She's my favorite.

I believe that pinball's "seedier nature" is widely unknown or forgotten outside of this community. I've always lived in pretty socially conservative areas of the US and I've never heard a single objection to a pinball machine.

Again, OP knows his clientele and his clientele is all that matters. All the other social commentary is totally different discussion.

Go for it! I'll be there with quarters in hand.

I believe they still have some nice stories, cartoons and exciting toys in the 2016 playboy magazine. Maybe slip one into your kids stocking if it's no longer offensive.

No objections really but a sidewards glance. It happens with video games as well. Video Games have become a little more acceptable but still aren't on par with movies or books in critical circles. Just watch a morning show talk about a video game. Or watch a network show that has someone playing a video game of today with the beeps and boops of Pac-Man.

Good idea. I was looking for a good stocking stuffer.

Not me! That old lady was in just about every issue back in the day and her comics were very funny... in a Playboy kind of way!

I'm glad the paid homage to her.

A 1972 Playboy magazine issue included an article about the history of pinball and shortly after the sales of pinball machines started to skyrocket.

Included in this article was the first printed discussion of having pinball machines in the home as opposed to an arcade setting and shortly after many did.

Some excerpts pinball historian Russ Jensen wrote in regards to that article.

"The article itself began by saying: "Despite all the blather about airplanes and racing cars, the ultimate commingling of man and machine still takes place at the silk smooth flipper buttons of a well tuned pinball machine. No other human endeavor so involves skills of mind and body with the challenging intricacies of a mechanical toy. Nowhere else are the rewards as rich, or the sorrows as devastating."

"The last part of the article dealt with the use of pinballs in the home. The first comment made was that "the absence of recent innovations makes flipper machines especially attractive toys for individuals who want to buy one for their own apartment or game room". The author then remarked that home games should be set for non-coin operation, since to use coins could make them in violation of the law in some localities.

Buying home games was said to be fairly easy; more and more people doing it than ever before. The process of buying a pingame was then likened to that of buying an automobile, with pinball having its own "big three": Bally, Gottlieb, and Williams."

"Included with the Playboy article was a two page "centerfold" depicting three typical pinball machines of the current time. These were Williams' single-player game SUPER STAR, Gottlieb's two-player KING KOOL, and Bally's four-player, the now "classic" FIREBALL."
"

This pretty much a America/Nudity question.

Oh brother. Pinball has never been about bowing to the PC brigade and hopefully never will be. Don't let a few nuts bully you into actually believing your customers will be outraged and you will be looked down upon. That's a crock of sh*t. Mix it in with a few other pins and things will be just fine.

I remember back in the late 70s this machine use to be in every arcade of every mall I frequented. It wasn't a big deal then... Why now?

That might be a cool issue to have along with those centerfolds.

It's amazing to me that in my short lifetime the religious censorship of sex/nudity has turned into the woke/enlightened censorship of sex/nudity. I don't let others beliefs bother me I just find it interesting.

In regards to the 1972 Playboy article about pinball, it is my opinion that it had more to do with the explosion of pinball in the 70s and on into the 80s than anything else and the sales numbers of pinball machines compared to prior than that back that up.

And remember most of the 70s were not great economic times.

Would you say the same if it were an Out Magazine pin?

I don't think they would make an Out magazine pin. Not enough interest.

Why would we have a problem with gays or lesbians on a pin if we don't care about boobs and demons?

So you're saying he should get the Demolition Man pinball?

I guess that depends on what Out Magazine is.

Or maybe a Walking Dead. Flesh eating zombies are sure to be way more family friendly than a Playboy from 1978.

The problem with all the anti-PC ranting is this...

It's a simple question. Does having a Playboy game at a golf course frequented by kids and families have the potential to offend or annoy customers?

The answer is obviously, strikingly, 100 percent yes. So why bother with it when there's plenty of other games to choose from? To strike a blow against political correctness?

Pretty petty battle to fight, especially when there's customers involved.

Just get a Batman66 SuperLE and then everyone will be happy.

I'm not really fighting anti-PC. I'm just confused as to why Bally Playboy is any more offensive than the DE Star Trek, Bally Star Trek, or Jungle Lord that are found in the same location. It doesn't have any sexual sounds. It doesn't show any more skin than the other three games listed.
If you're afraid having the game will tip kids off to the existence of Playboy, that's interesting. I'm not sure where I would go today to be able to buy a Playboy magazine and I'm sure kids would have the same trouble. I don't think the new mag even comes in a bag. Playboy just doesn't have the same name recognition as when the game was produced.

OK, well here's one that won't break the bank and a theme that a lot of steady golfers and their families can relate to.

Backglass.gif

Going round in circles here. It's not the pinball machine itself, just the theme. Surprised Hugh Hefner is still around. He's over 90 years old. There is a pinball machine on my Xmas list some may think is also "racy"

image (resized).jpg

I think it's really just the theme - Star Trek sort of gets a pass because it's "about" something else, even if Uhura has massive jugs, but Playboy is a straight up porn mag. Star Trek is a friendly pin that got a little fucky, while Playboy is FUCKING: THE GAME, only tamed down enough to be publicly appropriate. It's probably just a matter of intent when you consider objections.

You'd be shocked, haha. I still want to see a mod of the Stern Playboy where the foldout reveals an article, though, I think that'd be hilarious.

You don't understand why some moms or super sensitive liberal type dads might not like to see a playboy game?

I think you are playing dumb. I don't care, I like the playboy game. But we live in the real world not some weird rhetorical question world where people can't figure out why a Playboy game might be offensive to some.

You draw the line at playboy. It comes with a lot of cultural baggage that another busty pinball game doesn't. Whoa Nellie is probably over that line as well lol.

But then again, you already KNOW this. Why else ask us the question?

I like you - a fellow stars owner can't be all bad - but man it always seems like you enjoy lightly trolling us.

How can it be Fucking: The Game when there is none of that? Not even in the mag. I think you're letting you're imagination run wild. Playboy is not a porn mag. It has been in the past but that's not what it was in the beginning or now. It was known for it's short stories from noted authors and cartoons by renowned cartoonists besides the nude pictorials. I'm not a fan of Playboy at all but to make generalizations based on your limited knowledge isn't right. By your definition I guess Robert Mapplethorpe is a porno photographer that makes Fucking: The Picture.

If you want to imagine a story for Playboy, it's about women who have hot tub business meetings. The elderly lady is the receptionist and the guy is the janitor. Problem solved.

You make a fair point but I just say screw those people.

You best not use Taxi. At least not the Marilyn version.

After all she appeared nude in Playboy in the 50s and you wouldn't want any customers that might know that to get offended.

Routing machines is all about quarter drop. And I can tell you because I was there that Playboy was one of the highest earning games while it was on route. It was always being played while others collected dust.

Men, women, and children all played it.

Yes, greta game.

The articles were/are terrific and the magazine itself had a certain level of prestige but yes, it was a nudie mag with certain pages that would become oddly sticky after a few weeks. "I'm reading it for the articles!" is still a pop culture joke.

First of all it was a Bally. And at the time Bally had clearly taken over as the top innovator and quality in pinball. Each new Bally machine drew crowds like no other. Then there was Playboy. At the time it was an iconic magazine that represented the times.

As far as gameplay, it was easily approachable and easy to understand. The sound effects were not bad or annoying like some of the other early solid state games. I played it a bunch myself and I was one of those that was disappointed when EMs went away. It was the right machine at the the right time.

In 1978, Hugh Hefner was 52 years old hanging around with very young girls. Some still in their teens. How sick is that? He's the guy depicted in the backglass walking out with the two girls. Yuck!

A lot of pinball machines have scantily clad women on them. I never really ran into any problem in most locations. The only locations I had to be careful with were Christian locations. But, into today's PC environment it is hard to tell. If one person complains are you going to pull the machine? My advice would be don't get the machine. The reason being is that you are questioning it. You know the location better than any of us and you have some reservations. So, go with your gut.

See Dookie, it's not so hard to take a picture of your games, now is it?

To each their own, but I route some pins and I couldn't care less if one of them offended a "super sensitive liberal type". It is impossible to please everyone in life, especially them. I aim to please everyone else, which I think is the vast majority.

And from an operator's standpoint I think it's a good thing to have a bit of variety in your lineup such as something racy, something bloody, something sci fi, something kid- friendly, etc. No need for them to all be kid-friendly outside of Chuck E Cheese.

Too racy...No , too tacky....ummm yes. Overwhelmingly.

I wonder how over 18,000 Playboy pinball machines ever managed to show up at malls, bowling alleys, miniature golf courses, donut shops, movie theatres, etc.. without the kind of backlash we are discussing here.

Don't think they'd hit that number today.....