The Ultimate Yet Surprisingly Lazy Theme Bracket with guest Laura!

Poor Man's Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·analyzed·May 15, 2019

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.029

TL;DR

Pinball theme bracket tournament with wife guest reaches controversial Labyrinth vs Bill & Ted finals.

Summary

Poor Man's Pinball Podcast episode 9 features hosts Drew and Ian conducting a 36-theme bracket tournament with guest Laura Haberman (Ian's wife) to determine the "ultimate" pinball theme. The hosts debate theme selections, discuss licensing challenges (notably Jaws), and advance themes through multiple rounds, ultimately reaching a finals matchup between Labyrinth and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. They reference Head to Head Pinball Podcast's similar format and invite listener votes to determine the final winner.

Key Claims

Jaws licensing is very expensive and limited; licensors only grant rights to the shark and name, not the iconic music.
medium confidence · Laura and Ian discussing Jaws vs Rick and Morty matchup; Ian confirms 'The license is stupid expensive. You get the shark. Yeah, you get the shark and the name and that's it.'
Someone has built a Nightmare Before Christmas homebrew pinball machine and is shopping it around to manufacturers.
medium confidence · Ian mentions 'He's been working on it for a few years, and he's actually shopping it around to some of the companies.'
Head to Head Pinball Podcast recently did a similar game/bracket format, which inspired Poor Man's version.
high confidence · Ian explicitly states Head to Head 'did that when they interviewed Mrs. Pin' and later 'Head to head just did this last week' regarding bracket format.
Bill & Ted 3 is in production with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter.
medium confidence · Ian mentions 'Did you see the pictures of them recently from like last month? Oh yeah, they're making a third one. Yeah, Keanu and the other guy.'
The Ryan who was called for a wild card third-party vote is a Twitch streamer affiliated with the show.
high confidence · Drew states 'We need a new Twitch streamer because I think Ryan is no longer our friend' after the phone call.

Notable Quotes

“I want to see a little fucking green gremlin exploding with green goo and like a microwave that you can whew!”
Laura Haberman @ ~5:20 — Demonstrates Laura's preference for campy, fun game designs over serious themes, a key personality trait in her bracket choices.
“The license is stupid expensive. You get the shark and the name and that's it.”
Ian @ ~8:45 — Reveals real licensing constraints affecting potential Jaws pinball machine—IP holder retains music and other assets.
“I'm stuck on this phone booth. I really am.”
Drew @ ~35:00 — Drew becomes fixated on the phone booth elevator from Bill & Ted as a mechanical feature, driving his choice to finals.
“I want to see a really good Nightmare made by JJP.”
Ian @ ~27:30 — Expresses preference for a specific manufacturer (Jersey Jack Pinball) creating a Nightmare Before Christmas machine.
“The ramp goes up to Pride Rock in the center and there's a magnet up there. There's also a trap door so it can come down and shoot off.”
Drew @ ~30:00 — Demonstrates how hosts imagine pinball mechanics for their chosen themes, showing design thinking about playfield features.
“We're probably going to see that Nightmare pin. We're never going to see a Bill & Ted pin.”
Ian @ ~36:00 — Ian's strategic reasoning for advancing Bill & Ted over Nightmare—based on likelihood of actual production, not theme quality.
“One magnet, $10,000. Pretty much. Two magnets, we can't afford it.”
Drew @ ~32:15 — Humorous commentary on pinball manufacturing costs, reflecting the expensive nature of game production.
“I would play all of them. But I will say I'm disappointed that Muppets isn't in there.”
Laura @ ~37:00 — Laura expresses regret about The Muppets' early elimination despite acknowledging the final four as strong themes.

Entities

Poor Man's Pinball Podcastorganization Head to Head Pinball PodcastorganizationLaura HabermanpersonIanperson Drewperson Ryanperson Jersey Jack Pinballcompany

Signals

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design_philosophy: Clear pattern emerges: Laura consistently chooses campy, cartoony, fun themes (Gremlins, Rick and Morty, Muppets, Animaniacs) over serious ones (Mad Max, Kill Bill, Matrix). Drew gravitates toward music-themed and action-adventure properties. Ian shows balanced preferences with some surprises (Nightmare over Harry Potter).
high · Laura explicitly states 'I love cartoons so' and repeatedly picks campy options; Drew champions LED Zeppelin and music pins; Ian advances unexpected themes like Animaniacs.
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licensing_signal: Jaws licensing is expensive and restrictive, limiting music rights. Similar cost concerns mentioned regarding Led Zeppelin and David Bowie rights for Labyrinth.
high · Ian: 'The license is stupid expensive. You get the shark and the name and that's it.' Drew: 'Led Zeppelin, the rights alone to Robert Plant's bulge is gonna cost millions.'
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product_launch: A Nightmare Before Christmas homebrew pinball machine is in development and being shopped to manufacturers for potential commercial production.
medium · Ian: 'He's been working on it for a few years, and he's actually shopping it around to some of the companies.'
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design_innovation: Hosts discuss imaginative mechanical features for potential machines: phone booth elevator (Bill & Ted), Pride Rock ramp with magnet and trap door (Lion King), elephant graveyard ball lock with closing rib cage (Lion King), Scrooge McDuck gold pit (DuckTales).
medium · Drew details Pride Rock mechanism; hosts discuss phone booth elevator repeatedly; Laura imagines Scrooge McDuck gold pit toy.
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Transcript

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0:00

Smooth and easy like Kvasie. It's the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast with Drew and Ian. Hello everyone and thank you for joining us for episode 9, the episode where we wear socks and answer emails regarding socks, but But with another guest, today's guest is Laura Haberman, my wife, the mother of my child, and yes, my current partner in crime. Happy Mother's Day, Laura. Hello. Oh, what an intro. Thanks, guys. I'm honored to be here. We are so happy to have you here, Laura. So excited. Laura is- I feel like one of the crew. You are one of the crew. Laura is probably my third favorite person in the world, right behind Kathleen, my wife, Obi, my dog, and then Laura. Thanks, Drew. That means a lot. And then Jesus Christ. Hey. Aw, already getting canceled. I'm kidding, everyone out there. Episode 9, folks. Going strong. No, it's strong. Here we are. Welcome, Laura. Seriously, this is awesome. This is going to be fun, I'm sure. All right. Well, what are we drinking today, Drew? Drew is drinking Kessler. Surprise. No shit. See, even Laura knows. Surprise. And a little squirt of squirt. Oh, no, but I'm going to drink a little bit of squirt. I was surprised. And a little squirt of squirt. Oh, no Buble this week? No Buble. Michael Buble is out the door and squirting. I liked listening to Buble last week. That was nice that you actually edited it in. I did. I heard that when I was getting ready in the morning listening to the podcast and I was like, ooh, little Buble. Start my day. You were listening to Drew and Buble in the shower? No. That's hot. Steamier than what you think it is, Drew. All right, I'll just sit here and act awkward. It's going to be one of those episodes, folks. What are you drinking there, Laura? What am I drinking? That would be the Crown of the Rock. Crown Vanilla on the Rocks, keeping it classy. That is cute. I've always wanted to drink something on the rocks, fancy style. It just looks so cool, and here I am doing it. It does. From Don Draper to Laura Haberman. What do you normally drink, Laura? What's your drink of choice? Lord knows. It's... Everything. What minute is it? Yeah, I'm the worst indecisive drinker. I never know what to order and then when I order it, I just either pound it or I hate it. That doesn't make you indecisive. That just makes you a wife.

2:35

My wife. No, sometimes I like to just do shots and get it done. The Old Fashioned Sweets That's when I get wild! She's efficient, ladies and gentlemen. Super efficient. Yeah, she is an old fashioned drinker as well. Old Fashioned Sweets, that's always a good one. That's a classic. Yeah, I'll drink that. Yeah, you're pretty good with that. I am drinking some vodka Red Bull again, because it's been a long day. So we're going to get this started right. Drew? Yes? How you doing, bud? I feel like I haven't seen you in a while. John Popadiuk, Bob Betor, Keith Elwin, Laser Los, Bowen Kerins, Lyman F. Sheats Jr., orbit ramps, Automated Amusements, Python Anghelo, Joe Kaminkow, Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. The 4 3 2 1 0 1 0 The New No, it's a it's a used machine I think it was manufactured in 2003. They made him for about three years, but you know, it's Simpsons man. Yeah, it's cool It's a cool one. Oh, please tell me the bus drivers in there. What's his name? Otto? Yeah, they have a lot of mo actually he's like the way to start modes or something There's a he's not actually in there in the game, but on the screen and stuff He he actually plays a pretty big role. Hey, man, you're starting. Yeah, you're mode. Yeah, something like that The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. Like, you know, Monster Bash is bolted to the floor. It's not going anywhere. Oh! It's a... Yeah, it's staying. It's part of my collection. It's bolted? I don't really bolt it. Oh, I get what you're saying. It's grounded. It's not... It's never going. Okay. There you go. I'm catching on. You are. What are we... It's grounded, Laura. Yeah. Yeah, last week... Like a true mom. Laura, last week, we did a segment. It was bolted or set it on fire and thrown it off a roof. Oh, okay. Okay. So I hate this game of throwing it off the roof and this one's staying in the house. So there you go. I'm excited. I want to play it. You can't play that one. Why can't I come to Drew's and play pinball? I'm joking. He can. Yes, he can. No, she's talking about Simpsons. I got it. I figured it out. It just took me a while to get there. You can come play Simpsons pinball. Keep drinking that Red Bull, Ian. It'll catch up. I'll catch up. Bring the baby. You put the baby on top of the hobbit. Yeah. And then we can play some Simpsons. She'll love it. She'll crawl all over. All the pinballs. She can play with the cat because the cat also sleeps on top of the hobbit. Nice. John Popadiuk, Bob Betor, Keith Elwin, Laser Los, Bowen Kerins, Lyman F. Sheats Jr., orbit ramps, Automated Amusements, Python Anghelo, Joe Kaminkow, Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. I'm going to tell Google then. Oh man, you need to watch some more Ladies, man. Maybe you weren't spelling Kervasie correctly. Can anyone spell Kervasie correctly? You should have seen the different searches. Email us at poormanspinball at gmail.com with the correct spelling of Kervasie, please. Yes, please. C-O-U-V-I-S-I-E-U-E-I. Yeah, she's just adding vowels now. E-R-V-E-E-E-E-E-E-E. I-O-U-S. I think you're going to have to do it again. I think you're right. Maybe. No. So Laura, first question, very important question. Ready? Yes. How do you feel about men who wear socks versus men who don't wear socks? Well, like in the winter, not wearing socks? ont Winter大家 смог What's that look like? Looks like you're wearing a pink button up shirt with a collar pop like a douchebag. That's about right. She is gonna fit in here so well. But there might be one other Tanyo Klyce shirt. That gets a round of applause. Sorry. Maybe. But I can wear shoes with no socks. No, you're cute though. Yeah. You can do that. Your pink shirt was spot on. Oh man, that was good. That was pretty funny. What is it like to be a pinball wife? How do you feel about being a pinball wife? Whew, it's exhausting. There's a couple of us now hanging in there. You have a support group, right? I do. No, I love it. I support you guys. It's fun. It's exciting. It's a great hobby. It keeps you out of trouble. It's just some good old fashioned fun. Pinball, baby. On the other hand, the pinball show, Knapp Arcade, Bally Williams, Straight Down the Middle, Bally Williams & Knapp Arcade, Super Bowl, the pinball show, Knapp Arcade, The Valley Company, Subsidiary of Walter Kidde & Co., Inc., Mirco Playfields, Tim Kitzrow, Scott Danesi. Do you have any specific memories of games when you were growing up? No, not at all. Okay. I don't remember last year. No, I don't think we do either. Let alone my teenage childhood years. She's honest, folks. She is honest. Is there a particular theme that you would like in a pinball machine? Theme? Specifically? Yeah, is there a specific theme? I know when we were talking today, you were talking about Tremors, which cracked me up. The movie Tremors? Yeah, she's like, yeah, get little fucking worms all over the place. Kevin Bacon? Kevin Bacon. Sandworms? Gas stations blowing up? Has Kevin Bacon ever been in a pinball? Have they made any pinballs? Why would they? Well, they always talk about all the Kevin Bacon movies, right? Yeah, like what is it, Six Degrees? Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon. Is there a pinball machine that, even that he had a cameo in, or? Folks, send us an email. Think about it. Pornmanspinball at gmail.com. Which one has? I don't know. PORRMANSPINBALL at gmail.com. I remember talking before we fired up the podcast here and I said, well, what about Mario Kart? Why has nobody made a pinball with Mario Kart? Little turtle shells, peaches, waxen, you know. That would be a cool pinball machine. I don't know if they can make it work. I'm sure somebody could be creative and come up with a great little... They've done some car type stuff. They've done Mustang. They've done... Getaway. Yeah. High speed. Yeah. So they've done stuff related to cars. The Artwork is awesome. Mushrooms. Yeah. I like it. All right. Well, speaking of themes, Drew texted me the other day because we had nothing to do today because the news is so slow in pinball land. So what we decided to do, Drew, was he texted me and wanted me to come up with a bunch of I'm going to go ahead and give them their names and see, you know, give them to Laura and see which ones would she could guess would be pinball names and which one wouldn't be pinball names. And I said, Drew, Head to Head Pinball Podcast did that when they interviewed Mrs. Pin. That's not true. Every idea that comes out of this brain of mine is 100 percent original.

Nightmare Before Christmasgame

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventuregame

content_signal: Poor Man's Pinball Podcast explicitly references and riffs on Head to Head Pinball Podcast's bracket format, adapting it for themes rather than machines. Hosts jokingly acknowledge they're 'rip off artists' but claim originality.

high · Ian: 'Head to head just did this last week'; Drew: 'If you've done this on a podcast, please send it to poormanspinball at gmail.com'; acknowledgment they're making it 'their own.'

community_signal: Pinside forum discussions directly influence bracket selection; Ian sourced many theme suggestions from Pinside community debate and found some suggestions (like Ron Jeremy) humorous enough to include.

high · Ian: 'I thought that was so funny I had to write it down' (Ron Jeremy); 'I wrote it down because I think I saw it twice' (Godfather); confirms sourcing from Pinside.

sentiment_shift: Hosts express shock that Animaniacs unexpectedly advanced to final four, describing it as a 'Cinderella story' and 'MVP' moment. No one predicted it would rank among top themes.

high · Drew: 'Did anyone think Animaniacs was a Top 400 theme?'; Ian: 'Nobody had any clue it was a Top 4 theme'; references 'Cinderella story' and 'MVP baby.'

manufacturing_signal: Hosts display cost awareness regarding pinball manufacturing, joking that adding multiple magnets would render Lion King prototype unaffordable at '$10 million.'

medium · Drew: 'One magnet, $10,000. Pretty much. Two magnets, we can't afford it'; 'This game would cost $10 million.'

community_signal: Poor Man's Pinball uses listener voting to break deadlocked finals (Labyrinth vs Bill & Ted), inviting email submissions to poormanspinball@gmail.com. Reflects community-driven content approach.

high · Final decision delegated to listeners: 'Email us your choice, Labyrinth or Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and next week we will return the results.'

rumor_hype: Bill & Ted 3 is in active production with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter (confirmed recent by photos from last month per hosts).

medium · Ian: 'Did you see the pictures of them recently from like last month? Oh yeah, they're making a third one. Yeah, Keanu and the other guy.'

design_philosophy: Ian expresses specific preference for Jersey Jack Pinball to produce Nightmare Before Christmas, suggesting some manufacturers are viewed as better suited to particular themes.

medium · Ian: 'I want to see a really good Nightmare made by JJP.'