Arcade game Skee-Ball approaches 120-year anniversary

Skee-Ball was invented as an arcade game in 1907 by Joseph Fourestier Simpson of Vineland, N.J., located in the southern part of the state.

Simpson had tried his hand at lots of jobs, including working as a real estate agent, cash register salesman and railroad clerk, according to Jake Rossen, senior staff writer at Mental Floss.

 

He also dabbled as an inventor. Simpson “perfected an egg crate that could protect shells during bumpy transportation routes, and he created a new kind of trunk clasp that kept luggage tightly shut,” Rossen wrote.

Simpson thought he might “strike it rich,” though, with his invention of Skee-Ball, which was a form of bowling without gutters. 

He added a “ski jump-like hump” in the middle of a 32-foot lane, causing the wooden ball (3 1/8” in diameter), to go airborne.

 

There were no pins. Instead, the target area contained a series of holes of various sizes and point values. Simpson cleverly named his new game “Skee-Ball.”

The first commercial Skee-Ball alleys were installed in 1908 on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J. The game became quite popular, but Simpson wasn’t a very good money manager. The company was rescued in 1914 by Jonathan Dickinson (J.D.) Este of Philadelphia, Pa., an aggressive marketer.

 

Ownership of the company would change hands several more times over the years. Skee-Ball alleys were first shortened to 14 feet in 1928 “to be more friendly to women, children and the elderly.”

Today, a ski jump-like ramp is at the very end of the alley just before the targets, and the alley has been standardized at a 10-foot length. Players are referred to as “rollers.”

 

At one time, Skee-Ball was owned by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Wurlitzer saw the game pairing well with its jukeboxes in taverns and saloons and cranked out enough games in 1937 to keep the pipeline full for nearly a decade.

 

In 1960, Frank D. Johns, a Daytona Beach, Fla., amusement park owner, received a patent that truly made Skee-Ball a “no attendant required redemption game,” with the automatic ticket dispenser. Players received tickets proportional to their score, which they would “cash in” for prizes at a central arcade station or kiosk.

 

In the 1990s, Skee-Ball updated its alleys by adding sophisticated lighting and sound effects, musical selections and other new electronic components.

 

For the past 10 years, Skee-Ball has been owned by Bay Tek Entertainment, based in Pulaski, Wis. The community has a population of about 4,075 and is located about 25 miles northwest of Green Bay.

 The family-owned business employs several hundred people. The company’s slogan is: “It’s all fun and games here,” which creates a positive workforce climate at Bay Tek and its parent organization, The Village Companies.

In 2023, Skee-Ball was selected as a charter member of the Amusement Industry Hall of Fame, sponsored by the American Amusement Machine Association in Cary, Ill.

To celebrate that accolade, Bay Tek worked with the Pulaski Area Chamber of Commerce and Pulaski village officials to change the name of the community for just one day – to “Pulaskee.”

 

Holly Hampton, Bay Tek’s vice president of amusement products and services, said it was all in fun, of course.

 

Hampton’s next project may be to campaign for Skee-Ball to be voted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Currently, the only true arcade game that has been inducted is pinball. Surely, Skee-Ball deserves consideration.

Originally designed and patented in 1908 by Joseph Fourestier Simpson, the game only featured five center targets (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 points).

Skee-Ball first added two small 100-point pockets to the upper corners of the target area during the 1980s to increase the game's maximum possible score and add an element of risk.

Most Skee-Ball strategists advise novice players to aim for the 40-hole to maximize their success.

 

Pinball wizardry has advanced with technology

Pinball: A simple amusement game…with a fascinating history. 

Pinball evolved from bagatelle, a parlor game invented in the late 18th century in France.

Played on a slightly inclined wooden table with randomly placed holes at one end, the game of bagatelle involved shooting ivory balls with a cue stick into the holes (scoring pockets). Pins affixed to the table were added and used to ricochet the balls into the pockets, which were assigned varying amounts of points.

In 1777, the Count of Artois (Charles Philippe), the youngest brother of King Louis XVI, hosted a party at his home in Paris, the Château de Bagatelle, where he erected a building especially to house his gaming tables.

 

Variations of bagatelle evolved in both England and America, and by 1819 the word “bagatelle” was defined as “a popular game played on a table 7’ long and 21” wide, in which 9 balls were shot into various holes surrounded by wooden pegs, affixed to the table.”

In 1871, Montague Redgrave, an Englishman who had moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, modified the game, replacing the cue with a coiled spring and plunger, which a player pulled to shoot the balls up an inclined playfield. 

The game also shrunk in size and began to fit on top of a bar or counter. The balls became marbles, and the game was an instant hit with children and adults alike.

In 1932, Raymond Moloney of Chicago, Ill., invented “Ballyhoo,” which led to the establishment of Bally Manufacturing Company. Bally was the first pinball company to put “bumpers” into play.

Yet, Harry E. Williams is generally regarded as “the father of pinball.” He is credited with the electrification of pinball in the 1930s, incorporating battery-powered solenoids to create the flashing lights, bells, chimes and buzzers that are so associated with the game.

 

Williams also introduced the “tilt mechanism” to penalize aggressive players who tried to jiggle or shake the pinball machine in an effort to manipulate the roll of the ball. 

At Williams Manufacturing Company in Chicago, he was responsible for creating more than 150 different games.

 

Another pinball pioneer was David Gottlieb. 

His company, D. Gottlieb & Co. of Chicago, invented flippers in 1947, which revolutionized play.

 

A surge in interest in pinball occurred following the release of the song “Pinball Wizard” in 1969 by The Who, the legendary rock’n’roll band from London, England. The song was composed for “The Who’s Tommy,” a rock opera.

 

It pays tribute to a young character who is deafblind and plays pinball with supernatural skill, relying on his heightened sense of touch, feeling the physical vibrations of the flippers, bumpers and the ball hitting the playfield.

Written by guitarist Pete Townshend, the tune became a pop culture anthem and rock music standard. With Roger Daltrey singing lead, the lyrics stick with you. Here’s a snippet:

 Ever since I was a young boy

I’ve played the silver ball

From Soho down to Brighton,

I must’ve played ‘em all

But I ain’t seen nothing like him in any amusement hall

That…kid sure plays a mean pinball

For a long time, the “big three” manufacturers in the pinball world were Bally, Williams and Gottlieb. In 1999, the torch was effectively passed to Stern Pinball, with headquarters in Oak Grove Village, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. Stern Pinball is the primary designer and manufacturer of contemporary pinball machines.

 

Stern Pinball sponsors the Stern Pinball Pro Circuit in collaboration with the International Flipper Pinball Association. 

Two Americans currently stand atop the world rankings. These pinballers are Jason Zahler, 20, of Elberon, N.J. (shown above), and Zach McCarthy, 21, of Conifer, Colo. (shown below).

In 2018, pinball was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame, sponsored by The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y.

“Pinball fosters learning and discovery,” commented Jeremy Saucier, assistant vice president for interpretation and electronic games at the museum. “The game offers players the opportunity to enhance spatial awareness and sharpen their eye-hand coordination by shooting and tracking a steel ball through a miniature playground of ramps, pop bumpers and interactive toys.”

 

“Playing pinball requires quick thinking and reflexes, but it also rewards patience and persistence. Although many players are happy to just keep the ball in play, the most skilled players strive to master an individual pinball machine, attempting to experience all the modes, levels, mini-games and novelties the game has to offer,” Saucier said.

 

Here’s a preview of Hallmark’s new Christmas movies

Four new made-for-television movies are airing during the Hallmark Channel’s “Christmas in July” lineup. 

They are spaced out, so a new show premieres each Saturday night in July. Here they are in chronological order:

1: “Christmas Under Construction” stars Jessica Lowndes, 37, and Daniel Lissing, 44. 

While doing a Christmas renovation for a cozy New Hampshire cabin, Chelsea, the star of a hit reality show, “Renovation Romance,” finds an unexpected connection with the cabin’s owner, Cooper. The sparks begin to fly.

Lowndes and Lissing previously worked together on the Hallmark film “A December Bride” (2016).

 

Lowndes, who was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, landed her “breakout role” in 2008 as drug-addicted teen Adrianna Tate-Duncan in the TV series “90210.” Originally written-in for just three episodes, her character became a series regular for five seasons.

Lissing of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is best known for his work for five seasons as Canadian Mountie Jack Thornton in the Hallmark Channel series “When Calls the Heart.”

 

2: “O Little Christmas Market” features Katherine Barrell, 36, and Stephen Huszar, 42, in leading roles. 

She portrays an artist who is fighting to save her hometown’s beloved Christmas market from a developer. A budding romance with the architect tied to the deal may help bring about a true Christmas miracle.

Barrell, who was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is best known for her role as Sheriff Nicole Haught on the Syfy supernatural series “Wynonna Earp” and for playing Joy Harper on the Hallmark Channel’s “Good Witch.”

Huszar, a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, is best known for his various roles as a leading man in Hallmark Channel and Lifetime romantic holiday movies as well as for portraying the hockey player Yorkie in the hit Canadian comedy series “Letterkenny.”

 

3: “Snowbound for the Holidays” stars Vanessa Lengies, 40, and Marcus Rosner, 36. 

She plays hotel manager Cassidy Evergreen, who is evaluating the potential acquisition of a cozy ski lodge…but its charming owner, Trey Sanderson, turns a simple assignment into a heartfelt choice between duty and love.

Lengies is a native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, who is best known for her role on the Disney+ series “Turner & Hooch.” She has previously starred in Hallmark Channel’s “Heart of The Holidays” and “True Lies.”

Rosner was born in Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada. Since 2019, he has been a mainstay as a leading man on the Hallmark Channel and was most recently seen in “Notes of Autumn” and “Romance to the Rescue.”

 

4: “Love Under the Mistletoe” features Jen Lilley, 41, and Nick Bateman, 39. 

She portrays Grace, a busy interior designer in a quaint town, who reunites with her former high school crush, Ryan, now a successful New York City financial advisor.

He returns home for the holidays with plans to sell his grandmother’s historic house. As they work side-by-side to organize a charity fundraiser, they constantly find themselves under strategically placed mistletoe.

Old feelings slowly resurface. Ultimately, Ryan and Grace realize they are meant for each other.

Lilley was born in Roanoke, Va., and graduated from the University of Virginia. Early in her career, she held key roles in two leading soap operas – “General Hospital” and “Days of Our Lives.”

Since 2016, Lilley has starred regularly in films for the Hallmark Channel as well as the Great American Family channel.

Bateman was born in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, and started karate at age 4. He has since won four Martial Arts World Titles. He is also known internationally for his work as a male model. He has been affiliated with the Hallmark Channel since 2019.

The Great American Family network has one new “Christmas in July”  movie to add to its mix, “The Trouble with Mistletoe,” starring Jillian Murray, 42, and Brett Varvel, 40.

Set in a charming small town, an unexpected homecoming reconnects young lovers and rekindles old memories and unfinished feelings. Did she walk away from the man she was always meant to embrace?

Murray, born in Reading , Pa., began her film career in 2003. Varvel is a native of Indianapolis, Ind., and is a filmmaker who is known for his work in faith-based cinema.