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Five Minutes to Tilt season 2 – Gerard van de Sanden on Pinball Circus

Dutch Pinball Museum·video·7m 38s·analyzed·Jul 29, 2026
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (batch) · $0.011

TL;DR

Gerard van de Sanden recounts his obsession with finding and playing the rare Pinball Circus machine.

Summary

Gerard van de Sanden, owner of the Dutch Pinball Museum in Rotterdam, shares his quest to locate and play the legendary Pinball Circus machine designed by Python Angelo in 1994. Only 2-3 machines were ever built; van de Sanden played one in Las Vegas's Pinball Hall of Fame in 2014 and eventually tracked down the other machine's location, which he keeps secret to preserve the myth. He collects Pinball Circus memorabilia and dreams of displaying an original machine in his museum.

Key Claims

  • Pinball Circus was created by Python Angelo in 1994 as a vertical upright arcade pinball machine with multiple layers and magical elements

    high confidence · Gerard van de Sanden, Dutch Pinball Museum owner, during Five Minutes to Tilt interview

  • Only 2-3 Pinball Circus machines were ever built

    medium confidence · Gerard van de Sanden recalling the story; he uses 'two or three' which suggests uncertainty

  • Pinball Circus machine is/was in the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas; it has been broken and removed from display

    high confidence · Gerard van de Sanden visited in 2014 and again in 2022, observed the condition

  • Gerard van de Sanden found the location of the other Pinball Circus machine and played it, but keeps the location secret

    high confidence · Direct statement by van de Sanden: 'I found the guy or girl, who knows, that has the other pinball circus' and 'It's better not. I promise the person that I keep it a secret'

  • Python Angelo passed away in 2014

    medium confidence · Gerard van de Sanden states 'in 2014 he passed away' after mentioning meeting Angelo at Chicago Expo in 2013

  • Gerard van de Sanden has collected Pinball Circus memorabilia including drawings and mold pieces from Python Angelo

    high confidence · Van de Sanden directly states: 'I bought items of pinball circus in our museum. We have magical stuff like drawings from Python Angelo or Roda molds'

  • Van de Sanden's dream is to display an original Pinball Circus machine in the Dutch Pinball Museum

    high confidence · Van de Sanden explicitly states: 'This is one of my biggest wishes'

Notable Quotes

  • “I'm the owner and founder of the Dutch Pinball Museum in Rotterdam. And my untold story, uh, I think it's a unique one. It's about pinball circus.”

    Gerard van de Sanden @ 0:45 — Introduction of the guest and framing of the story

  • “It's a vertical upright pinball machine in an arcade cabinet with layers with magical things.”

    Gerard van de Sanden @ 1:15 — Description of the Pinball Circus machine's unique mechanical design

  • “The idea that they only built two or three machines, um yeah, it's like a seed in my head. It was there.”

    Gerard van de Sanden @ 1:40 — Establishes the rarity and obsession with the machine

  • “In 2014, I had the first time to play Pinball Circus in Las Vegas in Pinball Hall of Fame. Completely magical.”

    Gerard van de Sanden @ 2:20 — First encounter with the legendary machine, emotional connection

  • “Don't ask me how, but I found a way. I found the guy or girl, who knows, that has the other pinball circus.”

    Gerard van de Sanden @ 3:45 — Revelation of the quest's success; mystery about the machine's location

  • “I played it and man, oh this was something. This was something magical.”

    Gerard van de Sanden @ 4:15 — Emotional fulfillment of the decades-long search

  • “I want to play the original, the idea of Python Angelo, creator guy.”

    Gerard van de Sanden @ 4:50 — Clarifies his collecting philosophy: seeking experience with the original rather than reproduction

  • “It's better not. I promise the person that I keep it a secret for me. And if it's a secret, the myth will stay alive, right?”

    Gerard van de Sanden @ 5:40 — Explains decision to keep location confidential; uses secrecy as a way to preserve the legend

Entities

Gerard van de SandenpersonDutch Pinball MuseumcompanyPython AngelopersonPinball CircusgamePinball Hall of FamevenueChicago ExpoeventFive Minutes to Tiltcontent

Signals

  • ?

    historical_signal: Pinball Circus (1994, Python Angelo) emerges as a legendary rare machine with only 2-3 units ever produced, elevating its status to near-mythical in the community

    high · Gerard van de Sanden's multi-decade obsession with locating and playing the machine; museum collecting of related memorabilia

  • ?

    collector_signal: Gerard van de Sanden systematically collects Pinball Circus-related artifacts (drawings, molds, etc.) as a proxy for owning the unreachable machine itself

    high · 'I bought items of pinball circus in our museum. We have magical stuff like drawings from Python Angelo or Roda molds'

  • ?

    community_signal: Community members actively preserve the mystique of rare machines by keeping location/owner information secret, treating the legend as culturally valuable

    high · Gerard van de Sanden's deliberate decision to keep the second machine's location secret 'so the myth will stay alive'

  • ?

    venue_signal: Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas has at least one known machine (Pinball Circus) that is broken and removed from display, suggesting maintenance or restoration challenges

    high · Visited in 2014 and 2022; 'It was broken. It's always broken' and 'they even take it out of the collection'

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Python Angelo, designer of Pinball Circus, passed away in 2014, marking the end of a creative era and limiting future collaboration or restoration efforts

    high · 'in 2014 he passed away and it's something that we really miss him in pinball'

Transcript

supadata_caption · $0.001

0:00
Are you ready to go? I'm out of time. I only got 5 minutes.
0:10
We only got 5 minutes to save them all. Time to waste it.
0:14
They only got 5 minutes to say it all.
0:17
Are you ready to go?
0:19
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. So the untold stories that we did in Florida, it was a great success and we are uh going to do a new episodes. But before we uh going to do that uh takes a while. What I want to do a some in between stuff uh there are a lot of interesting people in the Netherlands. So maybe we can invite them for our uh next episodes and we are working on a lot new bunch in October in Chicago Expo. But today I have a very special guest. Uh some people tell me uh he's my twin brother. Uh I cannot decide. You will tell me. But um I'm going to do a 5 minutes untold story with this guy. And um we're going to start. So, I will set the timer and then uh we're going to see what he has to say. Are you ready for that? Yes. So, tell me, who are you? What are you doing in pinball? And tell us your untold story. I'm very very curious what you have to say. So, who am I? Uh I am Gerard Gerard Vanderesandon. Uh, I'm the owner and founder of the Dutch Pinball Museum in Rotterdam. And my untold story, uh, I think it's a a unique one. It's about pinball circus. Have you ever heard about pinball circus?
  • ?

    content_signal: Dutch Pinball Museum is producing Five Minutes to Tilt video series interviewing community figures; season 1 filmed in Florida, season 2 in development with Chicago Expo content planned

    high · Gerard van de Sanden confirms 'the untold stories that we did in Florida, it was a great success and we are going to do new episodes'

    • 2:00
    So, uh, 1994, I guess, Python Angelo, a creative guy in in pinball decided to make a very special pinball. uh machine, the pinball circus. It's a vertical upright uh pinball machine uh in an arcade cabinet with layers with magical things. And I'm now in the hobby for so long, I can't even remember the first time that I heard about pinball circus, but it was instantly magic for me. And the idea that they only built two or three machines, um yeah, it's like a seed in my head. It was there. And then uh uh the stories that went on where they were made to one is once is go went to Germany. One was staying in the uh in the USA and uh one of them ended up in Las Vegas in the Pima Hall of Fame and the other one it's gone. It's in Germany the private collector. I don't know. And yeah, this something pimba circus it, man, it was magical. Uh, in 2014, I had the first time to play Pima Circus in Las Vegas in Pinball Hall of Fame at the other venue. They're now at the on the strip, but then they were somewhere in backwards in in the area. And I played pinball pinball circus for the first time. Completely magical. And from that moment on, oh man, always the question in my head, where is the other machine? He cannot find it. No one knows. So, and 2022 went back to Las Vegas. And um yeah, uh it was there in in the Pinball Hall of Fame. It was broken. It's always broken. And I think they're here now. They even take it out of the collection. And you cannot see it. You cannot play it anymore. But where is the other one? Uh, Python Angelo man, what happened if those if that game went into production? So, um, don't ask me how, but I found a way. I found, uh, the guy or girl, who knows, that has the other pinball circus. Yeah. And I had the chance to, uh, to get over there. Uh, I invited myself. Dutch people do that. They invite theirelves. That's why maybe other people never have get the chance to play it. And I played it and man, oh this was something u this was something magical. So after all those years, after years and years of thinking where is the other pinball circus? I did it. I found it. I played it. I loved it. I was very grateful to the person that gave me the opportunity to play it and uh yeah it's it's magical. I cannot really cannot cannot tell how it was for u to play pinball pinball circus. Um all those years uh I bought items of pinball circus in our museum. We have magical stuff like drawings from Python Angelo or Roda molds or cat drawings from everything that was put into the uh um into the machine and maybe if you really collect a lifetime long and you will get everything maybe you can build your own but I don't want to build my own. I want I want I want to play the original the idea of Python Angelo uh creator guys guest and something u I've met him in 2013 at the Pimbo Expo in Chicago. I was a little bit shy I think then and I uh forgot or I was overwhelmed to ask him for a photo didn't happen and in 2014 he passed away and it it's something that we uh we really miss him in pinball. Uh crazy guy I can say that I think so but uh yeah the most crazy people are most also the creative creative kind Pim Circus my untold story. Yeah. So, if is there a chance that it's ever going to be uh seen in our museum? I don't know. This is one of my biggest wishes. So, be careful what you wish for someday. It may be come true. But if it happens, I will tell you. Great story. It sounds something very familiar to me. But can you really not tell where this machine is? Can I tell you where I found it? It's better not. I promise the person that I keep it a secret for me. And if it's a secret, the myth will stay alive, right?
    7:06
    Okay. You hear it from the man. Um, thanks for watching and uh we keep you posted on all the new episodes that uh that we'll figure out a way to get it from us to you. Thanks for watching. They only got five minutes to save them all. They only got five minutes to say it all. Are you ready? Tick tock. Tick tock.