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DPP #63 "Topper talk with Emma!"

Don's Pinball Podcast (regular feed)·podcast_episode·30m 58s·analyzed·Aug 24, 2023
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.030

TL;DR

Don and daughter Emma discuss toppers, home arcade collection, and dream pinball themes.

Summary

Don's Pinball Podcast episode 63 features Don and his 12-year-old daughter Emma discussing pinball toppers, including recently acquired Stern official toppers (Iron Maiden Aces High, $1,000) and custom metal toppers from Sparky Pinball ($185). The conversation covers Emma's favorite machines in Don's arcade (Foo Fighters, Ultra VP virtual machine, Rick and Morty), pricing dynamics for secondary market games (Rick and Morty valued at $11,000-$12,500), and theme ideas Emma would like to see in future pinball machines (Bob's Burgers, Bluey, Demon Slayer).

Key Claims

  • Stern Iron Maiden Aces High toppers retail for $1,000 and are nearly sold out

    high confidence · Don discussing recent purchases from MadPinball; Jeff has two left in stock

  • Rick and Morty machines on the secondary market are selling for $11,000-$12,500 when heavily modded

    high confidence · Don quoting current market prices to Emma; notes the game originally retailed for $7,500 from Spooky

  • Sparky Pinball's laser-cut metal toppers retail for approximately $185

    high confidence · Don discussing Sparky Pinball products; describes them as 'a steal' by topper standards

  • Stern topper pricing is unpredictable: Godzilla was $1,000, Mandalorian was $2,000, Rush was $1,800

    high confidence · Don analyzing Stern topper pricing tiers; notes prices lack logical correlation to features

  • Jurassic Park 30th anniversary Limited Edition is being sold at $13,000

    medium confidence · Don discussing recent LE pricing increases; notes Rush LEs were $11,000 when he purchased

  • A high school in Rockford, northern Illinois has an extracurricular pinball league

    high confidence · Don mentions 'high school in northern Illinois, Rockford' with pinball league and tournament play

  • An unboxed Simpsons Pinball Party from the 1990s was recently found and live-streamed during unboxing

    medium confidence · Don discussing rare finds; mentions unboxing was live-streamed, possibly involving Cary Hardy

  • Ultra VP virtual pinball machines from Rec Room World include approximately 1,400 games via Means online software

    high confidence · Don describing Emma's favorite machine; mentions software availability and game count

Notable Quotes

  • “It's a cool topper. If you have the machine, your machine will be cooler if you have one for sure. But what's that worth to you?”

    Don @ early segment — Summarizes Don's philosophy on accessory value proposition; frames cost-benefit analysis for collectors

  • “Between $11,000 and $12,000... I wouldn't be shocked to see it sell for $12,500 with that Jerry ramp and the pedigree of coming from Don's Pinball Podcast personal arcade.”

    Don @ mid-episode — Illustrates how secondary market pricing for Rick and Morty has escalated dramatically since original $7,500 retail

  • “Limited Edition, or otherwise known as a way to milk an extra $3,000 out of somebody.”

    Don @ mid-episode — Cynical take on LE pricing strategy; reflects collector frustration with Stern's tiered pricing model

  • “I more like to watch the screen on the pinball machine.”

    Emma @ theme discussion — Young player preference signals playfield engagement over backglass displays

  • “I like when it shakes. I just don't like when it has a knocker.”

    Emma @ theme discussion — Demonstrates nuanced understanding of tactile feedback preferences among younger generation

  • “These are the games that the middle schoolers will be saving their lemonade money for, or their TikTok money, or their influencer money, or however the heck 10-year-olds are making money on the internet.”

    Don @ post-interview — Commentary on how younger demographics might drive future game demand; reflects generational differences in earning/spending

Entities

DonpersonEmma GarrisonpersonJeff (MadPinball)personSparky PinballpersonStern PinballcompanySpooky PinballcompanyRec Room WorldcompanyMadPinballcompanyRick and MortygameFoo Fighters

Signals

  • ?

    collector_signal: Rick and Morty machines have appreciated from $7,500 retail to $11,000-$12,500 on secondary market in modded condition

    high · Don explicitly states original Spooky retail was $7,500; current secondary market heavily modded is $11,000-$12,500; heavily routed zero-mod examples still $10,500+

  • ?

    product_strategy: Stern Limited Editions showing significant price inflation; Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary LE at $13,000, up from Rush at $11,000

    high · Don notes Rush was $11,000 when purchased; current Jurassic Park LE at $13,000; references LE strategy as 'way to milk an extra $3,000'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Stern official toppers priced inconsistently ($1,000-$2,000) with no clear feature-to-price correlation

    high · Don catalogs: Godzilla $1,000 (no moving parts), Mandalorian $2,000 (Pepper's ghost), Rush $1,800 (moving parts); notes 'prices don't make any sense'

  • $

    market_signal: Stern Iron Maiden Aces High toppers nearly sold out; vendor has only two remaining units

    high · Don states Jeff at MadPinball 'has got two left'; describes them as 'dang near sold out'

  • ?

    community_signal: 12-year-old players showing genuine interest in pinball; Bluey and Rick and Morty themes resonate strongly with youth demographic

    high · Emma ranks Foo Fighters, Virtual, and Rick and Morty as favorites; expresses desire for Bob's Burgers, Bluey, and Demon Slayer themes; Don notes 'growing increasing interest in pinball amongst high schoolers of northern Illinois'

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.093

0:00
Oh man, I don't even know what day it is. I think it's Wednesday here in the middle of August or towards the end. It's Don's Pinball Podcast. I believe this is number episode.
0:11
Rich, rewind that. I believe this is episode number 63. For those of you keeping count at home, welcome aboard everybody. I will be your captain, your director, your activities director, and your gynecologist? Wait, that's inappropriate. Screw it. Forget it. Forget it. Where is this? Don's Walk-In Clinic. Don's Walk-In Pinball Clinic. Let's talk about some things. I don't know. Let's talk about toppers, I guess. We'll see. I don't know. Let's do the drop.
0:37
Quality recording entertainment is what I bring. And the other thing I bring is a guest. I've got a special guest here in the studio, here in the Don's Pinball Podcast broadcast worldwide headquarter studio. I have, what was your name, Emma Garrison. She is my technically daughter, I guess. Excuse me? Go ahead and introduce yourself. Well, my name's Emma. Emma, that was correct. that checked out in the show notes. Now, well, thank you for joining me, daughter of mine. She's been dying to get into the broadcasting because she loves pinball, just like every other 12-year-old on the planet. There's only like two other people at my school that know what pinball is. The two most coolest people in your school, I bet.
1:14
Well, we are here at the beginning of a new school year, a new leaf to turn, and maybe some new hobbies to get into. What are you going to do? Like play, what is it called, basketball and cheerleading? Boring. you need to start a middle school pinball league. I think that's what you should do. I think there's only going to be two other people with me. Let's start with that right away here. Let's explore this. All right. So what would you think? Because I've heard about schools, particularly the high school in northern Illinois, Rockford. Shout out to those guys. They have started an extracurricular pinball league at their high school. Yeah, and they get, like, credit for it as an activity. They do tournaments and things, kind of like e-sports but with pinball. Do they get money? Probably not. Well, the good ones probably do if they go and play actual tournaments. But, you know, there's just like a growing, you know, increasing interest in pinball amongst the high schoolers of northern Illinois. So that is. They're also older, so they most know what this stuff is. The kids say it's dope, I believe. That's the current vernacular. No. All right. Well, let's explore that then a little bit. What's the hip new slang that us parents should be on the lookout for? I already know sus So I'm woke to that What are you saying? What is woke? I don't know, I'm still learning that But glizzy is another term that I've seen Make it round the TikToks And I believe that is a hot dog Yes I watched a TikTok from the glizzy gobbler And it was a guy that was just chomping down hot dogs Is that accurate? Yes, but this is nothing about pinball Oh, okay Let's stay on topic. Thank you for that. You sound like my critics there, Miss Emma. Well, okay, let's talk about some pinball stuff. So what's been going on? I got a new shipment from my homie Jeff at MadPinball, MadPinball.com. He delivered me a topper.
game
Ultra VPgame
Guns N' Rosesgame
Halloweengame
Godzillagame
Rushgame
Jurassic Park 30th Anniversarygame
Mandaloriangame
Cary Hardyperson
Texas Pinball Festivalevent
Rockford High Schoolorganization
  • ?

    venue_signal: Rockford high school in northern Illinois established extracurricular pinball league with tournament play and academic credit

    medium · Don mentions 'high school in northern Illinois, Rockford' with pinball league where students 'get credit for it as an activity' and 'do tournaments'

  • ?

    collector_signal: Unboxed vintage games (Simpsons Pinball Party from 1990s, Spanish electromechanical 'Butterfly') being discovered and live-streamed; high collector interest in NOS condition machines

    medium · Don mentions Simpsons PPP found unboxed with live stream unboxing; references ancient electromechanical still in original box; notes Texas Pinball Festival attracts collectors with show pieces

  • ?

    product_concern: Bob's Burgers virtual pinball game reportedly has bugs and reliability issues

    medium · Emma states virtual Bob's Burgers 'has like a lot of bugs. It sometimes does not work at all'

  • $

    market_signal: Custom metal toppers from Sparky Pinball gaining traction as affordable alternative to Stern official toppers; sub-$200 pricing vs. $1,000-$2,000 official

    high · Don has purchased five toppers from Sparky; describes them as good quality for $185 retail; notes his fourth/fifth purchase; contrasts with Stern pricing

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Younger players prefer upper playfields, ramps, and pop bumpers; prefer playfield engagement over backglass screen focus; dislike knockers but tolerate/enjoy shaker motors with integration

    medium · Emma: prefers upper playfield over single level; likes pop bumpers and ramps; 'I more like to watch the screen on the pinball machine' (playfield); dislikes knockers but accepts integrated shaker effects

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Strong youth interest in Bob's Burgers, Bluey, and Demon Slayer pinball machines; Emma expresses willingness to save money for these themes

    high · Emma lists top three future themes: Bob's Burgers, Bluey, Demon Slayer; Don notes these are 'games the middle schoolers will be saving their lemonade money for'

    • 3:04
    Toppers. I got a topper for Iron Maiden. I got the Iron Maiden topper, Aces High topper, I think they call it. $1,000 retail. He's got a couple of them left. Reach out to him. He's a nice guy. I'll ship it out fast to you. Also, you have Venom.
    3:16
    Get to that. You got to build up the audience. with what's going to be coming, and then you drop the bomb. So let me just cover Iron Maiden real quick. So this was a topper that, you know, it got rerun again, and it was something that I didn't know was going to come out because I figured they were done with them. But, you know, Stern, surprisingly, likes cash. And so they dropped them. And so I had the opportunity, you know, to go in and get one. I had just gotten an Iron Maiden Premium. And, you know, in my mind, I want to get that Egyptian topper, you know, with the pyramid on top and the pharaoh and all that business. But, you know, they, of course, weren't making them, and they're going overpriced on pin side. So I went to Tilt Topper, and I ordered one from them. They do something kind of similar in that motif. It's basically a light box, as far as I can tell, that goes up on top of the machine. They need some lead time with the order. It's supposed to ship. I think it was supposed to ship last Friday, but nothing's shown up so far. So at some point, that's going to be coming. And then all of a sudden, it's like, hey, there's some of these Asus Heist Hoppers that are being run. They weren't planned on being run. I mean, it'll never be run again. Do you want in on it? And I yesed quickly to that. And, you know, I'm thinking, well, I'm thinking, you know, do I really need this thing? You know, I wasn't that jazzed about it. Like, the Godzilla topper, I was lukewarm initially. It came out better than expectations. Now it's pretty fun. The Rush topper was super cool. But the Asus high topper, I'm like, it's a plane. Like, a thousand bucks? Really? But now that I have it, now that I have it and I put it up there, it's true what they say. These stern toppers have light integrated into the play like it is. It's really cool, though. It's synchronous. That's what I'm getting to. Yeah, there's a 3D layering effect of the cockpit, you know, as far as, you know, it's plastics, but it's dimensional inside there. And then there's the LEDs for the gun turrets. So, like, as you end that ball and it's counting up your bonus and you're hearing, you know, the gunfire sounds, or even at the end when it's getting ready to do the match, which is gunfire in the side of the plane, you know, they're firing. Like, the thing's shooting at you. So that's cool. You know, it is just lights. There's no moving parts to it. But I do like what they accomplished. So I'll end it with this. It's a cool topper. If you have the machine, your machine will be cooler if you have one for sure. But what's that worth to you? If that's worth $300 to you, then you'll probably skip it. You know, if you've got the cash, you picked up some extra shifts, you recycled your dairy bottles, and you got a couple of shekels rattling around your pocket, it's cool to have. So I think that's where I'm coming down on it. And I've heard, I mean, who cares about the price? The things are dang near sold out. I talked to Jeff today. He's got two left. So if you want one, jeffatmappinball.com, he can get you hooked up with one of these Iron Maiden toppers to get. And then I like it so much that I think once I get my tilt topper, I may offer that up for sale too. So if someone wants a barely not even used, I guess I'll try it out first, but I'll give a review on that when I get it as I always do. But, you know, that's the topper talk. Anyway, get at me if you might want this one because I think I'm going to keep the aces high. It's pretty cool.
    6:04
    Also in topper news, my homie Sparky Pinball. He makes these laser-cut metal powder-coated toppers for games. They retail for about $185 now, which by topper standards, Emma, yawning, is a steal. We'll get back to middle school drama in a minute. So I recently got his Foo Fighters topper, and then also he just came out with his Venom topper as well. It looks really cool. It looks super cool. I've got it set up over here. I'll post a picture on the Facebook page for those of you that didn't block me. Go ahead and check that out. But it has that layered effect. So if you haven't seen these, they're basically a formed sheet metal that's laser cut, powder coated different colors, and then it gives you that kind of depth of field layering effect on top of your machine. They bolt into the stern machines. They use the same six screws that are up there. There's two other screws on the stern machines that aren't even used. And then, you know, you made one for Godzilla. I bought his James Bond one. I don't even have a James Bond machine, but it's, like, got four of the Bond girls in the foreground, James Bond in the middle there holding his gun, just looking like a super cool guy, and then that swirling gun barrel design behind him. Foo Fighters has a cutout for the band members and then kind of like that molecule combo-tron elemental molecule-looking design and then a rising sun just like his Godzilla one does. So check him out, Sparky Pinball on Pinside. He'll make them and ship them to you. They're good quality. It goes up on top of your machine, and it's under $200. And that's probably delivered too. The Venom one I got is amazing. So it's still the same motif of three layers, and the picture will make sense. But the first one has just Venom silhouetted head from the side mouth agape The middle frame is his big red tongue which from the field of view where this thing is going to be mounted with you standing in front of the machine is going to look perfectly coming out of his mouth And then it's got that white kind of like half-setting sun or like moon logo behind there. So there's great contrast with the black, the red, the white. I can't wait to get the machine so I can put this thing up there. Who knows when the actual stern topper is going to come out. And price, I've got that for you because it's going to be between $850 and $2,000 because that's where they are. That's a lot. But, you know, Godzilla was $1,000 and doesn't have any moving parts. Mandalorian's got a Projection Pepper's ghost effect, but that was $2,000. Rush is loaded with moving parts, and it was $1,800. So the prices don't make any sense, but it's going to be expensive. So if you're a guy that's totally, like, not even going to consider a $1,000 accessory for your game, but you still want to have something up there that's not just going to spirit pinball and sticking it on top of the machine, Sparky's got the hookup, man. You know, go check him out. This is my fourth topper I've got from him. No, fifth, because I bought that James Bond one, because I just like the look of the silhouetted ladies. Me too. Come at me, at me, guys. I like it. I like what I like. I mounted it to a two-by-six, and I just kind of put it on my counter. I think it's awesome. But, yeah, what do you think? Toppers, should you get one? Should you not get one? Are they lame? Are they stupid? Are they overpriced? Like, some of them are. That one's cool.
    9:06
    I like the Iron Maiden one. Well, it's cheap. And, you know, with these metal ones, they do have that 3D depth. You can get a fairly inexpensive LED strip to put underneath them to kind of light them up from underneath. You know, they're not going to have the synchronization that you get from, you know, an official stern topper. But, you know, what's a Black Knight Sword of Rage topper selling for $3,000 right now? I mean, come on, you know. So for less than $200 to get something that takes up all the space on top of your machine and looks good, you know, I had the Rush and the Godzilla ones until I got the official Stern toppers when I lost my mind and bought them. But, you know, I'd still have them up there because I love the look of them.
    9:44
    What do you think? I like some of them. All right. So that's my topper news for the pinball guys. Let's get into interview. I want to dive into Emma's world just a little bit because, frankly, if I go too deep, it will probably scare me. You know what, with all your perfumes and deodorants and things that you're developing now. I don't like perfume. Well, sometimes you need it, girl, let me tell you.
    10:08
    Stinky children, hashtag. Hashtag blessed. All right, so what do you think of your dad's pinball hobby? That's what the people want to know.
    10:16
    Like you buy too much, we don't have that much room. Is it super lame or is it super chill? Like I only like two to three of the pinball machines that you own. Let's start with that. Emma's going to rank her top three favorite pinball machines in the arcade here in the downstairs. Let's start with number three. What's your third favorite one?
    10:38
    Foo Fighters. No way. All right. That's a top ten machine right now on Pinside, by the way, BT Dubs. Great game. I just put up 800 million points on it. It was set at ten balls, but don't at me. I'm in adventure mode, man.
    10:52
    All right, all right. Foo Fighters I'll give you. That's great. So what's number two? What's your second most favorite? Virtual. The virtual? Okay. So I've got an Ultra VP from Rec Room World. Find them at recordmobile.com. I looked around at all the Ultra, or all the Ultras, all the virtual machines that were on the market, and this is the one that I found that had the most, you know, like, integrated feedback and speakers and lights and topper screen. The graphics are super amazingly sharp because it doesn't use monitors. It uses industrial displays, like the ones that have, like, the McDonald's menu on it. Like, they're made to be on commercially all the time, and they're heavy AF. And, yeah, he's got them in stock. You can get them.
    11:34
    The software that's available through Means online includes about 1,400 games, including Bluey, right? Let's go. Let's put a pin in the top three. Why don't you tell me what your favorite virtual games to play on there are? Bob's Bogos, Bluey, and Trolls. Oh, Trolls. Yeah, there is some cool pop music in there. It uses music from the movie, a virtual table. Now, these are all available to play for free on a regular desktop computer. But, man, a full-scale virtual machine, if you've got the means and the interest, I mean, it really complements the rest of the lineup that I have. It's just two TVs and an iPad, but, hey, it's fun. Well, so is Toy Story 4, but you didn't hear me complaining about it. Oh, yeah, you did, actually. There's only one iPad in Toy Story 4, unless you count the big back display. Toy Story 4 is horrible. What? You were in the target demographic for Toy Story 4. You're supposed to love that thing. No. Why just focus on one movie, not the whole thing? Oh, preach, sister. You echoed 90% of the market. And that's probably why, if you want to get a Toy Story 4 new inbox, they're available just about everywhere. Make an offer if you want one. I would wait. All right. Number one machine in the basement. What do you got? Rick and Morty. Oh, snap. You let your 12-year-old daughter play Rick and Morty? the heck I do, man. She loves that thing. I can toggle off adult mode. Most of it goes over her head still, thank goodness. Rick and Morty, man, yeah. What do you think? Is it the theme that does it, or do you like how the game plays? I more like the theme. And the fact that it uses adult language? Nah, I just like how the, how it's, like, laid out. And I like the jerry lamp. I mean, there's clips from the TV show in there. It's a cartoon show. Yeah. So, I mean, that's cool, right? Super cool game. Love it. I'm so glad I bought it. But, you know, initially I was super, I was overjoyed and excited about playing this game. I got into pinball at this level just after they were already built and sold out from Spooky Pinball. So I was kind of bummed on that. I played one on location briefly, and I'm like, nah, this game's kind of not my jam. You know, but I was still, like, getting better at pinball. Finally I decided, because I ended up playing at the arcade over and over, and just my games lasted 90 seconds, and I kept feeding dollars in this thing. I'm like, all right, screw it. I'm going to find one of these. if I find one with good mods and good condition, I'm going to get it, put it in my basement, play the heck out of it, and then I'll gift it to a new home and get it out of my system. And that's what I did. And I've gotten fairly good at the game. I've learned its intricacies. You know, it's something you have to spend some time with. But, man, if you like the theme at all, what a great game. I miss Guns N' Roses. What? Oh. Oh, that's like a revolutionary thought there. And Halloween. What? Well, we still technically own Halloween. It's just out earning us some trick-or-treat money right now.
    14:26
    But Guns N' Roses did get sold. You know, I actually, you know, I liked it. I wasn't playing it as much anymore just because it wasn't the newest game anymore. But I still did like it, especially when you play Live and Let Die. I think it's the best theme mode with the song and the lights. They're all perfect. If you play it through to, like, two times through the chorus, man, it changes from green to red. It's just got that crescendo that just pauses Like time stands still And then the beat comes in and the shaker motor rocks the crap Out of that machine Yeah it's fun what did you like about it I like the The roses that were on like the button The button that was on top of the Alright fair enough I don't know what that was called though The little action button that was on there Yeah it was a good machine I got one of Lior's shooter rods for it And then a friend of mine was over here And he had to have it And he made me an offer Asked me how much I wanted I told him he said done So I was like alright And then I don think I waited 48 hours until I tracked down that Star Wars online I went and picked it up Also, there is our Batman. Oh. Sold. Our Stern Batman Dark Knight. Yeah, that was our first game. That got traded in, and then it paid a little bit of extra and got Guns N' Roses new in box. That was a great game to have to start with. But same thing. I mean, we had it for months and months and months, and we're like, okay. It was in our dining room. It was in the dining room because we were at the other house at that point, yeah. Did you think at that time that this was going to happen?
    16:01
    No. Well, yes, because you go to extreme measures with your hobbies. Oh, what hobbies are you talking about? Paramotoring. Oh, paramotoring, yes, yes, that is one of them. What else? Skating. Skateboarding. Why, just because I built a half pipe in the garage? Yes. All right.
    16:17
    Probably, don't name off the rest of my hobbies. They're too esoteric for everybody. I don't even remember all of them Alright Okay well let's get to question and answer time Emma I got some questions that I like to ask guests Especially the ones that aren't from the hardcore pinball community And you come from the hardcore middle school community So I mean you would know everything about Bluey But you don't know everything about the price of a pinball machine What would you expect to pay Let's say for Rick and Morty here Like it's a good game What would be a fair price for it? A thousand $1,000? Yeah. You're going to ask somebody to pay you an entire $1,000 for Rick and Morty? Yeah. All right. You clearly have... That's a lot of money, though. You have no concept of money in the pinball world, my dear. How much are you paying? My sweet summer child. Do you want to know how much you could expect to pay for a heavily modded, great condition, home use only Rick and Morty on today's market?
    17:13
    What? Between $11,000 and $12,000. That's not real. I wouldn't be shocked to see it sell for $12,500 with that Jerry ramp and the pedigree of coming from Don's Pinball Podcast personal arcade. But I also wouldn't be terribly shocked if someone got a screaming deal at, like, $11,000.
    17:31
    But, yeah, I've seen heavily routed ones with zero mods at all still command, like, $10,500. You know the game was only, like, $7,500 when Spooky made it?
    17:41
    Wild, right? Yeah. How much are those old ones that, like, no, like, double play fields? The old grandpa's games? Yeah. The little bells and chimes ones? Are they going, like, for $100 or something? If it's beat up, you can get them for $500. No. $1,500 to $2,500 wouldn't be outrageous for an old electromechanical game. But they're so weird looking. Well, so there's a lot of things going on there. So, right, the gameplay can't compare to what we have here normally. But these things are ancient, and because they're ancient, maybe not a whole lot of them were made initially. And then a lot of them have been lost to the tolls of time, right? They break down. People throw them away. These things weren't worth what they're worth now back then. So to have one in a surviving condition is why.
    18:32
    Yeah, because if these things were abundant, maybe it would only be a couple hundred bucks. But, you know, just try to find, you know, a functional, I'm trying to think, one of those aces or card games or something.
    18:44
    You know, yeah, I think that's the reason why. Because these things, you know, I mean, they're old cabinets, basically. So if they've been laying around getting sun bleached, broken, rodents move into them, you know, they've been kicked around arcades, beer has been dripped on them for 60 years, you know. So to find one in good condition. I'm surprised that, like, Texas Pinball Festival, that there was, like, all those that were still, like, working. Oh, right. They're still in good condition. Like, I played some. So that Texas Festival is, like, the people that care the most about pinball go there, and they bring their show pieces. Somebody just recently found an ancient game made by a Spanish manufacturer, Butterfly or something is the name of the machine, and it was still in the box. It had never been opened, electromechanical. What? Yeah, but, like, brand new, still in the box, was never opened by anybody, you know, for, like, 50 years or something. Is it still working? Well, yeah, it's never been worked. So everything in there is brand new and never touched. Now, maybe the wires have corroded and you need to replace those, but, like, it's never been played. So, like, that would be something shocking. At one of the recent festivals, somebody had a Simpsons pinball party that was still new in the box. And this thing was made in the 90s. I like Simpsons. That's, like, ancient to you. So imagine, like, finding a Simpsons machine from 25-plus years ago still in the box. It was never even unwrapped. So you open that thing, and everything is sparkling brand new. It's like it time-traveled here. Yeah.
    20:11
    Well, maybe to me, not to you. They did a live stream on the unboxing for that. Really? Yeah. Yeah, I have to go watch it. Me too. I want to say Cary Hardy was involved. I don't know. Cool guy, by the way. Talked to him online. Shout-out to Mr. Cary Hardy. Carrie Hardaway, I think, is what it says. Carrie Hardy short for. I may have just made all of that up. All right, Emma, let's get into the final segment of the interview portion here. And that is pinball themes. This is something else we like to ask people about, particularly if I can find someone that's not deep into the pin universe. Or someone who's very young. So what kind of themes would you like to see a pinball machine made out of? If you were to walk into an arcade, What theme could you see from across the room that would make you, oh, I'm going to go over there and push these old guys out of the way and drop some quarters in this thing? Bob's Burgers. Hilarious show. Animated show. Fox television. Some good voice actors.
    21:07
    Funny jokes. Interesting humor. Love it. There is a virtual Bob's Burgers game. What do you think of that? Well, it has like a lot of bugs. It sometimes does not work at all. Would you want to see that virtual game made into a real one with the same layout and everything? Yes. Or would you like to see something like one of these, like a Godzilla layout or something?
    21:27
    I'd like to see some kind of the, like, same layout, just not the figurines, like family guy. I don't like the family guy figurines, like moving around on sticks. They're pretty creepy. So you want something like Toy Story 4, but Bob's Burgers? Yes. Okay. Just not with a weird iPad screen. All right, so take out the iPad screen. What about pop bumpers? Do you like pop bumpers? Yeah. What about ramps? You like ramps? Yeah. All right. Pop-on because it gets you a lot of points. What about an upper play field? Yes. Or to keep it single level, like bluey? No, upper play field. All right. So you like the ball paths. Respect. Fist bump. I also love the ball paths.
    22:08
    All right. So Bob's Burgers, you heard that, pinball community. Get to work. These are the games that the middle schoolers will be saving their lemonade money for, or their TikTok money, or their influencer money, or however the heck 10-year-olds are making money on the internet. I don't want to get into that. Girl Scout cookies, that's how she's going to make it Selling you Girl Scout cookies If you guys want some thin mints If you want some Samoas If you want some tagalongs They're not called Samoas Coconut patties or whatever they're called on the east coast here Anyway, if you want them We will give you a screaming good deal On a pallet full of Girl Scout cookies Holler at DonSpinballPodcast.gmail.com For the details I might even pay you to take the dang things We are stocked up Alright Okay, they're just from the most recent build. They're not from ancient times, but I do have Girl Scout cookies. I might do giveaways of Girl Scout cookies. Just put it in every package. Once you buy something from Don's Pittenball Podcast, we just give you some cookies. You know even if you don buy something from me if I find your address online I might just mail you cookies That kind of concerning To get them out of the house That concerning Well it totes sus as the kids would say but you know on the upside free cookies
    23:20
    Okay, but Thin Mints, they're bussin'. What? I was going to say that they're bussin', Emma. You don't even know what bussin' means. They're bussin' on fleek, I know that. What's fleek? Listen, all right. Let's get to theme number two. Bob's Burgers, I got it. What else?
    23:41
    Bluey, definitely. Oh, dude, I would love a Bluey. Have you guys seen this cartoon? It's for technically children, but there's adult jokes in there. And, you know, it looks wholesome and everything. But, like, if you watch it, like, you can – it's not dirty jokes hidden in there, but there's, like, there's situations that the adults will be like, yeah, that's our family all the time. We're awful. We're not perfect. and this blue dog family from Australia is totally doing the same things we would do. Relatable.
    24:10
    I would love to see Bluey. I'd buy a Bluey LE, even if it didn't come with a shooter rod or topper. What's a LE? Limited Edition, or otherwise known as a way to milk an extra $3,000 out of somebody. You see that Elvira over there? Yeah. That's a premium, but it looks like the Limited Edition. That looks cool. That Rush is a Limited Edition. But I got that Rush back when they were $11,000, not $13,000. They went up? Yeah. So right now, they just redid Jurassic Park. They made a 30th anniversary limited edition, and they're charging $13,000 for it. It has new graphics on the side, an Invisiglass, which is like $250, a shaker motor, mirrored back glass, but you don't get the shooter rod. You don't get the topper. I know one. I know a pinball. I know a... I'm going to go on the LE rant. No, I know a theme for another pinball machine. Yeah, oh, hit me with it. Demon Slayer. Oh, Demon Slayer. Tanjiro.
    25:13
    Tanjiro. Okay, what's Demon Slayer about? This child that went out to go sell coal so they could have money for their family. When they come back, his family is dead. What? And her sister has been turned into a demon, so he went out fighting demons, trying to get to King Lord Muzan to try to turn her back. And then she finally turns back, and she also has this second form. But there's a lot of people who actually like Demon Slayer in my school. So is this Demon Girl, is she the main character?
    25:54
    There's actually four main characters. Oh. Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Nezuko, and Nosekaze. All right, so let me pitch this game to you. So you drop your quarters in, and then it says choose your character. And you get to pick if you want to be Tanjiro or Nezuko or whatever, whatever. And then you pick your character, and when you pick your character, you change the game's layout. No, probably not. But you pick your character. They each have different attributes. It's, you know, some have more multi-balls, some has more of a ball save or whatever. Yeah, kind of like Guardians of the Galaxy. Like, you have to hit this part to get this multi-ball. Yeah, and there's a guy that says, blow, blow, blow, blow, blow, blow, blow, blow.
    26:36
    All right, so, okay, so we got some ramps in there, an upper play field, some pop bumpers, different modes. LCD screen, do you want a screen on it showing clips from the show? Like, that would be nice. I more like to watch the screen on the pinball machine. Mm-hmm. All right, so we got that. What else? Smoke machine? No, we'll skip that. Shaker, motor, knocker. I don't like shaker, motor, or knocker because they're so loud. Oh, I love the knockers because they're loud. The shaker's got to get integration. Like with Godzilla, when the building's falling, you hear that rumble. I like when it shakes. I just don't like when it has a knocker. Oh, okay. All right, well, the knocker can be optional.
    27:21
    Yeah, but, I mean, this could be your game, right? Yeah. And then there's demons to battle, I'm assuming? Yeah. Oh, and is Nezuko the demon? Yeah. So she can change between her human form with that bamboo in her mouth and a demon form, right? No. She's a demon, and she can change into more powerful. Right. She gets a horn, but no, she's not a human. Well, yeah, yeah, I get that. She's like a docile demon and then her true form, right? Yeah. So if you activate her true form, like all the lights can change. Maybe like some UV light, like Stranger Things changes when you're in the upside down. And maybe a horn can grow out of the side of the cabinet.
    28:01
    That's probably not like the best idea. I don't think people know how to make that. Did I just make a cringe?
    28:09
    Why do you say, did I just make a cringe? Was that cringe or based? What is based? Oh, man, Emma, you've got to get caught up on the lingo. All right, is there anything else you'd like to get into on this episode?
    28:21
    I don't know. You? Yes, I would like to shill my own merchandise. Friends, join me around. I've got the Don's Pinball Podcast foil edition, limited edition stickers that just came in hot in my hand. They're the Don's Pinball Podcast logo on prismatic foil print. Man, these are amazing. So I'm going to make an offer. Everybody that has joined the Patreon, I'm going to reach out to them, and I will ship them out for free because these are awesome. I want to send everybody one in an envelope. Anybody else, there's a couple ways to get them. You can email me directly. $5 is what I charge to send out a sticker pack, and I'll put one of these in there. Or just, you know, $5, join the Patreon. Join for a month. Join the free preview, and I'll send them out to you and count that as your expenses have been paid. I'm going to put a picture of these up on the website. What else are we putting up? We're putting up the Venom toppers going up on the Facebook page. Anything else? Join his Patreon Get special videos That is how you shill Oh and we are dropping a whole Spectacular amount of new content On the Patreon now Originally I didn't want to hold things out of the main episodes And put them behind the paywall But I'm still doing that But I'm putting cool stuff behind the paywall So if you want to check it out Things I've already posted More frequent postings of just musings I'm having And maybe just a little bit more of like the personality and not so much like the radio podcasting bit. And maybe things that veer off of pinball a little bit, but are still interesting to me and the listeners. Check it out. $5 a month, man. You cannot go wrong. I appreciate, I appreciate the heck out of everybody that's gone up to my tip jar and said, Hey buddy, I'm going to buy you a sarsaparilla. I'm going to buy you a couple of games of toy story four. I'm going to, you know, let me just take this five bucks and throw it down the sewer. So you don't have to go bother playing galactic tank force, whatever, whatever it is. Right. Oh, Oh yeah. James Bond. What about it? No, Godfather. What about it?
    30:10
    Isn't that one the best one? Oh, yeah. My usual go-to was give me five bucks, I can go play Godfather or something. But that was the new game at the time, so that's what I was doing. All right. We have chewed up 30 minutes of this people's time. We hope we helped with your morning commute. And thank you so much for joining me here in the studio. Did you get parking up front this time of night? I'm only 12 years old. I don't drive. And with that, we are out.
    30:33
    Drop me some emails at donspinballpodcast.gmail.com. Let me know what you think. Let me know what you hate. Give your emotions unto me. Join the Patreon at patreon.com, Don's Pinball Podcast. Also, join the Facebook page and click a follow, man. I'm about to hit 400. I can't believe it. I'm going to put some pictures up there right now, and then I'm going to throw this episode up there, too. See you later, everybody.
    30:55
    Bye. Later.