More Fun with Pinball Trademarks: The Addams Family, "Brick" to the Future & The Office Pins?

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Mar 28, 2023

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.016

TL;DR

Trademark analysis finds Addams Family, Brick to the Future, and Office pins filed but unlikely.

Summary

Knapp Arcade analyzes three recent U.S. trademark filings related to pinball machines: blanket trademarks by the Addams Family Foundation for "Thing" and "Uncle Fester" (potentially tied to Netflix's Wednesday), a "Brick to the Future" LEGO-themed trademark (unlikely, though Back to the Future itself is speculated as possible given the 40th anniversary and Stern's multi-year development cycles), and a Dunder Mifflin (The Office) trademark filing. The author rates all three as unlikely to result in actual machines.

Key Claims

Stern Pinball works on pinball machines years in advance, so a Back to the Future game could be in development ahead of the 40th anniversary in 2025
medium confidence · Author speculates Stern's lead time allows for potential BTTF pin around anniversary milestone
Blanket trademarks like 'Thing' and 'Uncle Fester' are less likely to lead to actual pinball machines than narrow, specific trademarks
medium confidence · Author's stated pattern analysis of trademark strategy vs. production likelihood
Back to the Future pinball 'would sell like hotcakes'
high confidence · Author's assessment of market demand based on community begging for years
The Addams Family trademark filing could pertain to Netflix's Wednesday show rather than classic Addams Family IP
low confidence · Author speculates connection to previous Wednesday trademark filing

Notable Quotes

“Now that all of those new game launches have slowed down a little, we can get back to my frequent and likely meaningless analysis of new Trademarks”
Knapp Arcade (author) — Sets tone of the analysis as speculative and informal despite thorough trademark research
“thousands in the hobby have been begging for for years, Back to the Future”
Knapp Arcade (author) — Confirms strong community demand for Back to the Future pinball IP
“Will we see 'Limitless Paper in a Paperless World (TM)' multiball? I doubt it, but you never know.”
Knapp Arcade (author) — Humorously references The Office show's iconic quote while expressing skepticism about Dunder Mifflin pin

Entities

Tee and Charles Addams FoundationorganizationStern PinballcompanyBack to the FuturegameBrick to the FutureproductWednesdaygameThe OfficegameDunder Mifflinproduct

Signals

?
leak_detection: Three recent trademark filings suggest IP holders are exploring pinball licensing possibilities
medium · Addams Foundation filed 3/15/2023 for 'Thing' and 'Uncle Fester'; separate filings for 'Brick to the Future' and 'Dunder Mifflin'
?
licensing_signal: Addams Family Foundation trademark could indicate broader pinball licensing strategy related to Netflix's Wednesday or classic IP
low · Author speculates connection to Wednesday show; blanket 'Thing' and 'Uncle Fester' trademarks suggest exploratory rather than committed licensing
?
rumor_hype: Back to the Future pinball speculated as possible Stern project in development ahead of 40th anniversary (2025)
low · Author notes Stern works years in advance and suggests BTTF could align with anniversary timing; no official confirmation

Topics

Trademark filings and IP licensing strategyprimaryUpcoming/potential pinball game announcementsprimaryCommunity demand for specific IP (Back to the Future)secondaryManufacturer development cycles and lead timessecondary

Sentiment

neutral(0.5)— Author maintains skeptical, humorous tone throughout while presenting trademark data factually. Uses phrases like 'likely meaningless' and 'probably never get made' to temper expectations while acknowledging licensing possibilities.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

It's time for everybody's favorite game...Fun with Pinball Trademarks! Now that all of those new game launches have slowed down a little, we can get back to my frequent and likely meaningless analysis of new Trademarks for pinball machines that have been filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I have a couple for everyone today. None of them are likely, so I'll put them in order from "Unlikely" to "No way that happens." First off, we have two recent filings (3/15/2023) by the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation non-profit corporation for somewhat blanket trademarks for "THING" and "Uncle Fester" that include "pinball machines" and "Pinball-type" games. I always find very narrow trademarks, like the one I talked about for The Twilight Zone in a previous article, to be much more likely to lead to the production of an actual physical pinball machine than blanket statements like this, but you never know. Maybe this pertains to the previous trademark that we saw filed for the Netflix show "Wednesday?" Or maybe it's nothing. Next up we have a potential pinball machine that thousands in the hobby have been begging for for years, Back to the Future. Unfortunately, this trademark isn't exactly for "Back" to the future...it's for "Brick" to the Future, the Lego spin on the movie. Is a Lego version of Back to the Future getting made? Probably not, but...the 40th Anniversary of the 1985 movie Back to the Future isn't that far away. Stern pinball admittedly works on pinball machines years in advance, so maybe we'll see a legit movie-based Back to the Future pin from them? It certainly would sell like hotcakes. Last but not least we have a pinball Trademark filing for something related to the famous television sitcom, The Office, which ran from 2005 through 2013. Specifically, the trademark is for a pinball machine related to "Dunder Mifflin," the fictional paper company that everyone in the television show worked for. Will we see "Limitless Paper in a Paperless World (TM)" multiball? I doubt it, but you never know. That's all for this edition of fun with pinball trademarks. Tune in next time for more games that will probably never be made...and possibly a real gem or two.