ALICE KICKSTARTER GOES LIVE

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Mar 11, 2025

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.020

TL;DR

Wonderland Amusements launches Alice Goes To Wonderland Kickstarter for affordable 3/4-scale home pinball at $999.

Summary

Wonderland Amusements launched a Kickstarter campaign for Alice Goes To Wonderland, a 3/4-scale home pinball machine priced at $999 MSRP with early-bird discounts. The company, led by Jerry Cummings (formerly of Arcade1Up/ThinkUp), aims to make pinball affordable for home users through Chinese manufacturing and scaled-down components. The campaign reached its $100,000 funding goal within minutes of launch, with production scheduled to begin June 2025 and shipping in November 2025.

Key Claims

Wonderland Amusements intends to keep retail price at $1,000 or below for a home-scale pinball machine
high confidence · Company stated desire to keep price at $1,000 or below; MSRP set at $999
Alice Goes To Wonderland will be 80% the scale of a conventional arcade pinball, including an undersized 22mm ball vs standard 27mm
high confidence · Article states scaling applies to all areas including ball diameter reduction from 27mm to 22mm
Jerry Cummings previously worked on Arcade1Up cabinet design through ThinkUp company
high confidence · Article identifies Cummings as CEO/Creative Director who comes from ThinkUp which designed Arcade1Up cabinets
Manufacturing will be done in China
high confidence · Article explicitly states manufacturing to be done in China to achieve price point
Kickstarter campaign reached $100,000 funding goal within five minutes of launch
high confidence · Update section states target achieved almost immediately with only few Early Bird models remaining after five minutes
Mass production slated for June 2025 with completion in Q3 2025 and November 2025 shipping
high confidence · Article provides explicit production timeline: June 2025 start, Q3 completion, November 2025 shipping target
Dutch Pinball's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland is a 500-unit full-size collector game run
high confidence · Article references Dutch Pinball's competing Alice game as full-size, high-end collector product with 500-unit run

Notable Quotes

“the company stated their desire to keep the retail price at $1,000 or below – a level which would certainly involve a number of compromises to gameplay features”
Pinball News (reporting company statement) — Indicates fundamental design philosophy trade-off: affordability vs. full-featured gameplay, positioning this as budget alternative to standard pinball
“To help them achieve this price point, manufacturing of the company's products is to be done in China while the overall game would be built to be 80% of the scale of a conventional arcade pinball.”
Pinball News (reporting company strategy) — Reveals two cost-control strategies: offshore manufacturing and scaled-down playfield/components, including non-standard ball size
“The Kickstarter achieved its funding target almost immediately after launch with only a few Early Bird Special models remaining after just five minutes.”
Pinball News (update) — Demonstrates strong market demand for affordable home pinball despite compromises; validates business model quickly

Entities

Wonderland AmusementscompanyJerry CummingspersonAlice Goes To WonderlandgameArcade1UpcompanyThinkUpcompanyNew Wave ToyscompanyDutch PinballcompanyCarlos Mendoza IIIpersonRichard Sellersperson

Signals

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business_signal: Chinese manufacturing combined with sub-$1000 price point raises questions about component quality, durability, warranty support, and long-term customer satisfaction given previous pinball industry manufacturing challenges
medium · One-year limited warranty covering manufacturing defects mentioned but parts availability through website not yet proven; no track record for new manufacturer in pinball space
?
business_signal: Entry of new manufacturer with consumer electronics industry background (Arcade1Up/ThinkUp) signaling expansion of pinball market into mass-market home segment, potentially disrupting traditional full-size arcade-focused manufacturer market
high · Jerry Cummings transitions from Arcade1Up to lead Wonderland Amusements; business model explicitly mirrors Arcade1Up's consumer-focused strategy with scaled-down products and affordable pricing
$
market_signal: Rapid Kickstarter funding achievement (5 minutes to $100k goal) indicates strong market demand for affordable home pinball despite feature compromises, validating sub-$1000 price point strategy
high · Campaign reached funding target almost immediately after launch with only few Early Bird models remaining after five minutes
$
market_signal: Aggressive sub-$1000 pricing represents potential market disruption; tiered Kickstarter pricing ($799 Early Bird, $849 Mad Hatter, $1899 Queen of Hearts) creates urgency and revenue optimization
high · $999 MSRP represents roughly 7-15% of standard $7,000-$15,000 full-size machine pricing; tiered discounts create purchasing urgency
?

Topics

Affordable home pinball market entryprimaryKickstarter as funding and pre-sales mechanism for pinballprimaryScaled-down/mini pinball machine designprimaryChinese manufacturing for cost controlprimaryAlice in Wonderland theme licensing and competitionsecondaryArcade1Up business model adaptation to pinballsecondaryPricing strategy and market positioningsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Article presents Wonderland Amusements favorably with emphasis on rapid Kickstarter success, qualified team credentials, and clear production timeline. No critical issues reported; immediate funding goal achievement demonstrates community enthusiasm. Tone is factual and promotional without being adversarial.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Wonderland Amusements today launched their Kickstarter campaign for their Alice Goes To Wonderland pinball machine. The Wonderland Amusements team is headed up by CEO and Creative Director, Jerry Cummings, who comes to pinball from his ThinkUp company which designed the cabinets for the hugely popular Arcade1Up range of video games. Other team members have also been involved with Arcade1Up, as well as with New Wave Toys who recently launched their new Replicade range of miniature interactive pinball models to join their existing range or miniature arcade video games. ![Wonderland Amusement's logo](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/alice-goes-to-wonderland/002-alice-goes-to-wonderland.jpg) Wonderland Amusement’s logo As with Arcade1Up, the intention for Wonderland Amusements is to produce a game for home use at a cost far below the current price of arcade-ready models. The company stated their desire to keep the retail price at $1,000 or below – a level which would certainly involve a number of compromises to gameplay features. To help them achieve this price point, manufacturing of the company’s products is to be done in China while the overall game would be built to be 80% of the scale of a conventional arcade pinball. That scaling down applies to all areas of the game, including the ball which is reduced from 27mm (1 1/16th-inch) diameter to 22mm. Wonderland Amusements first revealed their intentions at Pinball Expo 2024 where they had a stand showing their proposed cabinet design and a hint or two at the theme of their first release. ![Peter & Gary from Wonderland Amusements](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/pinball-expo-2024/714-pinball-expo-2024.jpg) Peter & Gary from Wonderland Amusements The company name took a lead from their intended Alice in Wonderland-themed first game. With Dutch Pinball Exclusive already announcing their Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland run of 500 full-size, high-end collector games, Wonderland Amusements chose the title Alice Goes To Wonderland for theirs. Over a series of monthly updates on their YouTube channel, the company revealed the final design for their Alice Goes To Wonderland game. Artwork is by Carlos Mendoza III who has enjoyed a long career in the toy and collectibles industry. Sound for the game comes from Richard Sellers and Wes McCraw from Cleveland, Ohio who have worked as a team on numerous toys and audiobooks, as well as radio and TV productions. ![Wonderland Amusement's Alice Goes To Wonderland game](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/alice-goes-to-wonderland/001-alice-goes-to-wonderland.jpg) Wonderland Amusement’s Alice Goes To Wonderland game Today’s launch on Kickstarter helps the company gauge the level of interest and get some pre-production publicity, while also raising funds for their initial production run. They have set the funding goal at $100,000. ![The playfield from Alice Goes To Wonderland](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/alice-goes-to-wonderland/003-alice-goes-to-wonderland.jpg) The playfield from Alice Goes To Wonderland To mark the start of the month-long Kickstarter campaign, there are some early-adopter discounts available. The full MSRP price of Alice Goes To Wonderland is $999, but an initial batch of 200 White Rabbit Early Bird Special machines has been made available with a $200 (20%) discount at $799. Once those are gone, an unlimited number of Mad Hatter’s Choice games prices at $849 – a 15% saving -will be available only through Kickstarter for the duration of the campaign. ![The Alice Goes To Wonderland Kickstarter page](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/alice-goes-to-wonderland/006-alice-goes-to-wonderland.jpg) The Alice Goes To Wonderland Kickstarter page The 20% discount is also available if two Alice Goes To Wonderland machines are purchased through Kickstarter at the same time, at a price of $1,598. In addition, there are a limited number of Queen of Hearts Collection machines prices at $1,899 each. These include an illuminated backbox topper, antique bronze metalwork, enhanced 3D sculpts on the playfield, an upgraded shooter knob and housing, a cover, a numbered plaque and signed certificate, as well as all the reward tier bonus items such as playing cards and cushion. Most of these add-ons, such as the shooter knob, 3D sculpts, topper and cover are also available to purchase separately. ![The backbox artwork](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/alice-goes-to-wonderland/004-alice-goes-to-wonderland.jpg) The backbox artwork Mass production is slated to start in June 2025 with the machines completed in Q3. The estimated final shipping date for all these machines to buyers is stated in the campaign as November 2025. Kickstarter-purchased machines also come with a one year limited warranty covering manufacturing defects in the physical game and electronics, with replacement parts planned to be available through the company’s website. The game is expected to initially only be available to buyers in North America, but overseas orders may be accepted by Wonderland Amusements at a later date either directly or through distributors. Of course, games could be purchased through the US and then exported, although it is possible some voltage modifications might be required in these cases. As with all Kickstarter campaigns, if the target funding ($100,000 in this instance) is not achieved, no payments are taken, and the project doesn’t proceed. UPDATE The Kickstarter achieved its funding target almost immediately after launch with only a few Early Bird Special models remaining after just five minutes. ![The target was reached very soon after the project launched](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/games/alice-goes-to-wonderland/007-alice-goes-to-wonderland.jpg) The launched We’ll keep you updated with the progress of Wonderland Amusements’ Kickstarter campaign as well as the development of the game over the coming months right here at Pinball News.