My Dad Created A Monster

A long, long time ago, (around 49 years ago), my father brought home my first pinball machine when I was 7 years old. A 1968 Williams game that had been on route for only about 1 year called Ding Dong, that he bought for $300. Soon we had a Jukebox and a Shuffle Bowler, but my favorite was the Pinball Machine. Then in 1976, when I was 12, he sold my Pinball to a Lady for $125...

I was devestated, but 20 years later, this same lady was hired at my place of employment and I inadvertently was very rude to her when introduced! As they were trying to introduce her to me, I interupted to say "You have my Ding Dong!" Okay, well it should have been handled differently I know, but when everyone heard the story it was okay. I spent the next 6 months making her feel guilty about ruining my childhood by taking my pinball machine until one day she asked if I really wanted it back and of course I said YES! She sold it back to me for the $125 that she had paid for it and gave me the canceled check from 1976 to prove it! I guess she hoped I could relive my childhood...Oh the can of worms she opened by wishing that!

For the past 26 years I have been reliving my childhood with pinballs and arcade machines. It started with someone playing my pinball and deciding they wanted one. Well...I did know some people from my dad's past and got with them to find out there was a whole new world out there that many people didn't know about and I started buying machines for people and then one day one of the machines broke down and the guy said he needed me to fix it! What...fix it...I don't know anything about fixing them???, but I was able to fix it! Now 26 years later, I have repaired over 100 pinball machines all by teaching myself and what information I could absorb off the internet and technical help given by friends in the pinball world. 

My goal for about the first 15 years has been to buy a new in the box pinball machine. Each time I would get close to my goal, something would happen...like the trucks transmission would go out or the washer and dryer would break. In 2012 my dream came true and I traded a Simpsons Pinball Party for a new in the box Transformers by Stern. It had many special meanings to it, one being the obvious of my 15 year old dream come true & secondly by daughter Rebecca and I both had 2nd place plaques from the 2011 Texas Pinball Festival playing the Transformers Pinball Machine, they hang on the wall next to the machine.

Thanks Dad for creating the Monster in me, although my wife has been a good sport throughout the years...I have become out of control! We actually bought our current house because of the machines I had at the time and for the future. Her rule was: "You can have the 1000 square foot basement for your machines". That lasted a few months and then I filled my side of the 2 car garage and then my wife's new rule became: "I don't care what you do except I have to have space to put my car in the garage!". Then she became a daycare provider and did not need her car in the garage because she was at home. Yes there was another new rule: "I don't care what you do except I need a path through the garage to put food in the daycare refrigerator and freezer".

26 years later, after discovering pinballs and arcades again, I have over 100 games! Ridiculous I know! Basement is full, oversized 2 car garage is full, 2 - 10 X 20 storage units full. I wish they all were pinballs, but as for a hobbyist everyone around me still thinks I am still OUT OF CONTROL!!!!

My good sport of a wife is about to have a dream come true as I am about to open a Pinball Event Center called:  Pinballs Plus, LLC

So I will be removing about 60 machines from the basement and garage to give her the house back!

So if your in Topeka ks,  look us up @ 400 sw 6th street