wood rail pinball by Wayne Neyens. Features back glass animation with beautiful illustrations revealed as you score. | | Flipper | game | First game produced by Gottlieb, designed by Wayne Neyens. Featured metal side rails. First add-a-ball game for territories where replays were illegal. | | Swing Along | game | Wedgehead pinball by Wayne Neyens. First pinball game to feature a spinner. | | Super Jumbo | game | Pinball machine by Wayne Neyens. First production multiplayer EM. First game to use score reels. | | For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast | organization | Podcast focused on electromechanical and bingo pinball machines, hosted by Nick Baldridge. | | IPDB | organization | Internet Pinball Database. Referenced as authoritative source for Wayne Neyens' design credits (179 games). | | Spot Bowler | game | Pinball machine by Wayne Neyens featuring bowling pins on playfield. | | Queen of Hearts | game | Difficult pinball game by Wayne Neyens utilizing the gobble hole. | | Dragonette | game | Pinball machine by Wayne Neyens known more for artwork than gameplay. | | Sittin' Pretty | game | Pinball machine by Wayne Neyens with beautiful back glass animation featuring dunking clowns. | | North Star | game | Highly regarded wedgehead pinball machine by Wayne Neyens. | | Chinatown | game | Pinball machine by Wayne Neyens with unique mechanic: score 21 points with no normal drain path; ball must be locked in trap hole. | | Royal Flush | game | Pinball machine by Wayne Neyens featuring both roto and gobble holes. | | Tropic Isle | game | First wedgehead pinball by Wayne Neyens featuring unique roll-under gate orientation in center of playfield. | ### Topics - **Primary:** Wayne Neyens' career and design legacy, Gottlieb pinball machine design history, Wood rail and wedgehead era pinball games, Pinball game mechanics and innovations - **Secondary:** Electromechanical pinball design, Pinball designer interviews and documentation ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.95) — Celebratory and reverential tone throughout. Episode is explicitly a birthday tribute with consistent praise for Neyens' contributions and impact on the pinball community. ### Signals - **[historical_signal]** Comprehensive review of Wayne Neyens' 179-game design catalog spanning wood rail through 1970s wedgehead era, establishing his prolific output and design innovations. (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge systematically catalogs 25+ notable games with descriptions of unique mechanics and design achievements - **[historical_signal]** Documentation of pinball mechanical firsts attributed to Wayne Neyens: first production multiplayer EM, first game with score reels, first spinner, first add-a-ball game. (confidence: high) — Multiple direct statements about game innovations (Super Jumbo, Swing Along, Flipper) - **[content_signal]** Special birthday episode dedicated to industry legend. References prior TopCast interview with Wayne Neyens. (confidence: high) — Episode structure explicitly designed as birthday tribute; mention of Clay Harrell's TopCast interview --- ## Transcript What's that sound? It's 4 Amusement Only, the EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast. Welcome back to 4 Amusement Only, this is Nicholas Baldridge. The date I'm recording this is July 29th of 2015. On this day in 1918, one of the most famous designers in pinball, was born. Wayne Nions turns 97 today. So I thought I'd go over some of what made his career so great. First of all, we're lucky enough to be able to hear Mr. Nions' own thoughts on an episode of TopCast, Joshua Clay Harrell's podcast. In the interview, he talks about various very interesting things that he encountered over his career. But tonight I wanted to talk about what he was able to accomplish. IPDB holds 179 games designed by Mr Nines Gottlieb games from the wood rail era up through many of the wedge heads into the 1970s think of a famous Scott Lee BM and likely he was the designer Here are just some of the highlights. Spot Bowler, a game with bowling pins on the playfield, which will unlight as you spot the various pins. on the playfield rollovers or targets. Mermaid, the famous incredibly collectible wood rail with the back glass animation. Niagara, hit and run, two wood rails with beautiful illustrations revealed as you score points on the back glass. Chinatown A game where you try to score 21 points and there's no way for the ball to drain. You have to lock it in a trap hole. Queen of Hearts One of the very difficult games that utilizes the gobble hole very well. Dragonette a game more well known for its artwork than its gameplay Super Jumbo the first production multiplayer EM and the first game to use score reels Sweet Adeline The game about math Royal Flush. A game with both a roto and gobble holes. Sittin' Pretty. A beautiful game with the back glass animation of dunking clowns. Queen of Diamonds. A game with gobble holes and a roto in the backbox. Universe. which is one of my favorite space-themed pinball machines, which has a unique entry onto the playfield with multiple choke points for the ball to ride in, multiple flippers for, and a back-box animation of a rocket ship orbiting a planet. Very cool. Spotted Card. a game with four kickouts in line with a gobble hole. Flipper, which was the first game that Godly produced. They used metal side rails. It was also the first add-a-ball game for territories where winning replays was illegal. And it was also the first of a series of games that began with Flipper. Flipper Clown, Flipper Parade. etc. Wayne Neyens designed all of these. He was also the first wedgehead. Tropic Isle with the unique roll under gate orientation in the center of the playfield Slick Chick a famous game with the words Slick and Chick spelled out on the bumper caps Very difficult game. Swing Along, the first game with the spinner. GG, another interesting bumper orientation. The highly regarded North Star. Buckaroo with the cool back glass animation and Spirit of 76 and Pioneer round out the career there are many many many more games that Mr. 9's designed that I did not go over here each one is very interesting at least and many are considered masterpieces of the craft. Happy birthday, Mr. Nines, and thank you for all the years and years and years of enjoyment that your games have given many, many, many, many fans the world over. Well, thank you again for joining me. My name again is Nick Baldrige. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocketcast, via RSS, on Facebook, on Twitter, at Bingo Podcast. You can follow me on Instagram at nbaldridge, and you can listen to us on our website, which is 4amusementonly.libsyn.com. Thank you very much for listening, and I'll talk to you next time. _(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: eb6dbbc5-266d-424e-a8fe-a9e95613ce28*