As the air becomes crisp in the change of seasons with each approaching winter, I am always fascinated about how the wildlife has prepared for the coming snows. One that has stood out due to their abundance around me is the Himalayan marmot. These charming little creatures are busy through the summer and early fall preparing for the winter to come. Part of that preparation is building up a fat layer, and they are diligent in building up that protective buffer between them and the harsh reality of starvation in a dire winter environment.

It’s silly, but one evening as I relaxed in the dim light of my quarters filled with the lazily wafting scent of incense, my mind was freed to wander. While vacantly staring at my standard nylon leg bolt washers on my Bond 007 machine, I made a connection with the marmots pre-hibernation fattening. I have used those washers to protect the legs from the bolt heads chewing them up. “What if,” I thought to myself, “I could fatten those up and widen them slightly to provide even more protection?” It seemed like an obvious idea that has somehow eluded me to this point. And so, I set about designing a fatter, “plush” version of the nylon washers I created and used for so many years.

In short order, I had the dimensions worked out. In the morning, I rolled the message and sent it via carrier pigeon to have a custom mold made to my specifications. Weeks later, the first samples returned back via air, and they were just as I imagined – a thick cushion for the bolt that embraces the leg openings even more fully, protecting them and showing additional color, too. A fashionable and functional upgrade over the standard washers was now a reality, and I have the adorable local marmots to thank for the inspiration!

These “plush” custom-mold nylon washers are now available for you to enjoy as well. I will continue to expand the color selection as time goes on. Each set includes 8 washers, enough for the bolts on all 4 legs (2 bolts per leg) of a standard pinball machine. Both the standard and plush nylon washers protect the legs, but the plush provide just a bit more protection for your pinball legs all year round, especially on Stern machines where the bolt hole openings are slightly different than JJP, CGC, AP, etc. These are NOT 3D printed discs but actual custom injection-molded highly-durable nylon washers.

In good conscience, I must warn you, though: do not think of trying them unless you are prepared to fall in love with the way they look on your machines.