The Simpsons Pinball Party is a 2003 pinball game released by Stern Pinball. It has been noted for its complex game play and lasting popularity.[1]

Content

The Simpsons Pinball Party is based on the animated sitcom The Simpsons that airs on Fox.[2] The game has received positive and negative feedback for one of the most complex rule sheets designed for a pinball machine, featuring the ability to stack various modes and multi-balls on top of each other.[3][4] Reaching the "Super Duper Mega Extreme Wizard Mode" requires an unusually large number of shots and only a few people have ever reached it.[3][1] It is noted for its theme integration as well as a second-level playfield and total of five flippers.[5]

Development and release

The game is the successor to the first Simpsons pinball game, entitled The Simpsons, which was released by Data East Pinball (the predecessor to Stern Pinball) in 1990.[2] It was aimed at Stern Pinball's core demographic, players in their 20s and 30s.[6] In 2007, Stern Pinball president Gary Stern said in an interview with License! that more than a decade later, "we started to manufacture a totally new game, The Simpsons Pinball Party. We coordinated with Fox and The Simpsons folks who did the art for the game, as well as the actors who voiced the speech heard during gameplay. We then made an initial production run, totaling thousands."[2] At the time, Stern was manufacturing between 8,000 and 10,000 machines per year.[7] Nancy Cartwright, Hank Azaria and Dan Castellaneta recorded original audio to accompany gameplay.[8][6]

The design team was made up of Keith Johnson and Joe Balcer, while Johnson and Keith Sulivan coded the game.[9] Regarding the development process Johnson reflected that, "In the last 12 years, both pinball and The Simpsons have come a long way, and it was my goal to design a game that illustrates that perfectly. Casual players will be attracted to the Simpsons license and the compelling gadgets. Regular players will be astounded by the sheer amount of things to do and accomplish on the game. I think players of all kinds will be drawn in and find the game satisfying regardless of their skill level."[6]

The pinball game was released in 2003. On February 12th, 2003 Stern Pinball brought machines to The Simpsons' 300th episode celebration at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.[10] According to Stern Pinball, the game is one of their "largest and most successful titles."[2] Michael Jackson and Jason Sudeikis have both owned machines.[11][12] Gary Stern noted of the original Simpson's pinball machine, "We first licensed The Simpsons for pinball in the early '90s, when we were Data East Pinball. While we export about one-third of our games, that first model did especially well in the U.S."[2] By comparison, The Simpsons television show had reached a much larger audience when Stern released their machine and saw larger overseas sales.[1] In 2006, Stern Pinball used some of the same parts and boards to make an arcade game, Simpsons Kooky Carnival.[13] In 2024, Gary Stern commented that he had no plans to modify or re-release The Simpsons Pinball Party because it was already perfect.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c Ruben, Adam (2017-11-01). Pinball Wizards: Jackpots, Drains, and the Cult of the Silver Ball. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-61373-593-0.
  2. ^ a b c d e "A salute to The Simpsons: on the eve of its 400th episode and feature film debut, License! Global takes an in-depth look at The Simpsons' $5 billion worldwide empire". License!. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  3. ^ a b McIntyre, Gord (2013-01-13). "Hardwired for pinball". The Province. p. A8. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  4. ^ "The Simpsons Pinball Party". Pinball News. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  5. ^ Blaylock, Yancy. "The Simpsons Pinball Party Report and Pictures". Pinball News. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  6. ^ a b c "Stern Pinball Inc Announces a Wild "Simpsons Pinball Party"". Pinball News. Stern Pinball. 2003-01-06. Archived from the original on 2003-01-07. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  7. ^ "Pinball gamely hanging on". Chicago Tribune. 2003-04-19. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  8. ^ Pangborn, Oliver (2004-09-23). "Video age". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  9. ^ "The Simpsons Pinball Party (2003) Pinball Machine by Stern Pinball Inc". www.kineticist.com. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  10. ^ "24 Hour Party People". Pinball News. 2003-03-14. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  11. ^ "Michael Jackson's arcade games to be auctioned off on April 24th". TechCrunch. 2009-02-25. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  12. ^ Jannuzzi, John (2015-11-03). "Inside Designer Matt Baldwin's Mid-Century Kansas City Home". GQ. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  13. ^ Knapp, Jason (2023-03-06). "Super Rare Spider-Man Arcade Redemption Prototype Has Popped Up for Sale". Knapp Arcade. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
  14. ^ Knapp, Jason (2024-09-16). "New Details on the Cactus Canyon Remake Expanded Code; Tons of Info From Gary Stern Interview". Knapp Arcade. Retrieved 2025-03-07.
Allikas: Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons_Pinball_Party
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