Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball
| Company type | Pinball machine |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arcade games |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | John Trudeau, Python Anghelo |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Pinball machines |
| Parent | Midway (under Bally label) |
Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball is a pinball machine from 1990, crafted by designers John Trudeau and Python Anghelo, and launched by Midway under the Bally label. This game incorporates characters from Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. It stands as one of merely three officially licensed pinball titles featuring Looney Tunes figures, alongside Sega's Space Jam and Spooky Pinball's Looney Tunes. The production run totaled roughly 2,250 units.
Gameplay
Built to accommodate between one and four players, the game celebrates Bugs Bunny's 50th anniversary through themed missions involving his fellow characters. Players begin with a "Skill Shot" that helps Wile E. Coyote pursue the Road Runner, then engage with a reversed "Chicken Coop" mini-playfield before advancing via "Tweety's Slide" onto the main playfield for scoring chances. Important objectives include striking Daffy Duck to earn a 500,000-point "Big Score" and triggering "Speedy Gonzales' Keek-Out" to gain 1 million points. The curved central ramp activates the "Tazmanian Shopping Spree," spotlighting the Tasmanian Devil characters, which can award up to 500,000 points or an extra ball. Blowing out every candle on Bugs Bunny’s birthday cake delivers a massive 50 million-point bonus plus a Surprise Package that captures the highest score among opponents.
Playfield
The playfield layout contains three flippers, a skill shot plunger, three pop bumpers, three slingshots, nineteen standup targets, a three-bank drop target, a kick-out hole, a spinning target, a captive ball, and a left outlane kickback feature. Positioned in the upper-left corner is a small inverted playfield with its own flipper that sends the ball downfield around a ramp to strike a captive ball. In multiplayer sessions, an exclusive mechanic swaps players’ scores at random intervals.
Development
Due to a production hiatus at Bally, management allotted Python Anghelo only three months to develop the game from initial concept to finished product. Collaborating with John Trudeau on this title as well as The Machine: Bride of Pin-Bot, they completed both projects swiftly—earning Trudeau the nickname "Doctor Flash." Despite their rapid progress, Anghelo was dissatisfied with the outcome, describing it as "half-baked." The game sold approximately 2,500 copies and met with only moderate enthusiasm from players. Anghelo attributed this reception to intangible elements, remarking, "It depends what we have in our hearts... either The Force is with you, or it's not."
A review in Play Meter criticized the game for its low difficulty level and an unengaging main playfield that felt slow-paced. The inverted sunken playfield was also viewed unfavorably. Additionally, the multiplayer feature involving random score awards or exchanges was poorly received.
To promote on-site events like contests and tournaments, licensed merchandise was made available at discounted rates for operators. Authorized Bally/Midway distributors had access to point-of-sale displays and sales support materials. Participating partners included Armitron, Creative Innovations, E.M. International, H. & L. Enterprises, Koochy Koncepts, Nikry Company, Rarities Mint, United Brands International, Zephyr Group, among others.
Voice cast
- Greg Burson provided the voices for Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat, the Tasmanian Devil, and Foghorn Leghorn
- Noel Blanc contributed additional vocal effects for Bugs Bunny, supplementary lines for Daffy Duck, as well as voicing Yosemite Sam, Sylvester the Cat, Speedy Gonzales, Barnyard Dawg, and various chickens
- Bob Bergen performed as Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, and Honey Bunny
- Mel Blanc featured through archival audio as Sylvester the Cat
- Paul Julian appeared via archived recordings as Road Runner
External links
- Operator's Handbook – accessible through the Internet Archive
- YouTube – 7-minute gameplay footage of Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball
- YouTube – 5-minute gameplay video of Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball