Gottlieb

Jack In The Box

Pinside Rating

This game received 19 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 7.454 _/10

7.454

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #197 in the Pinside EM Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.417

Artwork: 7.571

Sounds/Music: 3.414

Other Aspects: 7.572

Pinside staff rating

None of the Pinside.com staff have rated this game. Sorry, no rating from us.

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Found 13 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 13 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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7.123/10

1 year ago

GBT

MrPaint

Pinside member

La Quinta, CA

12y 65,200 49 36 59

Fun game if you like drop targets. my only beef is ---- when you plung the ball ,,,,,,if you do not get the lighted saucer you are screwed this takes no skill--- just luck

MrPaint has owned this game in the past.

6.317/10

1 year ago

DAD

whitewoodNJ

Pinside+ Frequent

Vienna, VA

3y 22,500 8 11

I owned this game for about 4-5 months and ended up selling it back. Overall, it's a fairly basic electro-mechanical game that is reminiscent of the era. I've owned several Gottliebs in the past (e.g. Count Down, Tag Team, Genie) and I love drop target games. This is certainly a fairly basic drop target game and it almost mimics Count Down in the sense that there are two sets of flippers. I also really liked the vintage sounds and bells. However, I just couldn't stay interested in this game -- the straight row of drop targets eventually became boring to hit. And that's all the game has to offer!

I think this game could still be fun for those that like the EM games from that time that have basic drop targets. I'm not a fan of the bumpers near the bottom flippers though. It became more of a nuisance for me personally than adding to the game.

whitewoodNJ has owned this game in the past.

8.817/10

2 years ago

DO

Dono

Pinside+ Frequent

Glenelg, MD

9y 86,050 1,784 12 25

Great game, love the layout. Simple but tough, keeps you coming back for more. Especially gratifying is the shot up the left and right side to get the ball back in the LIGHTS 10X bonus hole... a key shot in the game for high scores. This game affords lots of great rebound shots, and for me, opportunities to utilize advanced flipper skills to ensure hitting all targets down with the 10X bonus... love it as a kid, love it now, and will be in my small collection forever.

Dono has owned this game in the past.

9.040/10

2 years ago

RRM

Rock-Pin-Roll

Pinside member

3y 32,050 112 9 1

Very underrated game because of the weak flipper and pop bumper solenoids. Put a little bit of solenoid money in this one for the hot ones and you will see a great game. Also if you can find one at the price value they put on it, you are a very lucky player.

6.715/10

5 years ago

DOC

TractorDoc

DPS

Ashland, OH

7y 245K 2,923 33 106

I really do not like clowns, but I like drop targets. Good game to test your shooting/accuracy skills. I did not like the outlanes/bumper setup on this one. Just could not get used to it.

7.059/10

5 years ago

DEM

Brutilus

Pinside member

5y 28,550 61 24

My uncle owned this game for years. I spent a lot of time at his house playing with my sister. For me, it's the essence of a 70's coin eater. The drop targets, four flippers, top hole targets, and wide flipper gap were what defined this era of pinball to me for a long time.

7.475/10

7 years ago

BAD

Badfingers

Inactive member

7y 20,250 1 23

This is the one my old man put in our basement as a family Xmas gift when I was 12, was in good used shape.

So this is the only table I have played thousands of times.

Sick to death of it, yeah, but probably why I love target shooters, or to blame for why I love target shooters.

6.261/10

8 years ago

YOS

Yoski

Pinside member

Sebring, FL

9y 88,150 456 17 133

A very unique layout. The major gripe I have is that you can't reach the top of the field anymore after you launches the ball. So 25% of the field is completely inaccessible. A major design flaw in my opinion. The 10 drop targets ans 4 flippers provide plenty of entertainment to keep me interested at least for a while. The layout without drain lanes but 2 pop bumpers instead is different and not bad at all even so I prefer the standard layout with lanes. It certainly makes for a slightly different game play when compared to standard flipper and lane arrangements. It has good lastability, one more try to get at all those 10 targets which is not easy.
The artwork is good but not great. One of the better EMs out there.

7.842/10

9 years ago

LEP

jjpm

Inactive member

Milford, CT

9y 24,900 212 10 10

This is the 4 player version of Jumping Jack. Things I enjoy about this game are the drop target bank and the placement of the pop bumpers which make this game challenging. The main issue I have with it is that there really isn't a whole lot going on outside of the drop targets and the multiplayer aspect of the game severely limits the enjoyment factor.

6.004/10

10 years ago

GM

BallyWizard

Inactive member

London

10y 34,150 2 24 98

Bland with poor artwork. Played it several times in the USA recently and left me cold. My wife loved it, but she isn't rating it.

9.549/10

10 years ago

DAN

Rat_Tomago

Pinside member

Plano, TX

11y 107K 3,491 22

This is my second favorite 70's non 1 player EM. I like Royal Flush just a tad more because of the card theme. I do however LOVE the theme and backglass of this game. I love the second set of upper flippers to get the drop targets. This game reminds me Abra-Ca-Dabra meets El Dorado. Some people will compare it to King Pin and like it better than King Pin. I have yet to play King Pin so I cannot make that assessment. The backglass with the big Jack-In-the-Box is cool. The big brested cartoon women will not be a good theme in some family oriented game rooms but i like it. The roll overs on the side are a pain to collect. The pop bumpers at the bottom will kick your butt! I am a huge fan of pop bumpers along the bottom like Abra Ca Dabra and this game. I am a HUGE fan of at the top of the playfield drop targets like this game and El Dorado/Solar City/Target Alpha. This game is hard to find with a playfield in good condition since they were played to death in the last 40 years. I hope to own this game soon!

8.305/10

11 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,455 51 1011

Jack in the Box is one of those games that lulls you into a sense of security and then "WHAM". That clown jumps out and gets you. This game makes you remember why you hate clowns... they're out to get you!

The Pros:
A great design by Ed Krynski. Gordon Morrison put together a great art package with more pink on it than any other deck I can remember. The babes with the tiny waists with the top-heavy physiques contrasted with clowns that have huge candy cane noses. I think there is a message in there somewhere... Gameplay requires accurate aim at the top of the PF. The lower PF speeds things up with the pops right by the flippers! The saucers are the key to high scores with this deck. Both from the skill shot as well as fully up the PF shots. CAN'T GET THAT LAST DROP TARGET DOWN!!!

The Cons:
This game can eat your quarters faster than you can say: "The clowns are under my bed!" I like the 2 player Jumping Jack's BG a bit better with fewer displays to get int the way of Morrison's craft.

The Takeaway:
Fresh rubbers, strong flippers and wisp sensitive pops are a must on this deck... esp by the pops. A great table that will keep you coming back again and again for one more game!

6.615/10

12 years ago

MLV

Pinball-is-great

Pinside member

Lafayette, LA

12y 147K 5,016 3 102

Classic drop target e-m type pinball machine from 1973. Excellent backglass. This machine requires nudging to help keep ball in play and to help get the 10x bonus light lit. I think this adds to the fun. Smashing drop targets w/ clown faces is fun, and trying to get all 10 (multiple times if possible) is the challenge.

Pinball-is-great has owned this game in the past.

1

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