Pacific Pinball Museum facts for kids
The Majorettes pinball machine at the Pacific Pinball Museum
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| Established | 2004 |
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| Location | 1510 Webster Street, Alameda, California, USA |
| Type | Pinball machines |
The Pacific Pinball Museum is a super fun place in Alameda, California. It's an interactive museum where you can play over 100 pinball machines! These machines range from the 1940s to today. You can also see rare, old pinball games called bagatelles.
The museum is about 7,000 square feet. Inside, you'll find cool hand-painted murals and old-fashioned jukeboxes. They also have educational handouts and special exhibits that change often. The museum offers field trips and guided tours. They even have "STEAM" programs. This means they combine Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math with their "Play & Learn" idea.
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History of Pinball Fun
The Pacific Pinball Museum started in 2004. It was founded by Michael Schiess. He used to design museum exhibits. Michael began collecting pinball machines in 2001. He wanted to open his own museum. This was because he felt other museums didn't show enough pinball history.
One of his first big purchases was 36 machines! He put 14 of them in a rented room. This room was in Alameda and he called it "Lucky Ju Ju." People could leave donations in a jar. In 2004, the place grew and became a nonprofit museum. It was then renamed the Pacific Pinball Museum.
In 2009, the museum got even bigger. It added 40 "woodrail" and "wedge head" machines. These came from Larry Zartarian's collection. The museum also has a gift shop. You can buy pinball-themed items there. This includes books, shirts, hats, and stickers.
Amazing Pinball Collection
The museum has about 90 pinball machines you can play. They also have more machines just for display. These games range from 1879 to modern times. They are set up in order by when they were made.
In total, the museum owns over 1,100 unique machines! The ones not on display are kept nearby. They are at the 8,000-square-foot Pacific Pinball Annex. When you pay to get in, you can play any machine all day. You can even leave and come back later.
The oldest machine you can see is from 1879. It's a Montague Redgrave Parlor Bagatelle. A special game you can play is Gottlieb's "Humpty Dumpty" from 1947. This was the very first game with flippers! Newer machines include The Addams Family and Twilight Zone.
The museum also has a clear pinball machine from 1976. Michael Schiess and Wade Krause built it. It's based on the Gottlieb "Surf Champ" game. One of the most valuable items is the Bally Bumper. This Art Deco machine is from the mid-1930s. Police in Oakland once took it during a gambling crackdown. Parts of the museum's collection have also been shown at San Francisco International Airport.
Cool Pinball Exhibits
Besides the games you can play, the museum has permanent exhibits. These show early bagatelles and pinball machines. They cover games from 1879 to the late 1930s. You can see how the game changed over time. There are also special exhibits that change often.
- Pointy People (August 21, 2020 - Present): This exhibit looks at a new art style from the mid-1960s. It shows angular, sharp-looking figures. This was very different from the realistic art before the 1940s.
- The Art of Arthur Stenholm (May 25, 2017 - March 13, 2020): Arthur "Art" Stenholm made amazing pinball art. He worked for Williams, Gottlieb, and Bally for many years. His art is special, especially how he showed women. They looked strong and active in his pinball art.
- Gambling, Amusement, or Both? (March 1, 2019 - Present): This exhibit explores pinball's history. It looks at how it started with gambling and adult fun. It also shows how popular it became.
- Pinball Style (July 2, 2010 - August 1, 2010): This exhibit looked at clothing styles in pinball art. It covered art from the 1940s to the 2000s. Curator Melissa Harmon added funny comments about fashion.
Pinball Around the World
The Pacific Pinball Museum's machines and exhibits travel a lot. They have been shown in museums and galleries worldwide. Here are some places the collection has visited:
- The Art and Science of Pinball at Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland, CA (2017).
- Pinball! An Exhibition of Vintage Pinball Machines at Museum of American Heritage, Palo Alto, CA (2016).
- Ausgeflippt! at Phaeno Museum, Wolfsburg, Germany (2015).
- Permanent Exhibition: Transparent Pinball Machine at Exploratorium, San Francisco (2012–Present).
- From Bagatelle to Twilight Zone at San Francisco Airport Museum (2009, 2010).
Join the Pacific Pinball League!
The museum hosts the Pacific Pinball League. They play on Wednesday nights starting at 6:30 PM. There are four seasons each year. Each season lasts for 10 weeks. If you play in at least three of the eight regular weeks, you can qualify for the Finals.
League start dates are announced online. You can find them on the museum's website and social media. The league is open to everyone, no matter your age or skill level. Even if you've never played before, you can join! Experienced players are there to teach you the basics. They can even show you some advanced tricks. Players who compete in the Finals get a World Pinball Player ranking.
Images for kids
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The Majorettes pinball machine at the Pacific Pinball Museum
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The visible pinball machine, co-created by museum owner Michael Schiess based on the pinball machine Surf Champ by Gottlieb from 1976
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Exhibition Room #2 detail w/Jukebox
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Left flank of the Modern Room at the Pacific Pinball Museum
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Panorama of the Pacific Pinball Museums Science Room
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Panorama of the Pacific Pinball Museums Oddball - Experiments in Pinball Exhibit
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Lucky JuJu Room at the Pacific Pinball Museum
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Panorama of Pacific Pinball Museums History Room
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Pointy People One of the current exhibits at the Pacific Pinball Museum examining the artwork of Jerry Kelley and Christian Marche
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Ausgeflippt! Pacific Pinball Museums Mural and Machine Exhibition in Wolfsburg, Germany 2015
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The Pacific Pinball League Playing a challenge in the History Room
