''Spirit of 76'' is a

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

game designed by

Ed Krynski Edward Paul Krynski (September 12, 1927November 15, 2004) was a pinball game designer and innovator who worked for D. Gottlieb & Co between 1965 and 1984. During this time Krynski designed more than 200 games and innovated new pinball standards ...

and Wayne Neyens and released in 1975 by

Gottlieb Gottlieb (formerly D. Gottlieb & Co.) was an American arcade game corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is best known for creating a vast line of pinball machines and arcade games (including ''Q*bert'') throughout much of the 20th century. ...

. The pinball machine should not be confused with the pinball machine '' The Spirit of '76'' by Mirco Games, Inc. Two other versions of this pinball machine were released in 1976: ''Pioneer'' - a two-player version and ''New York'' - a special 2-player Add-a-ball version in celebration of the 1976 lifting of the ban of pinball in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Description

The pinball game ''Spirit of 76'' was made to celebrate the 200th birthday of the United States. The backbox of the machine has art from America's heroes. The red white and blue theme dominates the game.

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...

covered wagon A covered wagon, also called a prairie wagon, whitetop, or prairie schooner, is a horse-drawn or ox-drawn wagon used for passengers or freight hauling. It has a canvas, tarpaulin, or waterproof sheet which is stretched over removable wooden ...

s and

rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

s are displayed on the playfield. Stars and stripes, representing the flag of the United States, are on the side of the table. The playfield has an uncommon layout in its lack of a spinner and omission of kickers above the flippers; relying instead on a pair of passive rubber bumpers.

Digital version

The table was virtually recreated in pinball simulation video game, ''

Microsoft Pinball Arcade ''Microsoft Pinball Arcade'' is a pinball video game from Microsoft. It was released on December 15, 1998, for Microsoft Windows and in 2001 for the Game Boy Color. The game is a collection of seven real pinball tables licensed by Gottlieb. Thes ...

''.

References

External links

''Spirit of 76'' on the Internet Pinball Database''Pioneer'' on the Internet Pinball Database''New York'' on the Internet Pinball Database
1975 pinball machines Gottlieb pinball machines {{pinball-stub