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The Pinball Industry Awards LIVE

The Pinball Network·video·1h 43m·analyzed·Jan 29, 2021
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.030

TL;DR

2020 Pinball Industry Awards ceremony celebrates pandemic-era pinball releases with GNR leading multiple categories.

Summary

The Pinball Industry Awards 2020 ceremony celebrates pinball games, creators, and media personalities released during the pandemic year. Hosted by Greg Bone and Jack Menny, the event features Game Awards (voted by media judges), Excellence Awards (voted internally by TPN), and Hall of Fame selections. Guns N' Roses (Jersey Jack Pinball) emerges as a major winner, claiming multiple awards including Best Theme Integration, Best Animation Display and Effects, and recognition in multiple art categories.

Key Claims

  • Eight new games were released from six different manufacturers in 2020 despite the global pandemic

    high confidence · Jack Menny states this directly during opening remarks about 2020 pinball industry output

  • Guns N' Roses features 20+ studio recordings from the band

    high confidence · Hosts explicitly note '20 studio recordings' and 'Studio recordings over 20' when discussing GNR's theme integration

  • Jeremy Packard (Zombie Yeti) from Stern Pinball won multiple art awards for TMNT

    high confidence · Hosts confirm Zombie Yeti had two nominees in top three for cabinet/backglass art, and he won both Best Cabinet and Back Glass Art and Best Playfield Art categories

  • Rick and Morty was nominated for Best Theme Integration, Best Animation Display and Effects, and Best Call-outs

    high confidence · Rick and Morty appears in multiple nomination lists throughout the ceremony

  • Stranger Things was controversial/polarizing but gained support through code updates

    medium confidence · Jack Menny notes Stranger Things was 'hated, loved, hated, loved code update, more love' suggesting divisive reception that improved

  • The award trophy is a crystal manufactured by Trophy Depot

    high confidence · Hosts repeatedly display and reference 'the crystal' as the physical award, crediting Trophy Depot as sponsor

  • Spooky Pinball won their first Pinball Industry Award for Best Call-outs with Rick and Morty

    high confidence · Hosts explicitly state 'Is this one of Spooky Pinball's first awards? This is the first one. Congratulations, guys.'

  • JP (animation creator for Jersey Jack) is becoming a dominant figure in pinball animation comparable to Zombie Yeti

    medium confidence · Hosts note 'JP is rapidly becoming the zombie yeti of animation' and 'He's the animation god' after his GNR animation win

Notable Quotes

  • “2020, you suck. 2020 blew, man. It did. It blew.”

    Greg Bone @ Opening remarks — Sets the tone for the ceremony, acknowledging pandemic hardships while celebrating industry resilience

  • “It's literally a concert in a box. It is. I don't think anyone didn't see that coming.”

    Jack Menny @ Best Theme Integration award — Describes the consensus view of Guns N' Roses' dominant theme integration appeal

  • “JP is rapidly becoming the zombie yeti of animation... He's the animation god. It's going to be hard to knock him off. It is. It's going to be hard to knock him off.”

    Greg Bone / Jack Menny @ Best Animation Display and Effects discussion — Establishes JP as emerging dominant force in pinball animation, parallel to Zombie Yeti's art dominance

  • “I like turtles... I like tattles. Give me one more for good humor. I like tattles.”

    Announcer / Hosts @ TMNT art awards — Humorous callback to TMNT references, lightening the tone while celebrating the game

  • “It doesn't matter if you're designing pinball machines. It doesn't matter if you're just flipping around in your basement or with buddies at a barcade. We're all part of a community.”

    Jack Menny @ Opening gratitude remarks — States the inclusive core philosophy of the Pinball Network and community values

  • “Without that, we don't get as hype. We just get products upon products.”

    Jack Menny @ Opening thanks to content providers — Articulates the importance of content creators in generating community enthusiasm beyond just product releases

  • “This is the first one. Congratulations, guys.”

    Jack Menny @ Best Call-outs award for Spooky Pinball — First Pinball Industry Award win for Spooky Pinball marks a significant milestone for the boutique manufacturer

  • “The coolest freaking feature for pinball in 2020... we've seen stuff in that video that the slow-mo guys did that's now reached a million views on YouTube that we didn't know pinball did”

Entities

Greg BonepersonJack MennypersonJeremy PackardpersonJPpersonEmoto HardingpersonSlow Mo GuyspersonDane Henry Jr.personMark SilkpersonStern Pinballcompany

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Spooky Pinball's first Pinball Industry Award win signals growing recognition of boutique manufacturer

    high · Hosts explicitly confirm 'Is this one of Spooky Pinball's first awards? This is the first one'

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinball Network positioning as inclusive community organization valuing all player levels and participation

    high · Jack Menny's opening philosophy: 'doesn't matter about gender, identity, sexual or nothing. everybody is part of this community'

  • ?

    event_signal: Pinball Network establishes formal awards structure with media judges, internal voting, and Hall of Fame

    high · Three-part award structure: Game Awards (media-judged), Excellence Awards (TPN internal), Hall of Fame (community-voted)

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Guns N' Roses emerging as dominant force across multiple award categories (theme, animation, art)

    high · GNR wins Best Theme Integration, Best Animation Display and Effects, and is finalist in multiple art categories

  • ?

    event_signal: Pinball Industry Awards 2020 ceremony held celebrating pandemic-era releases

    high · Full formal awards ceremony with structured categories, media judges, and live presentation

  • ?

    community_signal: JP emerging as animation dominant figure at Jersey Jack Pinball, compared to Zombie Yeti's art dominance

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.310

0:00
Thank you. The Pinball Industry Awards is sponsored by Flippin' Out Pinball and Trophy Depot. Tonight, we celebrate the pinball accomplishments of 2020. The Pinball Network presents an SDTM Studio Production.
1:06
Welcome to the Pinball Industry Awards. Please welcome the original Pinball Award host, Greg Bone and Jack Menny.
1:19
Thank you, Mr. Nelson. Wait a minute, Greg. Welcome to this grand auditorium. Look at the red velvet. Hello. I smell, it's like a weird season. I can smell it, I can taste it, I can feel it. It's just coiled up. It couldn't be back, my friend. This isn't back. It feels right. It feels hungry. You know what didn't feel right?
1:42
2020, you suck. 2020 blew, man. It did. It blew. We had a global pandemic that hit the entire world, shut down a lot of pinball stuff. It just sucked. It really sucked. It affected a lot of people. We had Papa closed. Man, 2020 sucked. I think it left a lot of people guessing whether we were going to make it through, whether pinball was going to be resilient enough to make it through 2020.
2:06

The media judging panel consisted of over 40 people for the game awards

high confidence · Jack Menny states 'we had some pretty high-profile individuals, over 40 people, I think about 40 people' for media judges

  • Pinball helped the community survive 2020 lockdowns and pandemic impacts

    medium confidence · Jack Menny's opening statement emphasizes pinball as emotional support: 'pinball kind of got me through it. It really kind of got me through these times. It got a lot of people through'

    • Jack Menny @ Discussion of Slow Mo Guys videography award — Highlights how innovative videography revealed physics aspects of pinball previously unknown to engineers

    Jersey Jack Pinball
    company
    Spooky Pinballcompany
    American Pinballcompany
    Multimorphiccompany
    Guns N' Rosesgame
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesgame
    Avengers Infinity Questgame
    Rick and Mortygame
    Stranger Thingsgame
    Hot Wheelsgame
    Heistgame
    Pinball Networkorganization
    Trophy Depotcompany
    Flippin' Out Pinballcompany

    medium · Hosts explicitly compare JP to Zombie Yeti and note he's 'rapidly becoming' animation god; won animation award

  • ?

    community_signal: Jeremy Packard (Zombie Yeti) establishing himself as dominant figure in Stern Pinball art department

    high · Won two major art awards for TMNT; hosts note he had two of top three nominees in cabinet/backglass category

  • ?

    product_strategy: Multiple games designed in distinct trim levels (Pro/LE) with different feature sets and cosmetics

    medium · For GNR theme integration, hosts note 'C and L-E were the ones that got that nod' suggesting tier-specific features

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Stranger Things transitioning from polarizing to positive reception through code updates

    medium · Host describes as 'hated, loved, hated, loved code update, more love' indicating improvement over time

  • ?

    technology_signal: Slow-motion videography revealing previously unknown physics in pinball mechanics to engineers and community

    high · Hosts emphasize Slow Mo Guys video reached million views and revealed physics 'we didn't know pinball did'

    • And I think I can speak for you and many of you out there when I say that 2020 sucked, and pinball kind of got me through it. It really kind of got me through these times. It got a lot of people through. You know, when you're stuck at home, you're quarantined. You know, what else are you going to do? You have to be quarantined. Play some pinball. Haven't we all already? How many beers are you in? But, you know, pinball was a force to be reckoned with this year. They released eight new games from six different manufacturers. Six! Six different manufacturers in a pandemic. Do they still make pinball machines? Well, they are. Yes, it is. They're still making them. And that's what brings us here tonight, is we're here to celebrate those creators, those media providers, and of all things, the history of pinball. Oh, like an old sage. The history of pinball. It's like the yearly awards we're celebrating in the industry. I love, let me note this, I love that Greg Bone's back, Zach Minney's back, and our right-hand woman is back announcing for us. We love you. I do love you. It feels right. It does feel right. Here's how we're going to break down the 2020 Pinball Industry Awards. It gets a little confusing, but basically three parts. Bam, bam, bam. First part, Game Awards. We're going to give away your main categories that you've heard Greg and I talk about before, Best layout, best art, etc., etc. Those were voted on by pre-vetted panel of media judges. And we had some pretty, look at the website, we had some pretty stellar media judges there. Then, part number two is the Excellence Awards. Are you most excellent? I am. Yeah. What is the Excellence Awards? Let's see if Greg did his homework. Content providers. Look at you. Media personalities. Writers. Well, yeah. So we have all of those content creators, and that was voted upon internally by TPN as a show of gratitude and acknowledgement and thanks. Then, old Sagey, we've got our pinball machine hall of fame. That was voted on by these beautiful people. It's one of my favorite parts. Yeah. They were voted on by you guys. Basically, from electromechanical all the way up to the 2010s, each era, you guys got to pick your favorite pinball machine. So we're going to reveal those tonight. You think Lord of the Rings is going to? If Lord of the Rings didn't make it, it's a failure. What else was made in the pinball? Since the pinball party. Will we see a wardrobe malfunction this year, boys? Maybe. Maybe there's a little.
    4:37
    I hope not. Well, okay, so we hope that doesn't happen. But there is something that we can show on camera. What can we show on camera?
    4:50
    I want to see the hardware. I'll show you my hardware. What do you mean hardware? The crystal. Oh. The PIA crystal. And not the name crystal, but the trophy crystal. I've got it in my right hand. Feel it? Okay. So we're going to be giving away not just a trophy. This is going to be the trophy for pinball. You guys are going to want to win this because you're going to be sitting on your mantel. It's going to be sitting on your desk. It's beautiful. It's wonderful. It's big. It's huge.
    5:19
    I'm going to show you this. But first, I got some shit, Greg. We created the Pinball Industry Awards after creating the Pinball Network, and people said, this is easy as doing an award to give yourselves an award. Who in the hell would give themselves an award? Come on. Me! You guys want to make fun of me? I did. I made my own award up. But I'm going to show that to you now just to showcase the beauty that is the crystal. That's what we're going to call it, the crystal. I like it. In partnership with Trophy Depot. They helped sponsor this whole ceremony. the Thank You Trophy Depot. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, damn, this thing is heavy and pretty, the Pinball Industry Awards, also known as the Crystal. Look at that. Ooh, beautiful. It's huge. It's plingy. Ah! This thing, oh.
    6:07
    See? Look, I gave it to myself. Ah. 2020 Best Shield. Bye, bye, bye. This award, Greg, you'd love one of these, wouldn't you? I could. It's kind of like us. It's beautiful. Well, it's elegant and a little sharp around the edges.
    6:22
    I thought you were going to go edgy, edgy. Looking sharp, guys. Oh, thank you. It's definitely an award for you. That's right. Thank you, Mr. Mouserly. Okay, so before we begin this whole shindig, I want to do a couple of thanks. I want to thank personally the Pinball Network for helping, for envisioning the idea that you and I and a couple of other people had about coming together as a community and supporting pinball. doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter about gender. It doesn't matter about identity. It doesn't matter about sexual or nothing. It doesn't matter because everybody is part of this community. I want to thank TPN for standing beside us through that. So thank you. Thank you so much. I also want to appreciate and show acknowledgement to the pinball creators, those manufacturers that continue making this because let's face it, Greg, if they don't make this stuff, if they don't make pinball, what are we down here doing? We're trading sports cards, Magic the Gathering. Would you do Dungeons and Dragons? I would. Would you really? I would. Okay. We'll do that. We'll have an awards for that, too. The content providers. I want to thank you guys for providing content. Without that, we don't get as hype. We just get products upon products. That helps us out a lot. The Pinball Industry Awards Governance Committee. A lot of tough decisions being made there to make everything fair and everything represented well. So thank you to those individuals. The Media Judging Panel. Those who voted for these main game awards, not an easy task. And we had some pretty high-profile individuals, over 40 people, I think about 40 people that did that. Oh, you were one of them. You were one of them. I also want to thank, most importantly really, I want to thank you for watching, for supporting, for continuing to be enthusiastic about the thing that we all love so very much. So it doesn't matter if you're designing pinball machines. It doesn't matter if you're just flipping around in your basement or with buddies at a barcade. We're all part of a community. It's a bit sappy, but it's so true. That's why these idiots up here are standing in front of a green screen acknowledging the excellence this year. In closing, I just want to say one thing, and I think it should come as no surprise. Just be well to one another. For 2021, be well to one another. How about be excellent? Most excellent. So, I don't understand what we're standing around here for. I enjoyed your heartfelt speech. It was beautiful. But I think we should kick this shit. Wait, where's Frank's mom? She's around here somewhere.
    8:57
    All right, let's take it over to the main nominee so you can see who's trying to win an award this year. Ready, set, go.
    9:12
    The 2020 game nominees are... Avengers Infinity Quest by Stern Pinball. Are you ready for a war? Help! Fly Haggis symbol! Come on!
    10:12
    You can take our lives, but you can't take our pinball! Guns N' Roses by Jersey Jack Pindle. The next chart-topping hit. And the greatest rock and roll experience under glass. Witness the birth of a new classic and become the rock star you were born to be. Rock out to 21 full-length Guns N' Roses favorites on a playfield paradise locked and loaded with creatures.
    10:54
    Claim a front row seat to mind-blowing custom light shows. And live the tour on a full 27-inch high-definition back glass display.
    11:08
    Hides by Multimortem. Hot Wheels by American Pinball Start your engines Passes on the outside You've got another position
    12:29
    Rick and Morty by Spooky Pinball. You got to get to the scoop, Morty. Oh, wait. There's a lot of these things. Shoot the ramp so we can go on another adventure. Morty, hit the ramp on the left side.
    12:53
    Head to the garage and we'll go to another dimension. I'm having multiple jackpots. You've got to kill these parasites, Morty. Break that spinner, Morty. How many quarters? I don't know yet, Morty. I'm sure you can adjust that. You can even put it on free play mode if you bought one yourself, but what are the odds of that happening?
    13:17
    Stranger Things by Stern Pinball. Thank you. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle by Stern Pinball. You weren't joking, Greg. There were a lot of games made this year. I own a lot of them as I'm looking around in this auditorium. They're in the auditorium, sorry. A lot of games. So we have a lot of storylines. I wonder what's going to happen in these awards. Right? It almost feels like we got the big JJP versus the big Stern in a lot of ways. Well, because you had some big stuff come out. You had Ninja Turtles. You had Avengers. Avengers? That's like a tag team up against Guns N' Roses. But then coming out of nowhere was the much anticipated and the well-deserving Guns N' Roses from JJP. It lived, but it is not dying. No. Not dying at all. I wonder if the, I call these underdogs. Kelts. Oh. There's no sense. That's an underdog. I like Elts. Hot Wheels almost feels a bit underdog-ish. It is. Right. Because a lot of people have said good things about it that don't. What about Heist? Multimorphic's best game to date. Easily. A winner. Do you think any of them will steal a trophy? I don't know. It's going to be hard to beat Guns N' Roses, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Avengers. That's going to be tough. And my most beloved Stern game this year is not Avengers. I love turtles but it's not turtles I wonder if my baby the underdog stranger things is going to take home some hardware now that is most certainly an underdog hated, loved, hated, loved code update, more love blah blah blah, get on with it see I like her, I like that she's edgy now, before she was very formal and she just presented the awards thank you, but I do agree with her Okay, let's kick it over to our first award of the night, and that is Best Theme Integration. Very important to us. Yeah, why not jump right into it by going into the Best Theme Integration. Here are your 2020 Pinball Industry Awards top nominees for Best Theme Integration.
    16:52
    Guns N' Roses. Rick and Morty. When you're talking about adventures. Stranger Things. Ooh, Greg, Best Theme Integration. There's my Stranger Things love. It's in there. Those were the top three vote-getters for Best Theme Integration. We had Guns N' Roses, Rick and Morty, and Stranger Things. I think Stranger Things actually encompasses that theme very well. I do have certain portions, not all of it. But I do in portions. I understand. Rick and Morty really does. Rick and Morty. I mean, you get all those assets like that. The animation. How do you deny GNR? No. It's a concert in a box, people. Concert in a box. So, we've got the envelope right here, Greg.
    17:41
    For best theme integration. Who's going to win? Drum roll, please. No. I'm too nervous. No. Because I don't know. I got a feeling. the 2020 Pinball Industry Awards crystal for best theme integration goes to... Oh!
    18:03
    Guns N' Roses. Congratulations to Jack Pinball. It's like you said, like, man. It is literally a concert in a box. It is. I don't think anyone didn't see that coming. And especially when you turn that thing on and you're sitting in front of it and the song starts, it takes you away. But it's not just the music. You can take music, obviously, that's going to throw you into the theme, but when you have a stage, when you have roving lights, when you have guitar necks that lock balls, when you have physical drumsticks that a ball rolls down. I'm a fan. I like the spinner. A spinning slasher. The picks. How do you get any better? No. Studio recordings over 20. Yes. 20 studio recordings. Concert accents. And on this in particular one, so the vote getters were also able to specify, Greg, if there was a difference between trim levels, which one? So for theme integration, the C and the L-E were the ones that got that nod. Very nice. Jersey Jack pinball. Congratulations. There's your first one of the night. You think they'll win anymore? I think it's a high probability.
    19:14
    All right, let's go to our next one. Our next one is something that, theme integration is one thing, right? You feel like you're a part of it. But, Dan, when you walk into that game room, you've got to like what you're looking at. Because that machine with no power is going to just look boring unless you have artwork. Beautiful artwork. Artwork that stands out. So we're going to kick it over. Now, on the Pinball Industry Awards, we separate categories of art. Yes. We're going to first start with art on the cabinet and the back glass. Yes. Then we'll transition over to play field. So your top three nominees for Best Art, Cabinet and Backglass are... Best Cabinet and Backglass Art.
    19:58
    Avengers Infinity Quest. Guns and Roses. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Zach, true works of art right there. Especially when Jeremy Packer, a.k.a. Zombie Yeti from Stern Pinball, had two in the top three. Two. Two categories. What a show. He's a winner already. He is. And Guns N' Roses. Oh, beautiful. You like the LE that showcases a lot of artists that have done poster gigs and concert gig posters for Guns N' Roses. It's beautiful. I like the CE myself. So let's get with it. Oh, who's going to win? Your Pinball Industry Award winner for Best Cabinet and Back Glass is... I think I know where this is going. Oh, no other than your man, Jeremy Packard. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Oh, buddy. There's been a lot of votes for Avengers as well. And I still give the nod. I think the media is right here. I give the nod to Turtles. I agree. I think that it was a hair better with the composition of it. The coloring of it was wonderful. You don't like it. I'm not coloring with it. You're like Bob Ross over here. You're a hacker over there. I know. Was it too red? It wasn't too red. Your color composition was fantastic, my friend. I love it. Congratulations to that. Speaking of art, let's go. There's some emphasis on play field art. Let's look at who the media thought had the most exceptional playfield art with your top three voters.
    21:46
    Best Playfield Art. Avengers Infinity Quest. Guns and Roses. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Zach. Did you not see those three coming? Yeah, it's the same ones. For good reason. You've got Avengers, you've got Turtles, you've got GNR. First-timer, Dane Henry Jr. in GNR on that play. Making a strong appearance into the community. The actual skull in the body. Oh, it's a little edgy but elegant. It serves its purpose. He did some rat rod feel to it, too. I like it. I like it a lot. So who's going to win this thing? Is Jeremy Packer bringing home another one? This year's Pinball Industry Award winner for Best Playfield Art goes to... Who is it? Didn't see this one coming either. Absolutely. Jeremy Packer. Nicely done, Yeti Man. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Oh, he's bringing home two of those. Two. Two of those. I like turtles. I love her. Wait, say it to me one more time. I like tattles.
    23:14
    Give me one more for good humor. I like tattles. I just love her. She is freaking wonderful. Now, you guys see the beautiful, beautiful pictures of all the play field art. Yes. And they got to photograph well. They do. And there's only one way to do that. It takes an excellent photographer. So I think we transition now over to our first excellence nomination, our first excellence recipient. We're going to showcase what the TPN thought were just some highlights in pinball photography. The Pinball Industry Excellence Awards Showcasing exceptional pinball media creation Excellence in photography Just pinball
    24:25
    Orange Photography Pinball photos. All right, Greg, bonus time to award the crystal to a photographer or two or three. Now remember on the Excellence Awards Greg there are no winners per se right We already congratulated and acknowledged those top three right there were the ones that the pinball network really identified as standing above the rest This could have zero in it, one in it, two in it, three in it. How many crystals are we giving away? It could be anything. There's no limit. Okay. Man, Gene X. Wang with the orange photography. He was at InDisc this year. Pinball photos. The beautiful color saturation. and they did the GNR shoot.
    26:16
    Just pinball. Just pinball up in New York. Christian Larson, he's got an edge, a grit to his artwork. Sort of. The crystal. Let's see who all it goes to. One. One crystal. For excellence in pinball photography, pinball photos. Pinball photos. Nice job. Congratulations.
    26:36
    Have you ever seen those canvases? I need to get those. Those are beautiful. So underrated. I really like those. Is it canvases or can-vi?
    26:46
    We're going to go with canvases. Let's shift it over to get another crystal away. This time it's going to be for Best Animation Display and Effects. Is that what it is? Best Animation... You made me. And your nominees are... Best Animation Display and Effects.
    27:07
    Guns and Roses. You wanted the best? Well, they couldn't make it. From Hollywood, Guns and Roses! Welcome to the jungle.
    27:29
    Now it's getting fun. Rick and Morty. And away we go. Don't panic. The immortality field goes on. Cheating death. Oh, man, yeah. You got to get to the scoop, Morty. Oh, wait. There's a lot of these things. Shoot the ramp so we can go on another adventure. Morty, hit the ramp on the left side. Head to the garage and we'll go to another dimension.
    28:15
    I'm having multiple jackpots. Get on the floor. Time to get you ready. Stranger Things. Mystery is lit.
    28:31
    Mystery Award. I think those nominees make sense to me. How do they not? I like that they're represented from three different manufacturers. Yeah, I like to see a Spooky in there. Spooky Pinball. Very well-ordered. How is they not? Yeah. All of that animation, that beautiful, wonderful animation. The assets. The plumbus. Oh, everything they got. Same thing with GNR, all the assets. That's JP the Wind. Oh, yes. Well, that's the thing, too, is he created a lot. It's not just assets from Guns N' Roses. No. It's not just assets from the concert. No, Rock, JP, the snakes. Yeah. You've got the tanks. Yep. We're going to give you the best. You've got Stranger Things. Beautiful. Oh, my Stranger Things. Great clips. You don't see Avengers or Turtles in there now, do you? No, because you have Demogorgon.
    29:44
    Demogorgon. They had a lot of good animation. Chuck Hurst and the team over at Stern Pinball, they know what they're doing in animation. Have you seen that team now? Yeah. It is multiplied like rabbits over there. So the crystal for best animation display and effects goes to, surprise, surprise, Gun V. Rosen, Sturdy Jack Pinball. How about that? JP the Go-In. Yeah. That's our line. With our man. Thank you. But yeah, congratulations, JP. Where have you been here? I think that JP is rapidly becoming the zombie yeti of animation. I like that analogy. Yeah. He's the animation god. He is. I really like that. We're going to see him for years and years to come, I believe. Conquering the LCD screen.
    30:28
    He's kind of like the Patriots. It's going to be hard to knock him off. It is. It's going to be hard to knock him off. The next category that we're going to cover, we're going to show recognition to excellence in pinball videography. A category near and dear to us. We know something about that. We love videography and getting behind a camera. Yeah. So a lot of good recipients and nominations to this particular award. And let's kick it over to see who all TPN has acknowledged as really being the upper echelon of pinball creators doing videography.
    31:02
    Excellence in Videography So what I'm hearing is that the consensus says that if you are a Guns N' Roses fan, then you're going to love this game. If you're not a fan, then it's up to personal preference. No sh- Hey, buddy!
    32:01
    What? Oh! Much better. I'm just listening to this new song. Pretty sure that song is over 20 years old now. I doubt it.
    32:17
    You know, it's not worth it. Uh, look. Emoto Arcade All right, I am in Columbia, South Carolina, and we are in Five Points to check out Funky Freshers' brand new pinball lounge right here, ladies and gentlemen. Check it out. Bang Back Pinball Lounge. Oh, it looks so awesome. Oh, come on in. Welcome to Bang Back.
    33:32
    So, the first competitor to shoot three balls into the pizza bowl is the pizza ball. parlor will activate Ninja Pizza Multiball and Winning Challenge. You know how I'm at my wedding. Straight down the middle. Do you remember the song, I want to lick, lick, lick, lick it like a lollipop? Oh. Do you remember that song? Lick it like a lollipop. Yeah. I stripped Greg Bones. My wife. Greg Bones. I had my wife. It was sort of like, it wasn't our dance. Lick it like a lollipop. Yeah.
    34:32
    I loved it. And that meant a lot. Did your mom love it? I can't remember. Last time I was over at her house, there was a bunch of f***ing stranger things going on. Oh, boy. I'll tell you, one move that she did looked like a f***ing demogorgon. Yeah, it's got an almost improvisational tone. Welcome back to Straight Down the Middle of Pinball Show. I'm Zach and we are here for another pinball unboxing. This time... The Slow Mo Guys! Welcome to the Slow Mo Guys video, all about how a pinball machine works. ...hits the switch which activates the vertical up kicker in the ball cross, firing the ball straight up into the shooter, where it will roll down and is ready to be plunged by the plunger. on a full plunge the ball will go right around the top straight into the pop bumpers this was the part of the machine i was most excited to see just because the ball so quickly bounces back and forth between these multiple times per second this is the slingshot slightly above the lower flip as you'll notice two leaf switches that either side of this kicker also powered by a solenoid inside. When the ball approaches from either side of that thing, it will complete the circuit, causing the ball to be kicked out. Without a ball, the flippers decelerate so fast that it ripples the rubber away from the plastic. This all occurs in around 0.1 of a second, so incredibly difficult to see with the naked eye. First, I thought something was wrong until I noticed this behavior on every single flipper, even the upper one here. Such force that the rubber completely comes away. Tilt! You won't always try to catch the ball, will you? No, not always. Like right there. Sometimes you've got to let it drain because it's fun.
    37:18
    For 20 years, I hardly played any pinball. And then one day, someone just out of the blue mentioned that they saw one at Half Pints.
    37:48
    When I walked in and saw that there was a Ghostbusters pinball machine, I was immediately 15-ing. It got me back into pinball, got me excited about flipping, and got me playing tournaments. TMP Amusements. Another eco weapon, my God. And another Rescue 911. Because everybody's tired of hearing, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh. This is a good game. For your dumpster. This is a nice game. Oh, God, this is broken. If it's such a nice game, why do we get so many of them? Broken. Look, the motor doesn't work. The motor doesn't work. Now, now, there. Now, it's fixed.
    38:39
    There. So you wrap this around, and then it'll... Oh, it didn't spin well. Why did you do that? Because I can do it. Yeah, that's true. You do it on this dump. I'm going to put a brand new blue. All right. You forgot to show this other piece of crap over here. No, I'm not going to show that. I don't want to. That'll be in the next video. Does the chopper work? I don't know. It better.
    39:08
    Got a diamond plate play field. Say look. all right all right time to sing this song this is the okay there you got your song see the holes okay this is the middle level roller games Don't do that We did it We got nominated Thank you TPN There were some strong contenders Very strong contenders I watch all of them I appreciate and respect all of them Because like you said This is something we are accustomed to We know the hard work So again congratulations to everyone In that category But I'm thinking Todd Tucky. Only be one, two, three, or four, five excellent award winners. I had to buy these things. I didn't get more than five of them. So, maybe there's nothing in there. I don't know. Pinball Industry Award. Crystal recipient for achievement in videography. Who's getting it? Goes to... Who's getting it?
    40:27
    Oh, boy. Oh, wait. We've got two of them in there. We have two winners. Okay, nice. Two winners. All right. First excellent award goes to Emoto Harding. Absolutely. Oh, congratulations, girl. Emoto Arcade. That woman has been working her tail out. Yes. Doing stirring stuff, doing Emoto Arcade stuff. She's phenomenal. She's the compliment professional. And not to be overshadowed by Emoto's awesome present. Oh, we're going to slow this down a little bit. The Crystal Rose tubes.
    41:08
    Oh, my God. Nice. Oh, my God. Was that not great? The coolest freaking feature for pinball in 2020. So damn cool. Yes, the technology, like just the shot to finally capture pinball with the slow-mo, because this is phenomenal. Yeah, we've seen stuff in that video. this is a push that I would take we've seen stuff in that video that the slow-mo guys did that's now reached a million views on YouTube that we didn't know pinball did I think even the engineers that work on these games didn't realize the physics of what happens with everything was tremendous that's a really big piece so greatly rewarded those two individuals I wanted to show we forgot to show it on the pinball photos thing but this is what the Oh, that's pretty. That is gorgeous. Look at that. This is what your excellence awards look like. Let's see if I can. Look at that. Another crystal. Yes. Wow. That is gorgeous. That's a nice one. She's happy, too. Oh, she's always. She's a happy one. All right. So, nicely done, Emoto. Let's go over to, what do you want to do? I want to do a little shout out. Shout out. Call outs. Let's transition over to the best call outs for 2021, too. Rick and Morty's got to be in there, right? I hope so Best call out Oh, that's a good shit You wanted the best? Well, they couldn't make it Guns and roses Rick and Morty You got this, Morty, you little piece of shit Can't sugarcoat it That was super f***ing lame Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Now, Zach, I think that this is something, it's a category that people often overlook. That we've spoke on before has great importance to pull you into a game. I completely agree with that. We had the nominees you guys seen. All good contenders there. Rick and Morty, come on. How do you compete against Rick and Morty? You can compete a little bit with Guns N' Roses having the band members. When you have Flash and Melissa and Duff and everybody from the band actually doing call-outs. Or you take something like Turtles, which was amazing, which they selected one of the most outstanding voice actors, Mark Silk, which is nice. I always love, again, I've spoken about this before, I love that they pulled a pinball, a true pinball enthusiast took his career and he was able to build and put that into a pinball machine. I can't argue. So, no. So, congratulations to all those nominees. I like the individual. I think it was like a production team there that did Crane. Oh, Crane. I love that one. So, the crystal for best call-outs goes to... Best call-outs should go to me for adding a little class to this shit show. Oh, sorry. It's an industry shit show. She's not wrong. Thank you, Miss Announcer Lady. It's been a hell of a night. She's a witty.
    44:18
    Funnier than we are. All right, the crystal goes to... Congratulations, Spooky Pinball, Rick and Mike. Undeniable. Best fallout. And is that... Is this one of Spooky Pinball's first awards? This is the first one. Congratulations, guys. Nice. That's awfully done. First Pinball in the street award. Someone's getting a Swifty turn. And yes, you're correct. Somebody is about to get Swifty up in this mofo tonight. Celebration Back at my house I love Really? You ain't having anybody over No You're drinking here You're having beers down there I'm sleeping over at your house Yeah I'll snuggle Or the auditorium Sorry To have a party We're going to have to have Lights We're going to have to have food We're going to have to have A lot of those But we're going to have to have good music Oh Good music So right now I'd like to transition over To the top nominees for best music.
    45:17
    Best music. Guns and Roses. Rick and Morty. One ramp left. All right, great. We're about to jam out to some best music. Now, in this one, you guys think there was only two. Two. Only two contenders. The media voters.
    45:54
    Only two. I thought there was two that were worthy. Speaking of tight music, the crystal for best music goes to, oh, man. Take me down to the Paradise City.
    46:09
    Yes. Johnson, Rose, and Jersey Jack Pimbo, another crystal they're taking home for that show. Yes. J.J.P. Rack and I'm up. Man.
    46:18
    Cleaning house indeed. That is fantastic. Let's stick to sounds. Yeah. Right. We've got music. What about sound effects? Hey. That's important. Spinner rips. Oh, dude. Spinner rips are very important. Yes. Exactly. Sound effects. Let's showcase the top nominees for best sound effects. Boing, oing, oing, oing.
    46:45
    Best sound effects. Guns and Roses. Rick and Morty. Stranger Things. Kill it. Oh, there's some contenders. I like that. Like Rick and Morty. How can you not get over that? That was terrible. You're not going to hear a plummet anywhere else. No, but even Stranger Things in there. I know. There's some great sound effects in there. Look at Stranger Things showing up here. Callouts are okay in Stranger Things. This isn't Callouts, Greg. I know, but I'm just saying the sound effects overshadow it on that. I like GNR. You hit the spinner and it goes through music. No, it doesn't. You hit the... Oh, man. This year's Crystal Award winner for best pinball sound effects goes to no other than Rick and Morty. That's two of them. That's two. Pookie Pinball with zero points.
    47:50
    Even Jerry couldn't mess up that win. Jerry. That's awesome. She's a fan. What do you think about Rick and Morty? Oh, man. Took it home two crystals. Yes. Congratulations. That pin deserves it, though, man. I think everybody, when it was announced, knew that that was going to be a contender. How could it not be? And our next category, it has come nothing short of being controversial, I think, in 2020. Best pinball troll.
    48:22
    Thank you. You're talking about multiple excellent award winners in that category. No. Best pinball troll streamer? It's pinball accessory. Toppers Lighting kits How about that Like I said Don't say that it hasn't been controversial in 2020 Oh man it hasn't You should have paid for it Greg you're my favorite accessory Thank you So let's take a look at these Controversial nominees Best Accessories Accessories.
    49:00
    Medieval Magnus XL display and upgraded sound system. Medieval Magnus RGB lighting system. Stranger Things interactive UV lighting system.
    49:15
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Technodrome Topper. Greg Bone, that's a lot of cool accessories. Bye-bye-bye. The self-prescribed topper king. Oh, that's right. That category had to melt your heart. There was only one topper in there, though. Yeah. The Technodrome. That's a cool topper. It is a really... Honestly, it's probably one of my favorite Stern toppers. I'm surprised no virus topper wasn't in there. I really like the virus topper. I do, but I think the Technodrome was a little better. And then you've got your medieval madness. Hey! Talking about adding something to a pinball machine. Yeah. That is nice. Now, RGB lighting. of the kit. That was one of them. And I think a very underrated UV lighting kit on Stranger Things. Oh, come on, man. I love that UV stretch. It changes the game. It does. It changes that game. And I love, again, Stranger Things and they're getting a little love in the nominations. A little love. You can't win in it. A little love. All right. So, the crystal for best accessory goes to...
    50:18
    We got a winner, everybody! Stranger Things! This may be enough stuff. I love it. Yes. But you know what? I don't think the people got it wrong. No, they didn't get it wrong because you know why? It was, sorry other people, but it was by far the coolest accessory that you could add to a pinball machine. Not only that, but the Playfield has embedded UV reactive paint, and this opens it up. Sure, it costs money, whatever, but you install it pretty easily. Don't be such a shill, Zach. Okay, fine. Fine, fine. She's got a point. No, but you know what? You're not wrong. You know we both love that game, and it is. It's something that adds a special moment. We always talk about pinball moments, moments in pinball. And that is something that when you add it on, it truly adds to the experience and the moment playing that game. And it's something that took me by surprise. I was a little bit of a critic until I saw it. I played it a few times. In person. It is phenomenal. It really is. It goes on the pro, the pre-match. I won't? Okay. Pimple. Mike McGregor, Brian Eddy, congratulations, guys, on something awesome.
    51:28
    This next category we've done a little bit of. Right? I wouldn't call our work an excellence, but we going to recognize the top contenders that are providing excellence in pinball streaming I thought we had a male stripper award Oh
    51:46
    Man. Excellence in streaming. Colorado Pinball Collective. Dead Flip. Internet, you've come to the right place. what's up pinheads I got I can't wear that thing it's too hot what's up internet I am here at the stern factory I am socially distancing this stream right now. I am here by myself. I have a green screen to cover up everything that's going on. And we have the entire dev team here ready to tell you about the game. It's a cheat. Game time. Television.
    53:51
    What's going to happen? Woo! Yes! Woo! it's done it's done i think also also i think that's one of our streams hot knowledge yes okay now where is okay okay okay okay okay okay kitty the moving in isn't as hard as the fact that it doesn't settle all the way down. It's going to be center. Center. Hit the center. You have to hit that center. Yeah. Make the contact work. Nice. Power shot. The cat's going wild. So much excitement. Oh!
    54:47
    I.E. Pinball. Lion Man. Or whatever. To start the adventure, you can lock the ball during the adventure. Don't be dumb.
    54:58
    There we go. Okay, so we have an 8X multiplier on one adventure. Oh, my me. Never thought we'd see the day. The punch card is full. Blood Dome, Rick All.
    55:11
    Oh. What do you want to see? I did Rick All last time. Cat, you got 20 seconds. Blood Dome or Rick All? Hello, my friends. My name is Miley. And I am the host of Victory Pinball Theater 3000. The pinball stream featured on Twitch and YouTube. Here on MPT3K, I stream on-location pinball, at-home pinball, and I even stream virtual pinball on my home-built virtual pinball cab, the Mystery Pinball Theater 3000. So join me on my main channel for some pinball play, fun, and the most insane channel interactions you'll find anywhere.
    55:49
    If you're interested in pinball or anything, you can just tune in anytime. Um Yeah Thank you for the five gifted Oh my god You guys are insane by the way This is amazing Alright I'm playing I'll try my best to explain what I'm doing So I'm going to try and get to the end of this game Which is called Ruling the Universe Greg Bones Streaming Never hit a bigger milestone Than in 2020 Yeah Everybody was closed in. And you've seen over the last year, ladies and gentlemen, no streaming numbers for Pinball. Skyrocket. We still would like to go higher. Yeah. But now, remember back, I'd say a year ago, I would tune into streamers and you'd see a couple viewers here and there. Yeah. Right? Unless there's the big, big streamers. But every channel, a couple.
    56:48
    I'm telling you, man, now 30, 40 viewers, 50 viewers, 100 viewers. We at TPN see some viewers in a hundred.
    56:57
    Streaming is where it's at in 2020, and I think in a big way 2021 as well. Yeah. We were able to recognize the Pinball Network's seven different streamers. That's huge. Wow. That's huge. And we left off some. Yeah. We really left off some. I mean, we got Game Time Television, Rucko and Rod Dogg there. Hot Nudge, he grows up in Chicago. Colorado Pinball Collective. Snow Galvin, and they're always awesome. Escher. Escher Lefkoff, one of the youngest, biggest prodigies in pinball. Stream Escher. You need lighting. I've heard that a hundred times. But he's showcased on the Austin Talent Show. Got thousands upon thousands of people showcasing his work there. Manu. My man, Manu. With TPN. Mystery Pinball Theater 3000. That's a fun stream. I like it. That is excellent. It's neat. Right there. That's where my nod goes to. You got Deadflip and Carl D. F***ing Angelo with Pin Clash, baby. My father of pinball streaming. Is there a cleaner, better, more informative, more professional stream out there? No. There is not. The winner for excellence in pinball streaming goes to... Oh, this one's got me. Oh, there's nothing in there. I'm joking. Ha! Well, there's not three. There's only one. Oh. And this one does stand above the rest of the big ones. Oh, that is well-deserved. Well-deserved. IU Pinball, congratulations, Cole.
    58:27
    That's a good one. It's like I said, he kind of is the godfather of pinball. Look how many people use his rig. Look at the talent. Look at just the technicality that he has brought in the people he's helped. And just look how gorgeous everything he does is. I respect him more than I do most people in pinball. Just because he's so well-rounded, so positive. Agreed. He's a consummate professional. I did get depressed the other day. I walked into one of his streams. He was doing editing, Greg. I don't know if many of you viewers know this, but he does some of the tutorials for Stern Pinballs, like their on-screen tutorials. He was doing that for Led Zeppelin using After Effects, which I like to use.
    59:09
    Yeah. And he taught himself. Yeah. It's just insane. Pin Clash, Greg. So, pen clash this year was the streaming event of the year. Yeah. I like competitive pinball. I don't always love it. I watched all eight hours of that damn thing. Because you're sitting there watching what he does and what he compiled and what he put together. If we did the best virtual event of 2020, Carl, you'd win that one, too. Very much so. Nicely, nicely done. Yep. Wow. That is neat. Couldn't pick a better person to win that one. Nice job, TPM.
    59:40
    All right. I like light bulbs. I like flashing LEDs. I like flashers in general. I like Hot Rails. I like Penn Stadium lights. I do. I love pinball lighting, Greg. The more revs, the more dazzle. Bring it. That's very true. You love lighting, right? I like my basic in-between sunlight bulbs. That's where I go. One SMD. Not too bright. Not too dark. Just right. Give me that 20-top flasher, baby. Nope. I pull flasher bulbs out of my games. I can't wait to get my GNRCE. It's got lights under it, on top of it. We're now running 786,000 bulbs. It's like Christmas vacation, a pinball machine. Manufacturers, if you're listening, that is a theme we want. All right, so let's transition right over to best lighting effects. Best lighting effects. Guns and roses Stranger things
    61:11
    Oh, that was beautiful. One of my favorite categories. Only two, though. Only two? Only two. Which I'm surprised about. Honestly, I thought Ninja Turtles. I like Ninja Turtles. I would have given the nod to Rick and Morty, too. Yeah. Scott Dempsey doing that light show. That's good. And Stranger Things again.
    61:50
    It's good lighting. You know what? Stranger Things brought home the accessory. I'm good. Yeah, you're fine. One more is good enough. But this year's Crystal Award winner. It's Guns and Roses. You know what it's going to be. Guns and Roses. Jeremy Jackson Ball. That is the most L.E.P. The hot rails. Like, how do you deny anything? anything about that game. Those Hot Rails, though. She's right. Yeah, those Hot Rails, though. Hot Rails, that's nice. Where's that? I love those Hot Rails. Do you think we're going to see Hot Rails on J.J.P. games moving forward? I don't see how you can't. No, that is the perfect answer. I don't see how you can't. It's dumb to not do it, so put them in there. Put them in there. Does that hurt you any?
    62:34
    Best? Hmm. Let's go best rules. Ooh. You're a rule follower. Am I? You're not. I'm kind of safe. I played a little safe, but...
    62:44
    Screw the rules. They're made to be broken, baby. All right. I love to argue rules. Sometimes, you know, people present and they're like, oh, there's the... It's like, meh. They're there for a good reason. These are, though. These are there for a good reason. Yeah. There's different types of rules out there, really. You've got your complex, competitive, multipliers, adding gems to things. Yeah. And then you've got other types of rules that take you on a journey. on the Venture Story. And then you've got a concert in the box. They're just rocking out, playing. Still kind of a journey. Feels like a mini wizard mode every time you play a song. But I wonder who's going to show up as the top finalists and the nominees for Best Rules.
    63:26
    Best Rules. Avengers Infinity Quest. Guns and roses Stranger things Hey, call me crazy. Crazy. But those were some good rules. Those good rules. You had Avengers, which I consider to be kind of a tournament style game. Yeah, Ellen's always getting something. Stranger Things that takes you on a journey. Oh, it's in there again. And you can have GNR, which is sort of possibly a hybrid between the two. Again, Jersey Jack, it got some genius in there. Killing it. But Stranger Things, I'm a little surprised that it's in there. Hey, I'm not. Over Turtles? Because that's one of my favorite things about it. Over Heights? Yeah, that's one of my favorites. Rick and Morty has a great rule set. People love Hot Wheels. Great. There's a lot of good rules out there. Rules is everything in pinball. It is. If you want to sell them for a break, you've got to have some rules. Who's going to win it?
    64:47
    This year's Crystal Award winner for Best Pinball Rules goes to Avenger. Benedict Quest. Man, Quest. The death and breath of that code. Who that code is. It's wicked. That's going to make a lot of people happy. I think a lot of people. Avengers is coming off with a win. Yeah, congratulations. That's the first win for Avengers. Oh, it is, isn't it? The first win. Man. The Turtles took home two with ours. Yeah. First win. Stern is now up to three, four. Four. Accessory, yeah. Hey, but you know what, man?
    65:26
    It's not fully my cup of tea, but, dude, people rave. Rave Avengers. Oh, God, yeah. They love that game. It's complex. That's well deserved. It keeps you busy for a long time. I guess the problem is I need to put my hands on it a little more.
    65:41
    Where's the coat? What's up? Oh, there it is. All right. You can put your mouth on it. That is in podcasting. You've done podcasts before. You see that transition there? He would cut me off guard. I was like, oh, shit, where are we going? Let's jump over to excellence in podcasting.
    66:04
    excellence in podcasting back box pinball podcast a podcast for lady pinballers and their friends each week we will sit down with a guest and chat about news and events related to women in the sports and hobby of pinball now here's your host mar and gray Welcome, everybody, to the Backbox Pinball Podcast. I'm so excited because I'm talking about pinball, and I'm talking about it with my friends. It's all goodness. This week's guest is another streamer, and I've been wanting to have her on for months, y'all, because I saw her take it down at the Women's Division event at Indus this year. She took first place. She is number 22 in the women's ranking. Please help me welcome Stephanie Trout. Hey. Hi. Hey Stephanie, welcome to the show. I'm so excited to meet you virtually. Likewise.
    67:08
    We're going to talk about all the things, y'all. We're going to talk streaming, we're going to talk tournaments, we're going to talk snacks. It's all my dreams come true.
    67:16
    Canada's Pinball Podcast. And there's a stern rumor as well. We're going to talk about that. Now before I jump into that, I want to address a few of the criticisms I've been hearing about Canada's Pinball Podcast. because if you go off the air for just one day, someone has to start a pin-side thread about that, then everyone has to pile on how much they hate Kaneda. It's amazing. There's still so much hatred out there, but I want to address a few of the criticisms directly right now. First one was, his show is losing momentum. Losing momentum. Okay, I have done 538 podcasts about pinball. Okay, I'm allowed to lose a little momentum. This is an industry in which there is maybe legitimate news six or seven days out of the year. And we pick up the mic. I say we, but it's really me because, you know, I'm bipolar, as everyone says. I put on the mic and I do a show about pinball three times a week. So you lose a little bit of momentum. But we don't have to do segments. We don't have to do long shows. We get right to it. Loser Kid Pinball Podcast. Thanks for tuning in to the Loser Kid Pinball Podcast. We are on episode number 32. This is a very special number to me because growing up, I was a huge fan of Carl Malone, who was number 32. So with that in mind, a legendary person in NBA, we decided let's get a legendary person for the podcast today. Right, Scott? So we have Roger Sharp. Basic background to Roger Sharp is Roger Sharp is actually what brought pinball to the masses. He is basically the Moses that took pinball out of exile across the Red Sea and took it worldwide. Roger, welcome to the show. Well, thank you for the introduction. Wow. I never thought of myself as Charlton Heston, but I appreciate it. I always think of myself as just being the father of Josh and Zach. So, but Parting the Red Sea, kind of cool. The Puppet Pals Podcast. A-35 of the Junior Podcaster's Guidebook that Episode 2 is really pivotal to the success of your new podcast.
    69:24
    Make sure you don't make your audience wait too long for Episode 2. Keep your topics lively while maintaining a similar cadence to your first episode to better familiarize your audience to your content. You may choose to introduce something new, but do so sparingly. Hmm. Oh, okay. So, how about something like this?
    69:48
    Pinball is tough, all the critics are rough, and the people say topics can't do what we do. Oh, Pinside will boo in episode two.
    70:03
    Gotta be funnier and gotta be funnier and gotta prove we're pinball media too. What else can we do? It's episode two.
    70:18
    A podcast full of pamphlets or plugs. And all that just gives me sadness. All your hell of a time. I'm sick of all that. Well, I'll be that sick. Gotta be wittier. I'm a fashionista. Don't read the comments or you'll feel blue. Goes through the pit, gets back inside you As Puppet went through in episode two Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for pressing that start button. Here are the hosts of the Puppet Pals, Moppy and Steve. The Super Awesome Pinball Show. It's the Super Awesome Pinball Show.
    71:14
    The extra awesome first anniversary. Super special. That's right. It's time for your favorite pinball show. We're your favorite hosts, pinball artist Christopher Franchi and Dr. Susan Sell, Christian Lime. Hello, all you pinball rock stars out there. Thanks so much for listening, and welcome to episode number 20, our first anniversary special. My name is Christopher Franchi, and we have an amazing show lined up for you today. Not only are we reuniting with old friends, including the grand poobah of pinball, Mr. Gary Stern, and a very special third co-host, but we've got all the latest news and rumors, plus our past few weeks in pinball, all this and more, along with the best co-host, money can buy, Dr. Finn himself, Christian Lund. Happy anniversary, Podpal. Happy anniversary, Franchi. We've made it a whole freaking year, my friend. And who would have thought we would have got to episode 20 and an entire year of podcasts down. We did what they say can't be done. That's right, man. We got a long way to go and a short time to get there. Sorry, singing some Smokey and the Bandits. Yeah, no singing on this podcast, my friend.
    72:21
    Now, I like this category because I do a podcast. Have you heard of it? It's called The Pinball Show, exclusively at The Pinball Network. Prolific and entertaining. Yeah. The Pinball. Oh, prolific. Is that Dennis Creasel?
    72:35
    Love you, Den-Den. All right. There was a lot of good podcasters this year. Wow. That wasn't all of them. We had Hubbit Pals making a splash. Come on.
    72:50
    Easily my favorite pinball podcast ever. Again, it might not be people's cup of tea. Don't care. You brought the effort and the amazing creativity. That is Puppet Pals. The talent of those boys. Oh, my God. Everything. The wit. The music. The writing. Oh. Can we give it to the Puppet Pals? No.
    73:10
    It's a TPN show. Puppet Pals? Hopefully it is. I just threw it. Oh. Well, who else do we got? We got Backbox. Ooh, Loser Kid. With those interviews. Hey, good job. Franchi and Line over at Super All-Star. Another set of great interviews over there. And the multiple Twippy winner, Kaneda. Ooh. Kaneda's been controversial.
    73:35
    He was, could you hear him crying about, you're talking about production and editing. You know what? When he gets nominated. He's watching right now. Hell yeah, he's watching. That's right. Mm-hmm. Yeah. You ain't going to turn it off. No. You think you're in here, but you're not. All right. And the excellence, did I miss anybody? Let's see. No, I think you knocked everybody out.
    73:58
    Excellence in pinball podcasting goes to, really it goes to all of them because they all did a good job. They all did phenomenal. I'll listen to everyone. They're all the best of the best. I agree. And the pinball show. I agree. Oh, just one. Oh, really? One crystal. Man. One crystal. TPNs, they're tricky. They're tough. Do they go to, no, not Senado. Does it go to Super? No, not Super also. the interview to go to Loser Kid 10 ball podcast wow I like that Josh congratulations Larson in the house right now he has a mask on and he's an anesthesiologist so he's probably pricking somebody right now wow okay slip of the needle I'm a winner what let up a girl Ladies paralyzed now. Okay. Nicely done. Yes. Congratulations, guys. Great interviews. I don't want this to end. I feel like it's getting close to being over.
    75:00
    I'm ready to go to bed. That's toys. Oh. I like toys. You don't have to have them. But I love them.
    75:12
    Maybe you do. Let's take a look at this year. It depends on who you're asking, too. Let's take a look at this year's nominees for Best Toys.
    75:32
    Avengers Infinity Quest. Guns and Roses When even friends Smiles on you But if you Be the prologue Star One day I'll be done on you Oh Hi.
    77:08
    Hey, that's a good showing. A lot of toys. We should go get some Multimorphic Lovers. Yeah, heist making its way in. Avengers got some cool stuff. There's some cool... That tower, I don't care who you are, that tower is still a fun shot. It's a feel-good shot. It's neat. And it doesn get old You see it hit that thing Agreed Even the loopy Yeah The loopy in the subway The Serge Soltero totem thing that comes up Oh it amazing G That got a lot of toys in it Again. A lot of toys in that thing. Slash's hat. The live. Drumsticks. The drumsticks. The moving stage lights. We've named it. They're amazing.
    77:44
    Who's going to win it? You know what? Who's going to win this one? Those are all three strong contenders to very much stand out. Two. I think two stand out. I think that there is some craziness that goes on. I think it's going to Guns N' Roses. I think this is Guns N' Roses here. They're on a roll. I think it is. Best toys.
    78:07
    The crystal goes to... Hot damn. Oh! Hi! Congratulations, Malky Morpher. Man! Nicely done. Malky Morpher getting a little love. Nicely done, Texas. Pew, pew.
    78:26
    She's getting better as we're going. She's getting better. I like that. Pew, pew. Nicely done down there in Texas.
    78:34
    I was thinking, so they've got Deep Root and Multimorphic down in Texas. Yeah. Is Texas going to be the new Illinois? Nah. They're not taking it away. Hey, you know what? Congratulations, because that game is cool. Jerry has been working his ass off for years, and now he's going to bring home a crystal to show it. He said Heist was going to make a splash. It was going to be different. and it was going to be something special, and I think he achieved it. He's right. I agree. You just won an award for the best toy out of all of those different manufacturer pinball machines. Not an easy category. Wow, Steven Silver, nice job, guys. Nice job. All right, our next category is going to be... That's your girl. I love her. I want to just hire her just to, like, narrate my life. And now he takes a shot.
    79:22
    They can see it. Dang, and then the light's off the shield. That's right. It's a die. Even I think he's a tool.
    79:31
    Speaking of tools, it takes a lot of tools. You see that transition there? It takes a lot of tools to really crank up some good innovation in pinball machines. That's what we're all chasing. We all want great innovation, and we want that ball to do something special. We want that machine to tell a different story, to pull us in, right? Yeah. You do that with wonderful innovation. Best Innovation Guns and Roses Heist Stranger Things
    80:17
    So, there's some things that stand out, kind of obvious. within those categories. Oh, okay. Do you not think? G and R, I get that. Yeah, strange things. Those three make the most sense, I think. Agreed. You know what? I want to pause it. The media are doing a very objective and good job here. I agree. And, you know, even when... We haven't argued with any of this so far. When I went into the voting, it was something that made you stop and you really had to pull back and it really did make you think. It's my favorite. No, no, no. Because of what you said and what all TPN expressed of what needed to be done and did, it sunk in and made you pull back a little bit and made you say, hey, you know what, I have to look at this from a very objective view. From a media standpoint? Yes, and see, it can't be my favorite game, it can't be my favorite toy, my favorite innovation. It has to be what's right. And hearing what a lot of other media personalities and media creators did, it sounds like they come across that same roadblock where they had to stop and think. And, you know, I think every category has shown that tonight. And pinball innovation is no different. And the media, oftentimes, we are the mouths of the industry, right? So what better way to take ourselves back, be objective, and really gain some respect from the industry and providing the right nominees, the right winners here. What better way for us all to eat crow on camera?
    81:45
    Who wins innovation? So, our winner for Best Pinball Innovation goes to no other than Guns N' Roses. They're taking it home. That's a nice one. That is for Jersey Jack Pinball. I'd say very specifically, those freaking hot rails. The hot rails, it's the moving mechanisms, it's the integration. The upper play field. They put a freaking speaker bar on a topper. That's phenomenal. All the lighting there is. There's true innovation. We haven't seen true innovation like that for quite some time. And I think Jerry at Multimorphic got the head nod for the toys in that crane. Yeah. That was very innovative. Very much so. He should be here. You've got a monitor. You've got the flip-up scoops. I will not dispute that. That is great. And I'm going to give a lot of credit. My shilliness is going to say Stranger Things and what Brian, Eddie, and team brought over there with the projection mapping. Oh. Hands down, that was very innovative. Killer. We see that in other industries, but the first time in pinball, really, to see that, I thought that was spectacular. And it's only going to get better from there. You've got magnets on the back. Agreed. UV lights. It was an innovative machine. It was. More innovative than any other certain machine. I agree completely. All these stranger things. This next category is one that is probably, and I don't think you'll dispute it, and I don't think anybody at home will dispute it. That's the war show host? Probably the most important thing in pinball. What's that? And that would be Playfield Layout. I thought you were going to say wipe down your balls. That's important, too. It is. Oh, yeah, definitely. Because they can be oily. I see what you did there. How do you get them oily, Greg? Just dirty. Let's go to the nominees.
    83:25
    Best Playfield Design and Layout. Avengers Infinity Quest. Guns and Roses Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Hey. Now, that's a cool lineup. That's a cool lineup. And you know, like, one thing that's super awesome is you take Keith Elwin, Eric Menier, two very new designers with a few games under their belt now. Great games under their belt. Versus one of the most senior designers with a phenomenal reputation. The Borgie. The Borg. So that is kind of an awesome Schmack up here Of where this could go Because young guys And the veterans Where do we go?
    85:47
    Still love you So this year's Crystal Award winner For best play field layout Goes to Oh wow Nicely done Avengers Infinity Quest Keith Elwin That's a good question It really is. I don't know if it's Stephen. Is he going to miss at any point? He hasn't yet. No. And I think the designs are actually possibly getting better. They are getting better. And that's why I said, like, I always felt that he kind of had that Gomez, those little clankety clumps. Those little things. But I'll tell you what he did was he took Avengers and he showed us something different. He showed us combos, which Jurassic Park has a lot of combos, but this game is smooth. Take George Gomez and Steve Ritchie, put them together, out comes Keith Elwin. Hey, couldn't have said it better myself. That's why I said it. And Eric Menier. Oh, my God. Who is this beauty here? Eric, Eric's being hailed. Like, I just want to see, like, a design-off between Eric and Keith. Like, honestly, two of the best pinball designers ever. It seems like we've seen these design-offs every year or two. You know what? It really is. I love it. I love every minute of it. I can't wait until the next one. We'll probably get a Keith Elwing game next year The guy can crank out some games Eric Menier could as well I don't think we'll see any this year Maybe next year We're always holding our breath for a new Menier game I can deal with a pet luller Everybody in that, honestly I've got the utmost respect for all three of you You guys are amazing at your craft Forgy, Forgy's solid He's always going to be solid Alright, now Coming up soon is the best in show So, the award is such a big feat. The echelon. Such a big apex. It's got its own trophy. Oh. It's got its own trophy. There's only one like it. Oh. And we're going to announce that here soon. But first, why don't we induct some pinball machines into the Pinball Machine Hall of Fame? Want to? Yeah, I do. Because it's one of the things I've been anticipating. Let's jump right over there and let's look at who we're going to crown the class of 2020. Your voices were heard. Your votes were tallied. And now we reveal the pinball machine hall of fame class of 2020 inductees. Honoring the best from every era.
    88:22
    This is the pinball machine hall of fame. Hey. Ooh. Mad respect for a lot of those games. Oh, absolutely. That's like a drum roll. Yeah.
    88:37
    And the inductees for the 2020 Pimple Machine Hall of Fame. All right. What are you, a car? Revin' that motor, baby. Okay.
    88:52
    Okay. Oh. Let us take it in for a minute. Okay. Oh. How do you not? I think... Come on. Hey, you guys voted. This is you all's pick. Yes. Hundreds of people. They voted. But I think this is good. I do, too. Man, I love... I'm not super familiar with... So let's go. Okay. So where are we taking? Let's start with electromechanical. Yes. All right. Grand Prix. By Williams. Nicely done. Everybody loves them dual spinners. I can't comment on that one.
    89:26
    What is it? I don't really know what that will. Craig. Sorry. All right. Then you dive into the early solid states.
    89:34
    This is probably my favorite early solid state. I do not disagree with this pick. And it's not a Bally. No. It's not a Williams.
    89:45
    Sega hadn't come out yet. No. Which makes it a Stern Electronics machine. Congratulations, inductee, Meteor.
    89:56
    Meteor. There's a lot of people that's not going to speak. Ripping that spinner. Yeah. But you know how many eligible? Oh, so many eligible. Oh, this next one. Jumping into the 80s. Who doesn't love the 80s, right? A sweet-ass valley by the name of 8-Ball Deluxe? Oh, baby. What? Quit your talking and start chugging, baby. Oh, the 90s. And, Greg, this one for the 90s. I had been watching the voting. This one was not winning until that horse came up at the very end to take the lead. Really? Yeah. We can think of a lot of 90s games that belonged in a Hall of Fame. If there was ever a game. Well, no, I'll say that. But the next one after this is probably a shoe. It came up at the end. Yeah. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Medieval Madness. Into the Pinball Machine Hall of Fame. The Pennside number one pinball machine. Okay. How could it not be? You know what was up there? You guys almost selected Twilight Zone. Hey. Attack for Mars. Another great presenter. That was pushing up as well. Then we did... I voted for Terminator 2. Did you really? I did. I don't know why. I think it's just a classic. Yeah, and we're looking for public votes of fun there. Yeah. What do you like the most? Okay. Then the 2000s, pinball nearly died. Yes. It almost died. We only had a handful of games. But Stern Pinball and Gary Stern made sure that didn't happen. And because of that, we're celebrating in 2020. And during that time, they created one of the greatest pinball machines, not just from the era of the 2000s, but of all time. Rules, layouts, toys, theme, integration. Everything but one.
    91:33
    Lord of the Rings. Remake it. It's now a Pinball Industry Award winner. No, it's not. It's an adoptee. Into the Hall of Fame. Let's remake it. And the last one, in the 2010s, I didn't know which way this was going to go because we had some phenomenal games in 2010. Everybody gets mad about our bees, but I'll tell you what, there's not been many sinkers.
    92:02
    They've been good. When was Baywatch made? It's been good. 2010's inductee into the Pinball Machine Hall of Fame makes sense. It does. So, so far we've got a Williams game, a Stern Electronics game, a Bally, a Williams, a Stern pinball. 2010 is going to be represented by Jersey Jack pinball with the Wizard of Oz. Oh!
    92:25
    And you know what? I changed pinball. Exactly. I think that that's where people were coming from with that pick, is I think that they looked at something that was the most innovative, packed full. It was invasive. It did. Depends on where that wizard goes. That's right. But yeah, it's exactly what you said. What light bulbs you got. Yeah, but it's true, too. It was a company and a game that changed the face of pinball moving forward. Yeah. It really did. And it was a good game. It's a neat game. Public voters. Nicely done. Very good job. The Wizard of Oz, that was a smart pick. Lord of the Rings was a smart pick. I agree. Right? You've got Meteor. I mean, I love that pick. Yeah. Oh, Papa. All right. I thought it was a shoe-in. It's time. It's time we crown the king. Tonight is the night. There it is, ladies and gentlemen. Who's going to be your queen this year for best in show? I don't even know who's going to be the top three. Real quick, before we let these people go and they can see best in show, what were your personal favorite top three this year? Ooh, top three? Your favorite. Oh, man. Not objective. Your favorite. Oh, I'll rattle them off easy. Stranger Things, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and GNR. Well, easily. No particular order.
    93:38
    Easily my three favorite games of the year. For me, this is my favorite and objective because... And I'll tell you what, I'm going to throw an honorable mention in there because they're my favorite people in all of pinball. Kelps. We still love playing Kelps. No, but I still love playing that game. Kansas City kills it. I agree. We haven't seen Hot Wheels anywhere in here. Where that's at.
    93:58
    Not here. My favorite three, and objectively the best three, Stranger Things. Yeah. You heard it. Sorry. Yeah, Stranger Things. We're going to be the same, I think.
    94:08
    No. Guns N' Roses. Yeah. Okay. Rick and Morty. Oh, now that's there. I understand. I own all three of them. Hell, I own... Damn, and that's saying a lot because you love turtles. Can't get enough. I love turtles. Damn sure you got me in a mile when it got me hooked. I love turtles. Okay.
    94:31
    Let's see your top three nominees for best in show. Best in show. Avengers Infinity Quest by Stern Pimble
    95:10
    Guns and Roses by Jersey Jack Pinball. From Jersey Jack and the most dangerous band on the planet. Combs. Their next chart-topping hit. And the greatest rock and roll experience under glass. Witness the birth of a new classic. and become the rock star you were born to be. Rock out to 21 full-length Guns N' Roses favorites on a playfield paradise locked and loaded with features.
    95:52
    Claim a front row seat to mind-blowing custom light shows and live the tour on a full 27-inch high-definition backlash display. Also featuring original pinball music by Slash. Another rock pinball machine this good? Not in this lifetime.
    96:19
    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Stern Pinball. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They're the wildest, most difficult fighting team. We really can't. There's heroes in the house down at their feet. Hey, get a grip. When the evil set attacks, these turtle boys don't turn no slack. T-A-U-T-N-I-N-G-E-R-U-L-L-S Greg Bone, this says, I don't know if people can see, but it says best in show. This is the big one. The top. And then we've got to let these people go until next year. I thought this was special. We've got three nominees that are terrific. Fair. Right? We've got G&R, Avengers, Turtles, Stern. Two nominees out of those top three. Stern always has a strong show. I thought Rick and Morty might slide in there. Hey, it was a possibility. And Stranger Things didn't.
    97:31
    disappointment. I want to do something special on this. You and I started this, the whole awards thing, years back. Yeah. We did it the second year. Mm-hmm. Took a break the third year. Mm-hmm. Here we are now with a brand new celebration by the media, the Hall of Fame by the voters. Yeah. Right? Something different. We did an excellence award. But there was somebody there with us the whole time, besides Chelsea and Nicole, our wives. There was another woman near and dear to us. Mm-hmm. And that's Miss Announcer Lady, the sweetheart in the sky. I think it's only fitting that she announces the winner of Best in Show. What do you think? I agree. You ready? Here we go. And the crystal goes to... Okay, fine. All right, lady. Do I show her? Does she know? Guns and effing roses!
    98:30
    Wow! What? Look at that figure! What? That's amazing! That's amazing man! Wow! That is amazing! Oh, this is the first of three! Wow! That is amazing! It's different than all the other ones! Dude, Eric, Joe, Keith, the entire team over here Tim Cromwell. Tim Cromwell with his marketing, his badass, Guns N' Roses rollout that he orchestrated. Everybody over there at that company, you guys seriously are setting the bar in the standard in this hobby. And you guys did it moving a factory. You did it during a pandemic. Yes. Like everything over there that you guys have done, you deserve this and more. No. I couldn't have said it better. Look at you, Mr. Articulous. Oh, it's only worked for that one. You don't have your Guns N' Roses yet? Wait, no, my hell are you, man?
    99:35
    I'm hoping to butter my little bit and I'll skip that. I know. So congratulations, Jersey Jack Pinball. Congratulations to everybody that walked away with a crystal this year. Who knows? Maybe next year will be your year to earn a crystal. So for Greg, Bone, and Zach, many, we appreciate you guys. and this announcer lady. I do want to do a warm parting thing. Just thanks again for all of those who continue to support the Pinball Industry Awards, the Pinball Network, and us enthusiasts, media enthusiasts. Thank you so much. And for the big winners, nicely done. And for those nominated, nicely done as well. I think some of the big, no big surprises. No. It surprised me that Stranger Things was in more than I thought it would be in the contention. But it was deserving. Deserving. Surprised that Maybe Hot Wheels didn't get in there for anything.
    100:29
    I want to give these people a nice sneak peek into 2021. Is it fair to say that this virtual event was just getting the cobwebs off? Because Greg Bone 2021 for the Pinball Industry Awards is going to be fire. I'm going to give you guys a sneak peek right now. So stay tuned and go to the pinballindustryawards.com. Go to the pinball.network. You can check that out. But follow throughout the year on Facebook, on YouTube, all the social media, because we're going to give you sneak peeks here and there of what the industry awards is going to become year after year. And, again, the focus is on media here. But next year, we're back. We're back in January. but this time we're going to be live on stage and we're going to be at an event. And that event's going to be a nice, beautiful gala, a mixer, a very formal Suit and Tide's rest event. And we'll see if you get invited. We'll see how it's going to get invited. I don't know how that's going to happen. Details to come soon. But that is going to be a damn fun show. I'm already nervous. So be on the lookout to how to reserve maybe a table for you and your friends. The industry creators are going to be there. But until then, we love you guys. Thanks for the continued support for Straight Down the Middle, for Flippin' Out Pinball, our sponsor, as well as Trophy Depot. Bye, bye, bye. Oh, what else? Anything else? I'm done. I'm leaving.
    102:11
    I'm leaving. See you later. Where are you at now, lady? Thank you. for participating in and watching the Pinball Industry Awards, presented by the Pinball Network. More information about the voting and selection process can be found at thepinballindustriawards.com or thepinball.network. And stay tuned for information about the 2021 Pinball Industry Awards. It's going to be a banger. And always practice safe pinball and mile up. I think we're done. I think it's good, man. It looks nice and tight. It looks pretty good, I guess. What do you want to do next? You want to have a beer? Oh. It's fine.
    102:53
    Thank God that's over with, man. I think it went good, though. Yeah, it was kind of sad. That was a lot of fun. That was kind of sad. Why were you sad? I didn't want it to be over. Oh, well. But, you know, until next year. There's always next year.
    103:14
    Pew, pew, pew, pew, pew, pew, pew, pew.