Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball
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| Manufacturer | Midway |
|---|---|
| Release date | December 3, 1990[1] |
| System | Midway System 11C[1] |
| Design | John Trudeau[1] |
| Programming | Dan Lee, Dwight Sullivan[1] |
| Artwork | Python Anghelo, John Youssi[1] |
| Mechanics | Jack Skalon[1] |
| Music | Paul Heitsch[1] |
| Voices | Greg Burson, Bob Bergen, Noel Blanc, Mel Blanc, Paul Julian |
| Production run | ~2,250 units[1] |
Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball is a 1990 pinball game designed by John Trudeau and Python Anghelo and released by Midway (under the Bally name). It is based on Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons.[2] This is the first of only three licensed pinball tables ever to feature the Looney Tunes characters (the second being Sega's Space Jam and the third being Spooky Pinball's Looney Tunes).
Gameplay
[edit]The game is a celebration of Bugs Bunny's 50th anniversary, accompanied by his various co-stars and lots of cake. One to four players can play. The player must use the "Skill Shot" to help Wile E. Coyote chase the Road Runner, break some eggs in the reversed "Chicken Coop" playfield, then ride "Tweety's Slide" to the main playfield and score 1 million points, hit Daffy Duck for a "Big Score" of 500,000 points and light "Speedy Gonzales' Keek-Out" for 1 million points, then shoot the curving, swerving center ramp so the Tasmanian Devil and the Tasmanian She-Devil will take the player on a challenging "Tazmanian Shopping Spree" up the ramp, which will score up to 500,000 points or an extra ball. If the player helps Bugs blow out all the candles on his cake, Honey Bunny will reward him with a 50 million bonus, with the player getting their opponents' best score for a Surprise Package.[3]
Playfield
[edit]The playfield includes 3 flippers, a plunger skill shot, 3 pop bumpers, 3 slingshots, 19 standup targets, a 3-bank drop target, a kick-out hole, a spinning target, a captive ball, and a left outlane kickback. In the upper left area of the playfield is a small inverted playfield having a flipper to propel the ball downfield to loop around a ramp and hit a captive ball. In multi-player operation, a unique playfield award feature exchanges scores between players.[1]
Development
[edit]According to Python Anghelo, he was given only 3 months by management to design the game from concept to final build. This was due to the fact that the factory workers were running out of games to assemble and needed something to fill a gap in the Bally production line.[4][5][6] Anghelo had previously drawn a crude and perverse illustration of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner on a company whiteboard in its HR department.[7] When he and John Trudeau were developing the game and The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot simultaneously, they worked insanely fast on both games in a short time, doing so much that one day Anghelo gave Trudeau the nickname of "Doctor Flash". It stuck from that point.[8][9] Anghelo admitted disappointment in the final product and felt embarrassed that despite his and Trudeau's best efforts, he had allowed something "so half-baked" to go to market. The game was not well received by pinball players, and only sold 2,500 units. Python explained the tepid response, stating, "It depends what we have in our hearts... either The Force is with you, or it's not."[5]
The game came with licensed products available at special discounted prices for operators interested in staging on-site promotions, contests and tournaments. In addition, authorized Bally/Midway distributors could also take advantage of those offers for point-of-display items, or sales support merchandise to their customer base. The companies participating in the marketing program included Armitron, Creative Innovations, E.M. International, H. & L. Enterprises, Koochy Koncepts, Nikry Company, Rarities Mint, United Brands International, Zephyr Group, and others.[2]
Voice cast
[edit]- Greg Burson as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat, Tasmanian Devil and Foghorn Leghorn
- Noel Blanc as Bugs Bunny (vocal effects), Daffy Duck (additional lines), Yosemite Sam, Sylvester the Cat, Speedy Gonzales, Barnyard Dawg and Chickens
- Bob Bergen as Porky Pig, Tweety Bird and Honey Bunny[10]
- Mel Blanc as Sylvester the Cat (archive recording)
- Paul Julian as Road Runner (archive recording)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Internet Pinball Machine Database: Midway 'Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball'". The Internet Pinball Machine Database. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "Special Bugs Bunny Birthday Ball Promo Launched By Midway". Cash Box Pub. Co. 23 February 1991. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ "Internet Pinball Machine Database: Midway 'Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball' Images". The Internet Pinball Machine Database. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
- ^ "Pinball and Video Art Genius, Python Anghelo Passes Away Aged 61". Highway Games. April 15, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "Cocaine Cats & Pinball Sex: Part II of The Unauthorized Hagiography of Python Anghelo". Nudge. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ "Part IV: One Last Trip Around Planet Pythonia". Nudge. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ "The Unauthorized Hagiography of Python Anghelo". Nudge. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ "PA Pinball Presents - An Interview with John Trudeau". PA Pinball. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "Games in our Archives". Sparks Pinball Museum. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ "Bob Bergen on Twitter: "Does sound like me. Must have been one of my earliest Looney Tunes gigs. There have been literally hundreds of recording sessions for cartoons, games, toys, commercials, parks, etc."". Twitter. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball at the Internet Pinball Database
- Operator's Handbook – via the Internet Archive
- YouTube - 7 minutes gameplay of Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball
- YouTube - 5 minutes gameplay of Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball
