Journalist Tool

Kineticist

  • HDashboard
  • IItems
  • ↓Ingest
  • SSources
  • KBeats
  • BBriefs
  • RIntel
  • QSearch
  • +Health

v0.1.0

← Back to items

Episode 145 - Flipper Construction

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·7m 56s·analyzed·Aug 3, 2015
View original
Export .md

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Deep dive into flipper construction history, components, and design evolution from 1947 to modern era.

Summary

Nick Baldridge presents a detailed history and technical breakdown of pinball flipper construction, covering the evolution from Gottlieb's Humpty Dumpty (1947) through modern designs. He explains the nine core components of a flipper, traces design innovations like the shift to standard bottom-out orientation in Triple Action (1948) and the introduction of 3-inch flippers in Hayburners II (1968), and discusses the gameplay impact of hold-able flippers versus impulse flippers. The episode establishes context for a follow-up on flipper maintenance and modification.

Key Claims

  • Two-inch flippers first went into production on Gottlieb's Humpty Dumpty in 1947

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, episode host, stated as historical fact with prior episode reference

  • Steve Kordek designed Triple Action in 1948 at Genco, the first game to place flippers in the standard bottom-out orientation

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, presented as established design history

  • The shift to standard flipper orientation was a large cost reduction for manufacturers

    medium confidence · Nick Baldridge, stated as reasoning but not explicitly sourced

  • Hayburners II (1968, Williams) was the first 3-inch flipper game

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, stated as historical fact

  • Harry Mabbs (Gottlieb) is supposedly the designer of the flipper, though Jerry Cosey (Chicago Coin) claimed invention and received the patent

    medium confidence · Nick Baldridge, acknowledges contested nature of attribution with cautious language ('supposedly')

  • Williams used impulse flippers in early days, which do not allow the player to hold the button

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, technical explanation of flipper control mechanism

  • Hold-able flippers represented a large gameplay change compared to impulse flippers

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, discussing player control and playability differences

  • Humpty Dumpty featured six flippers lined up on either side of the playfield with reverse articulation

    high confidence · Nick Baldridge, specific design detail from 1947 machine

Notable Quotes

  • “The main way that flippers vary is in the actual bat design. some are 2 inch, some are 3 inch some have rounded tops, some have flat tops some have screw holes some are pressure fit some have words printed on them and some are plain but they all provide the same function.”

    Nick Baldridge@ 1:13 — Core technical explanation of flipper variation and functional consistency

  • “Between Humpty Dumpty and Triple Action every manufacturer on the planet wanted to get a piece of the profits from the flipper games so they started designing them into their own machines.”

    Nick Baldridge@ 4:21 — Captures the rapid commercial adoption and competitive race following flipper invention

  • “Moving from manufacturer to manufacturer must have been quite the thing at the time. the amount of control that the player had with a non-impulse flipper was greatly different than playing an impulse game.”

    Nick Baldridge@ 6:30 — Highlights the player experience shock from switching between impulse and hold-able flipper control

  • “allowing the player to hold the ball, trap the ball, shoot the ball where they desire with as much or as little force as required. It's quite a step up in playability.”

    Nick Baldridge@ 7:06 — Emphasizes the gameplay advantage and control flexibility of hold-able flippers

Entities

Nick BaldridgepersonSteve KordekpersonHarry MabbspersonJerry CoseypersonGottliebcompanyWilliams ElectronicscompanyChicago CoincompanyGencocompanyHumpty Dumptygame

Signals

  • ?

    historical_signal: Comprehensive historical timeline of flipper design from Humpty Dumpty (1947) through Hayburners II (1968), including key manufacturers and designer contributions

    high · Direct historical narrative covering Gottlieb, Genco, Williams, and design progression from 2-inch to 3-inch flippers

  • ?

    design_innovation: Documentary of flipper design innovations: six-flipper reverse articulation (Humpty Dumpty), standard out-hole orientation (Triple Action), and 3-inch flipper introduction (Hayburners II)

    high · Specific game releases and their mechanical innovations described in detail

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Evolution of flipper control philosophy from impulse (non-holdable) to hold-able flippers, with significant impact on player strategy and playability

    high · Discussion of Williams impulse flippers vs. hold-able designs and their gameplay implications

  • ?

    historical_signal: Contested flipper invention attribution between Harry Mabbs (Gottlieb) and Jerry Cosey (Chicago Coin), with patent evidence favoring Cosey (1947)

    medium · Nick Baldridge explicitly notes the contest: 'Harry Mabbs, who worked for Gottlieb is supposedly the designer' vs. 'Jerry Cosey from Chicago Coin claimed to have invented it and he received the patent'

  • ?

    gameplay_signal: Hold-able flippers represent a major leap in gameplay depth and player control compared to impulse flippers, enabling ball trapping and precision shooting

    high · Host emphasizes control, trap, and shot precision as consequences of hold-able flipper design

Topics

Flipper mechanics and constructionprimaryPinball design evolution (1947-1968+)primaryEarly flipper history and invention attributionprimaryImpulse vs. hold-able flipper gameplay differencesprimaryManufacturer innovation and competitionsecondaryPlayer control and playability designsecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0)— Educational and factual tone throughout; no strong emotional valence. Speaker expresses mild enjoyment of impulse games ('I enjoy impulse games quite a bit') but remains balanced and informative. No controversy or negative sentiment.

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.024

0:00
What's that sound? It's 4 Amusement Only, the EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast. Welcome back to 4 Amusement Only. This is Nick Baldrige.
0:16
Today I wanted to start a two-part series on flippers. For today's episode, I wanted to focus on flipper construction. how they're actually put together.
0:32
And tomorrow I'll be talking about how to change them. So, for today, a flipper is comprised of a bat, a shoe, a shaft, a bushing,
0:51
a pawl, a plunger, a coil, a sleeve, and a stop. All these pieces work together in order to allow you to flip.
1:13
The main way that flippers vary is in the actual bat design. some are 2 inch, some are 3 inch some have rounded tops, some have flat tops some have screw holes some are pressure fit some have words printed on them and some are plain but they all provide the same function it's a means of attaching to the game that allows you to place a rubber on it so that you can hit the ball That pretty much it
2:06
Two-inch flippers first went into production on Gottlieb's Humpty Dumpty in 1947, which I've already spoken about on a previous podcast. Humpty Dumpty was unique in both the flipper invention itself but also the number six flippers lined up on either side of the playfield reverse articulated this same basic design was carried through mini-machines that Godlieb made.
Triple Actiongame
Hayburners IIgame
For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcastorganization
2:49
Steve Kordek, the legendary pinball designer, during his tenure at Genco in 1948 designed Triple Action.
3:06
Triple Action was the first game to place the flippers in the orientation we're used to today, surrounding the out-hole.
3:16
Every other manufacturer quickly followed as it was a large cost reduction. In 1968, the first 3-inch flipper game was made, Hayburners II,
3:34
which was also a Williams title. the 3 inch flippers allowed the player more control over the ball and are obviously still in use today over time the flippers gained DC power and then as solid state came around and was improved upon for many years eventually the flippers themselves came under solid state control
4:06
The player no longer had a direct impact on the flipper and instead the computer told the machine when to flip based on player input. between Humpty Dumpty and Triple Action every manufacturer on the planet wanted to get a piece of the profits from the flipper games so they started designing them into their own machines in fact the design of the flipper itself is something of a contested debate or situation Harry Mabbs, who worked for Gottlieb is supposedly the designer of the flipper Jerry Cosey from Chicago Coin claimed to have invented it and he received the patent for it and hopefully I pronounced his name correctly just now from 1947 to the modern day very little has changed about the player's interaction with the flipper there have always been buttons on the side of the cabinet which actuate one or more flippers on either side but the method of control of said flippers has changed Williams used impulse flippers especially in the early days Impulse flippers do not allow you to hold Instead when you push the button the flippers flip quickly and then return to their resting position Holding the button does nothing. It requires a second button press if you want to get another flip. allowing the player to hold the flipper button, which would hold the flipper in the engaged position,
6:23
was a rather large change as far as gameplay went. Moving from manufacturer to manufacturer must have been quite the thing at the time. the amount of control that the player had with a non-impulse flipper was greatly different than playing an impulse game that's not to say that impulse games are not enjoyable I enjoy impulse games quite a bit I find that they're very very challenging but allowing the player to hold the ball, trap the ball, shoot the ball where they desire with as much or as little force as required.
7:15
It's quite a step up in playability. So that's all for tonight. Thank you again for joining me. My name again is Nick Baldridge. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com or you can call me at 724-BINGOS1. That's 724-246-4671. You can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Cast, VRSS, on Facebook, on Twitter, at Bingo Podcast. You can follow me on Instagram at nbaldridge. Or you can listen to us on our website, which is foramusementonly.libsyn.com. Thank you very much for listening, and I'll talk to you next time.