Jaws, Godfather, Wednesday Addams, Pink Floyd & Other Interesting Live Pinball Machine Trademarks

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Feb 7, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.023

TL;DR

Trademark database reveals potential upcoming pinball themes including Jaws, Godfather, Wednesday, Pink Floyd, and Rebel Moon.

Summary

Knapp Arcade analyzed USPTO trademark filings to identify potential future pinball machine themes, discovering active filings for Jaws, Godfather, Wednesday, Pink Floyd, and Rebel Moon. The analysis contextualizes these findings against known industry rumors and licensing history, noting that Jaws was previously considered by Jersey Jack before being picked up by another manufacturer (likely Stern), and that Godfather has been rumored at Jersey Jack for some time.

Key Claims

Jack Guarnieri of Jersey Jack Pinball previously pursued a Jaws license but it was too restrictive without enough assets, leading them to pass and another manufacturer (presumably Stern) picked it up
medium confidence · Direct reference to a prior Jack Guarnieri interview; indicates Jack Danger or industry knowledge
Jersey Jack Pinball is rumored to be making a Godfather pinball machine
low confidence · Author states this rumor 'has been floating around for a while' but provides no specific source
The Addams Family (1992 Bally) is the best-selling pinball machine of all-time
high confidence · Widely accepted industry fact cited as context for Wednesday potential
Stern Pinball has an existing relationship with Netflix due to the Stranger Things pinball machine
high confidence · Stern has confirmed multiple Netflix titles; Stranger Things is a known released title
Rebel Moon is a Netflix space fantasy film directed by Zack Snyder inspired by Seven Samurai
high confidence · Public film industry information

Notable Quotes

“Years ago, Jersey Jack Pinball's founder Jack Guarnieri strongly hinted during an interview that his company had looked into making a Jaws pinball machine, but the license ended up being too restrictive without enough assets, so they passed and it was picked up by another pinball manufacturer, presumably Stern.”
Knapp Arcade (author) — Provides historical context for why Jaws ended up at Stern rather than Jersey Jack; indicates known licensing complexity
“The Jersey Jack is making a Godfather pinball machine rumor has been floating around for a while now as well.”
Knapp Arcade (author) — Acknowledges Godfather as an established industry rumor but doesn't provide sourcing
“Whenever people talk about themes that they would like to see for pinball over on Pinside, inevitably someone brings up the band Pink Floyd.”
Knapp Arcade (author) — Indicates Pink Floyd is a frequently requested theme in community discussions, adding credibility to trademark filing relevance
“Would a manufacturer risk making a pinball machine to coincide with the launch and risk making another of the proverbial great pin, bad movie games like The Shadow or Congo?”
Knapp Arcade (author) — References historical pinball culture risk of licensing mediocre films; positions Rebel Moon as uncertain investment

Entities

Jersey Jack PinballcompanyStern PinballcompanyJack Guarnieriperson Planetary Pinballcompany American Pinballcompany Jawsgame GodfathergameWednesday

Signals

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business_signal: Stern Pinball has established Netflix relationship evidenced by Stranger Things pinball; increases likelihood of Wednesday and Rebel Moon licensing
high · Author notes Stern 'presumably already has a relationship with Netflix as a result of its Stranger Things pinball machine'; Wednesday and Rebel Moon are Netflix originals with active trademark filings
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licensing_signal: Trademark database reveals active filings for multiple potential pinball themes: Jaws, Godfather, Wednesday, Pink Floyd, Rebel Moon
high · Author conducted USPTO database search and identified live trademark filings; concrete documentation source
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licensing_signal: Licensing complexity demonstrated by Jaws case: Jersey Jack pursued but found license 'too restrictive without enough assets'
medium · Jack Guarnieri quote attributed to prior interview regarding Jaws licensing negotiations and restrictions
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market_signal: Movie-based pinball licensing carries high risk; historical examples of 'great pin, bad movie' failures cited (The Shadow, Congo)
high · Author directly references this as industry risk when discussing Rebel Moon movie uncertainty
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rumor_hype: Community frequently requests Pink Floyd as pinball theme on Pinside forums
medium · Author states 'whenever people talk about themes that they would like to see for pinball over on Pinside, inevitably someone brings up the band Pink Floyd'

Topics

Trademark filings and upcoming pinball machine announcementsprimaryJaws pinball licensing history and current developmentprimaryJersey Jack Pinball upcoming titles (Godfather rumor)primaryNetflix IP partnerships with Stern PinballsecondaryCommunity-requested pinball themes (Pink Floyd)secondaryHistorical pinball licensing risks and failed movie-based gamessecondaryIP licensing complexity and deal-making in pinballsecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0.5)— Author maintains objective, investigative tone while presenting trademark findings. Shows appropriate skepticism toward rumors and licensing risks without editorial bias. Expresses personal opinion on Pink Floyd's suitability for pinball while acknowledging its community appeal.

Transcript

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A couple of days ago I poked around in the United States Patent and Trademark Office database looking for pinball-related filings. This lead to my previous posts about Planetary Pinball filing one for Big Bang Bar, pinball being part of the Avatar trademark and American Pinball letting its filing for Wrath of Olympus lapse. Today I thought that I'd share a few other interesting active aka "Live" trademark filings for pinball machines of various IPs. None of these are singular filings specifically for a pinball machine, they're much broader than that. However, they at least show that pinball is on the radar of the company who filed the trademark. A couple of these themes are currently rumored to already be in various stages of development at manufacturers. Years ago, Jersey Jack Pinball's founder Jack Guarnieri strongly hinted during an interview that his company had looked into making a Jaws pinball machine, but the license ended up being too restrictive without enough assets, so they passed and it was picked up by another pinball manufacturer, presumably Stern. So the Jaws rumor has been out there for a while. The Jersey Jack is making a Godfather pinball machine rumor has been floating around for a while now as well. Those are the two most likely themes that we'll see, but what about the rest? Wednesday is a recent, popular Netflix series. I wouldn't ordinarily put much stock in this as a potential theme, except for the fact that Bally's 1992 pinball machine The Addams Family is the best selling pin of all-time. So maybe. Whenever people talk about themes that they would like to see for pinball over on Pinside, inevitably someone brings up the band Pink Floyd. The band has a pretty big following and 15 studio albums to draw from. I'm not a big Pink Floyd guy myself and the music seems a little slow for pinball to me, but this one seems possible as well. The last noteworthy pinball trademark reference that I came across is a new theme. In fact, it's so new that the show isn't even out yet. Rebel Moon is a big budget Netflix movie that is being made by Zac Taylor Snyder, of Dawn of the Dead, 300 and Justice League fame. It is a space fantasy themed film that was "inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s iconic Seven Samurai." Who knows if the movie will be any good? Would a manufacturer risk making a pinball machine to coincide with the launch and risk making another of the proverbial great pin, bad movie games like The Shadow or Congo? Interestingly, two of these themes are new shows on Netflix. Stern Pinball presumably already has a relationship with Netflix as a result of its Stranger Things pinball machine, so that adds a little more smoke to the fire. Time will tell if any of these themes actually make it to the market as pins. If anything, at least the pinball trademark search served as interesting fodder for conversation and speculation. I'll do a follow-up search in a couple of months to see if there's anything new out there.