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Dave Christensen

personactive31 mentionsFirst seen Mar 6, 2007Last seen Oct 17, 2025

Profile

Dave Christensen is a person mentioned in 1 episode(s).

Aliases

No aliases

Relationships

  • works_atBallyDave Christensen worked as freelance and later in-house artist for Ballymedium
  • affiliated_withPaul FerrisCollaborated on Future Spa backglass artworkmedium

Facts

No facts recorded

Claims (10)

  • rumorlow

    Dave Christensen allegedly placed George Christian's original surname on the Nitro Ground Shaker back glass as a jab, possibly due to conflict over name similarity

    Source: Unnamed source (per Ty Palmer)Episode 84 - The Bally Table King: George Christian
  • factualhigh

    Dave Christensen created the backglass artwork for both The Wizard and Captain Fantastic

    Source: Past Times Arcade hostPast Times Pinball History Ep 3: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
  • factualmedium

    Dave Christensen's Chicago burning artwork on Volton was intentional expression of wanting to 'blow Chicago up' upon leaving Bally

    Source: George, citing podcast quote#66 Horror Show - The Classic Pinball Podcast
  • factualhigh

Recent Mentions (31)

  • Artist on Captain Fantastic

    #124 Captain Fantastic - The Classic Pinball PodcastJan 27, 2025
  • Valley Pinball artist who designed the glass artwork for Wizard (Tommy) and Captain Fantastic; created imagery without seeing the films, working from set photos and promotional materials

    TOPCast 54: Tom NiemanMar 5, 2008
  • Classic pinball artist at Valley known for exceptional line art and manual illustrations; worked alongside Paul Faris; influenced the direction of pinball artwork toward realism

    TOPCast 48: Paul FarisAug 12, 2007
  • Early member of Bally's art department; described as silent, dedicated, and methodical; worked alongside Margaret Hudson in the startup phase

    TOPCast 46: Margaret HudsonJul 29, 2007
  • Artist of Fireball backglass art

    TOPCast 41: Tech showJun 30, 2007
  • Pinball artist at Bally who created back glass and playfield artwork for iconic EM games 1966-1975+

    TOPCast 25: Dave ChristensenApr 11, 2007

Contradictions

No contradictions detected

Related Glossary Terms

No linked glossary terms

The Wizard (1975) was the first licensed pinball game in history, based on the movie Tommy

Source: Paul Faris describing Christensen's workPaul Faris
  • factualhigh

    Bally's artwork was divided among Ad Posterz, Christensen, and three brothers (family of artists)

    Source: Direct statement about three main artwork sourcesTOPCast 25: Dave Christensen
  • factualhigh

    A typical pinball game took three months to complete from start to finish (back glass and playfield artwork)

    Source: Direct quote answering timeline questionTOPCast 25: Dave Christensen
  • factualhigh

    Christensen introduced mirroring to pinball back glass artwork on Captain Fantastic

    Source: Direct quote: 'I introduced that on the open-john game. Right. The captain fantastic, exactly.'TOPCast 25: Dave Christensen
  • factualhigh

    Odds and Evens was the first pinball game Christensen completed artwork for, not Fireball

    Source: Direct quote clarifying 'the first one was that I actually did the artwork for it was a gentle odds and evens'TOPCast 25: Dave Christensen
  • factualhigh

    Dave Christensen started at Bally in 1966 as a freelance technical illustrator for slot machine manuals

    Source: Direct quote in interviewTOPCast 25: Dave Christensen
  • opinionmedium

    Video games like Pac-Man contributed to decline of pinball by offering locations lower-maintenance entertainment

    Source: Christensen's observation about market shiftTOPCast 25: Dave Christensen
  • Legendary pinball artist; known for hiding names/details in headglasses; focus of Gene's published book; worked on Williams/Valley games; Gene collected artwork and details about his work.

    TOPCast 11: Gene CunninghamMar 6, 2007
  • Artist who created the artwork for Captain Fantastic pinball machine

    Episode 1- Pimp out my Pin!Mar 6, 2021
  • Pinball designer known for detailed back glass artwork with hidden details and innuendos

    Episode 457 - Interview with Edward Trapunski 09-30-19Oct 4, 2019
  • Artist on Bobby Orr Power Play; noted as 'great artist' for the era

    #45 Bobby Orr Power Play - The Classic Pinball PodcastFeb 2, 2021
  • Bally artist who designed Volton artwork; quoted about motivation for apocalyptic Chicago imagery

    #66 Horror Show - The Classic Pinball PodcastNov 3, 2021
  • Pioneering Bally pinball artist known for eccentric creativity; collaborated extensively with Kmiec on Wizard! and other games; first to put artist and designer names on Bally games

    Pinball Heroes: Greg KmiecMay 30, 2009
  • Pinball industry figure who was guest at Expo; attendees lined up to meet him

    Pinball Heroes: Rob BerkFeb 7, 2009
  • Created playfield graphics for 1979 Bally Future Spa

    Part 4: 1979 Bally Future Spa Garage Project! Some final repairs! The Spa is done!Jul 10, 2025
  • Bally artist known for extreme detail ink work and meticulous hand-inking of every screen; slower production but higher quality praised by O'Connor

    The Art of Kevin O' ConnorJan 5, 2022
  • Early in-house artist at Bally; designed Fireball, Mata Hari, The Wizard, Captain Fantastic; known for exceptional line art and inking; first artist whose work inspired Faris

    Paul FarisAug 19, 2018
  • Artwork artist for both The Wizard and Captain Fantastic pinball machines

    Past Times Pinball History Ep 3: Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt CowboyOct 10, 2023
  • Pinball artist; Youssi admires his work on Captain Fantastic

    Pinball Heroes: John YoussiMay 10, 2009
  • Pinball artist known for Art Deco-style artwork; cited as exemplary of the aesthetic movement.

    1950-1980: Pinball Adolescence - Pinball Expo 2025 - Pinball NewsOct 17, 2025
  • Pinball artist known for 'pointy people' illustration style; collaborated with John Yousey on Bally's Chicago game

    The Pinball Tapes Ep 6: WhirlwindNov 25, 2022
  • Pinball artist/designer mentioned as example of striking artwork in pinball history

    SAME PLAYER SHOOTS AGAINDec 4, 2015
  • Pinball artist; attended MGC 2016; represented at Spooky Pinball booth

    MIDWEST GAMING CLASSIC 2016Apr 25, 2016
  • Former Bally artist commissioned by Circus Maximus to create new translite artwork for Kingpin remake

    What Happened to the Capcom Pinball Kingpin Remake?Mar 30, 2022
  • Pinball artist known for artwork on Captain Fantastic and Mata Hari, mentioned in discussion of varied pinball art styles.

    Episode 379: Ryan Claytor’s new bookNov 4, 2023
  • Artist who created backglass artwork for Bally's Wizard (1975) and Captain Fantastic (1976)

    Episode 199: Pinball Wizard turns 50!May 24, 2019
  • Bally artist from the SBA era; contributed to the 'swords and tits' aesthetic characteristic of the period

    Episode 18 - The Susan B. Anthony Years / BallyFeb 19, 2024
  • Pioneering in-house artist at Bally; first brought into-house art department; known for hand-drawn style, mirroring technique, signature belt buckles and female figures. Nicknamed 'Mad Dog' from Army service.

    Moving Units – Bally's Art RevolutionSep 5, 2020
  • Pinball artist from 1970s-80s era; created game artwork for titles including Mata Hari, Voltan Escapes the Cosmic Doom, Captain Fantastic; collected extensively at Pin City

    Episode 422: Michael TreppJun 25, 2025
  • Talented Bally artist (full name David George Christensen); collaborated extensively with George Christian on back glass and playfield art for Future Spot, Dolly Parton, Nitro Ground Shaker; possibly had name/credit dispute with Christian; snuck Christian's original surname onto Nitro Ground Shaker fender as suspected 'jab'; deceased (couple years prior to podcast recording)

    Episode 84 - The Bally Table King: George ChristianMay 26, 2025
  • Bally artist and Greg Ferris's inspiration for discovering pinball art; worked alongside Ferris at Bally during high period

    Episode 44 - The Notorious Bally Art Department w/ Greg FreresAug 19, 2024
  • Pinball artist who created playfield artwork for Future Spa; part of 'nipple era' Bally design approach; collaborated with Paul Ferris on same game

    Episode 85 - Die on this Hill: Future SpaJun 2, 2025