The Pinball Hall Of Fame: Almost GAME OVER | Retail Archaeology

[@msbae]

Whoever that anonymous donor was that provided them with the remaining funds they needed, THANK YOU.

[@spaggetijeff1229]

Amen

[@SargeWolf010]

Yes Thanks 100

[@mtown671]

Agreed

[@annabelxlee]

I got to visit back in May right after they opened the new location. The lady working the front counter told me that one of the reasons they didn't almost make it was because LV city council wanted to tax the machines as if they were slot machines and that would have been the end for them. I think she told me they run as a non-profit not a regular business and the CC didn't like the fact they couldn't make more money off of them. Ridiculous. This place is an absolute treasure.

[@jfwfreo]

In what universe is it acceptable to ask a non-profit organization to pay the same tax as a big casino company making billions of dollars in profit?

[@beebfajeejy]

@@jfwfreo ameeeerica ameeeeerica god sheeeed hiiiis graaaace on theeeeeeeee

[@jaysmith179]

Sounds like something the Democrats would do. They love taxes.

[@covercalls88]

The casinos hate any operation that takes any business from them.

[@Christophersanchez1326]

Haa haa the old there slot machines trick was getting applied 🤣..

[@RoachOverlord]

I'm glad they managed to survive. I've still never been to Vegas, but this will be one of the first places I visit if I do. By the way, there's a place in San Francisco on Fisherman's Wharf with tons of old electro-mechanical games. You would love it if you're into that kind of stuff.

[@Idelia412]

I thiink all the machines used to be in the Cliff House that is now gone.

[@stevetee5076]

@@Idelia412 I think the Cliff House old arcade games moved to fisherman’s wharf.

[@super256colors2]

The museum is called Musee Mechanique and its still in Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. When it was in its old location (Cliff House), some of its old arcade games were actually featured in the movie The Princess Diaries!

[@johndough23]

Close to the LV Sign so good to include the two in short day trip. there's also a Harley Davidson Store between with a snack bar. Gotta do vegas....

[@Noahwarriorsfan]

I've been to both places!! It's cool to see somebody mention the SF one. Awesome place. My dad loved the Pinball place in Vegas. His era of game, really cool place as shown in the video

[@AcroRay]

A Mold-a-rama machine, wow! There are still a number scattered around the country. Probably a couple dozen at museums and other public attractions, and some in private collections. Uncommon, but amazing. There are restorationists keeping them alive, and sharing the toys and keeping old molds in circulation.

[@loualcaraz6497]

Growing up in the 70’s I was addicted to pinball. Back then 1 play cost $.10. You got 3 plays for $.25. Great memories!!!

[@Aboveall1313]

Those were the days, I remember 10 cnts.one play ,quarter 3 plays, yup bk then u could do a lot with simple change.70's we use to play all day till dark in the summer at 7 elevens & all night stores when we could get away with staying out till dark.

[@rusty1187]

Most amazing of all is that Tim knows how to fix all these machines!

[@j.frankparnell6195]

I have visited this one, as well as the Seattle Pinball Museum and the Silverball Arcade in Ashbury Park New Jersey. All very good.

[@agenericaccount3935]

The worst part about stepping into a time portal is having to step back out. All the same, glad this one survived. Heck of an archive. Thanks for the tour.

[@jeffumbach]

It's like experiencing "true level."

[@chris18t]

The Disneyland machine is made by Mold-a-Rama. They are a Chicago local company that still exists and maintains these old machines in the Chicagoland area! They are in Many museums around the area and Brookfield Zoo! My wife and I still buy these everytime we visit.

[@kevintucker322]

I used to love the ones at Brookfield zoo! My grandpa lived in walking distance from the zoo

[@FPSHungary1337]

I remember when every amusement park in Southern California had its own Mold-a-Rama’s they were very popular back in the day

[@bradwilliams1691]

As a pinball fan for the last 40 years, I'm putting this on top of my bucket list. Great video.

[@BluesElwoo2]

The Shrek pinball machine is actually a play field copy of the Family Guy pinball machine. Its basically reskinned to look like Shrek. I would imagine the rules are a little different, as it felt like it was easier and more forgiving than Family Guy. Didn't play it much since it was disappointing for me that it wasn't an original machine. Haven't been to Vegas in awhile. Pinball hall of fame is somewhere I have to visit while I am there. I use to live there. Glad to see it is still alive!

[@DocNo27]

The Pinball Hall of Fame is one of my favorite locations ever. I just recently came back to Southern Nevada and can't wait to get back and even start volunteering there to help Tim and the rest of the crew out! Tim has warehouses full of machines - he probably just needs time to get them shopped out so they can move onto the floor - I wouldn't expect those gaps between machines to last too long.

[@BadassDZ]

That Disney injection mold machine was also refitted for Zoos. I remember getting a ton of them at a zoo in Tennessee. Nice catch.

[@lustar3232]

I used to get them at the L. A. Zoo, but I could have sworn that they were made of wax.

[@lylelay]

They were (are) found at a lot of public "amusement" places. I got my stegosaurus at the Field Museum in 1963 and at least as of 2002 you could still get one there. The Machines were made in Chicago and that's where the majority of the still operating ones are.

[@NISSANZ33]

The San Antonio Zoo Too

[@michaelleighton6879]

And the Miami Zoo, at least in the late eighties. Those most likely were lost to a hurricane named Andrew...

[@rushguy1]

The Milwaukee County Zoo has a bunch of them under the name Mold-O-Rama. I have a complete collection of small wax animals atop my bookcase that I'm looking at while I type this.

[@claudiamiller7730]

Ahhh…Vac-U-Form!!! We used to have one at the Zayre’s store - sort of like a K-Mart style place from the ‘60’s - in a suburb south of Chicago called Chicago Heights. It was always a MUST DO event when we got there to shop! Also…over the years and probably currently, too…there were several of these machines at the Museum of Science and Industry on Chicago’s lakefront. We still have a U-505 submarine and a brachiosaurus we got as kids when we went there on field trips. The company might have been in Chicago..I remember these poor machines were notorious for breaking down because of their fussy innards. But…oh, the sweet smell of melting plastic and the joyous expectation you felt as your souvenir was being molded…Priceless!! Plus…growing up living over my family’s bar and restaurant…I played many a game of bumper pool, skee-ball bowling and every pinball game the local mafi…um…”supplier” was pushing at the time….oh…plus slot machines! As a child! Lordy…….such good times!! Clearly skewed as a youth to ultimately fall in love with Las Vegas!!

[@darktetsuya]

I remember finding the original location completely by accident! the family was driving to LV to my aunt's house and just happened to pass it along the way, luckily I was staying for a while so I definitley made sure we could pay them a visit or two... man what a massive arcade! yeah IDK casinos never really did it for me I'd rather spend my quarters at a place like this! I do remember the story about how this place almost closed for good, eternally grateful to whoever the mysterious donor was!

[@atrain13851385]

my dad still works on pinball machines, i used to work with him when i was younger (12 to 14 years old) doing the PM work (cleaning play field, changing burned out bulbs, changing bumper rubbers). On the older machines especially the electro mechanical those top half glass pieces are stenciled and hand painted incredibly hard if not impossible to get replacements for. Always gave me a panic attack if i ever had to pull those glasses off. Thank you for the video!

[@covercalls88]

I have an original ballys Star Trek and Williams Space Shuttle pinballs with the back glass in excellent condition. I can image how much those back glasses are worth.

[@johndough23]

There's videos here on YT of home arcades people post. Amazing stuff. I cannot even imagine how cool it would be to have a basement pinball arcade. WAY better than a theater in book.

[@covercalls88]

@@johndough23 As collectors items go my pinball bank is worth way more than what I paid for it. But the machines do require maintenence so there is a cost.

[@LockeNCole]

We literally make trips to LV just for this place. So much history and the cat is awesome.

[@charlotteowens4644]

They have 4 cats now

[@JL-cu8rh]

I do come here everytime I visit Vegas!! This place is a national treasure!!

[@MelodieOctavia]

Welcome back to my neck of the woods! This location is great. It looks a lot more like a museum now rather than a pinball centric arcade. And I'm sure that is at a great relief to the owner!

[@mattcaruso9241]

Thanks for the tour! I was at the old place years ago and loved it. My friends have to drag me outta there, I never wanted to leave.

[@jonstechchannel]

The Disney machine is called a Mold a Rama and they are all over the US. Each machine is unique to its location, whether it's a museum or amusement park. Dolphins, to trains, to Wienermobiles. They are actually pretty cool to see all the different options. I usually group them with the smashed pennies, a cool souvenir machine.

[@Mappy1964]

I could easily spend all day in this place. It does bring back lots of great memories.

[@neuromancer9k]

I was here in April. I didn't know that they were ever in trouble. Good to hear that they've been saved, but hopefully the city leaves them alone and they can work towards operating in the black, going forward. Thank you filming/showing this!

[@williamharris8367]

The Toy Factory machine is very cool -- Thank-you for profiling it. I first went to Disney World (Florida) in 1981, and I do not recall having seen anything like that during my visit.

[@navibc31]

I know the Milwaukee Zoo in WI and maybe some Kalahari resorts have those machines that make regular animal shapes

[@XPlusWeapon]

I know the museum of science and industry in Chicago has one too.

[@jrobertsapp]

I remember getting toys from machines like this at old school rest stops on I-95 heading south in the early 70s.

[@masonterry2285]

I’ve seen several of the injection molded machines, Universal Studios Orlando has 3 that I know of and Third Man Records (owned by Jack White of the White Stripes) has one. Universal still produces new molds every often for their machines.

[@PEACEOUTPAT]

the giggle after you said "i dont think you'll have any trouble finding this place because of the sign" was a top 10 gigg

[@Starpotion]

I've actually seen one of those toy injection machines before, multiple of them in fact, at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. I remember they had a fair number of them scattered around the building and each one would give you a figurine based off various Seattle landmarks. Not sure if they're still there but they were a lot of fun to try and find.

[@geribaldi2]

Oh My God, that bowling PIN so brings back memories. I remember going to the boardwalk arcade in the 80's and they had one of those. Think a local arcade had a mechanical baseball themed machine which was fun. Great video, love watching these (especially while locked down :( )

[@moo3993]

Crazy! I just visited here today, and popped on youtube when I got home and there your video was. This place was amazing, truly love the EM and williams system 9 machines, so much fun. Can't wait to go back with more change. I love how all proceeds got charity, and the story behind the founder. Pretty amazing this place exists. Would like to meet Arnie someday

[@spaggetijeff1229]

Apperantly the old zoo use to have a thing like that Pluto toy maker but I haven’t been in a while

[@samb937]

I was there last month and it is an incredible place. So many games I remember playing with my father when I was a child. I was in 20 different casinos on my trip but this was my favorite place.

[@mikegrazick1795]

My grandfather had a vending business in western Massachusetts. Pioneer vending was the name. He had pool tables, pinball machines, regular vending machines of the like. It was a phenomenal business! It was sold off in 1978. Wildly successful!

[@EstherBuiter]

We went there after seeing your first video on the place, when it was still at the old location. All the way from the Netherlands. And this was by far the best place we went to in Vegas!

[@DudeMcAwesome]

The only thing I'm going to miss about the old locations is that you used to be able to pop next door to the Crown & Anchor for a pint, then back in for more pinball. Will be headed to the new locations in a few weeks and I can't wait. Fun fact, Shrek is a direct clone of the Family Guy pinball machine, right down to the mini pinball field up top.

[@scottieray]

I think this video fits in with all the others. These machines would have been found in Malls and Grocery Stores across America.

[@krause95]

Great video! I was just at the Pinball Hall of Fame in September. Cool to see it on video! Also, the Milwaukee County Zoo has the exact same toy mold machines as the Disneyland one, and they are still in use all around the zoo today! Of course, the toys are just molds of animals, not Disney. Keep up the great work!

[@Idelia412]

The Molding machines were at the Worlds Fair and is now in the museum at the foot of the Space Needle. It molds a gold color small Space Needle. When I went to the Worlds Fair in Seattle as a kid I used one of the machines to get a molded Space Needle. We lived at the time outside of Seattle during the fair.

[@austinlawler3739]

@2:18 is generations of kids favorite machine in and around Chicago. Every museum and zoo had them, I still have a couple left. Not sure how many are still used, but there was a mini news segment about them on tv, probably WTTW or WGN a few years ago.

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

I've been waiting for another Pinball video, this is perfect, 100% amazing, love the Pluto maker!!

[@johndornoff]

I cannot wait to explore this place. I remember some of those pinball machines and video games from the 1980's. Travel Town, Griffith Park in Los Angeles had one of the those injection mold machines that spit out little train locomotives in the 1980's and I think that Knott's Berry Farm had them during that time too.

[@johndough23]

Travel Town, Griffith Park totally remember that place. There's even a Columbo episode filmed at TT. Do you remember "Zups By The Zoo" John?

[@johndornoff]

@@johndough23 I'm afraid I never made it there and only heard about it after it was gone.

[@johndough23]

@@johndornoff They had burgers there which had like a 1/2 of pure beef with all the fixins for like 99 cents We used to hit it every lunch hour when I was in HS there. The building was like an old Auto Garage. Barely turned into a burger place. The floors were still like a garage.

[@SKiNT3ASTWOOD]

Glad its been saved, i visited the old place on Tropicana ave in 2016. Choc full of pinball goodness may never get there again but i have all the pictures i took on my PC so there always a great reminder...thanks for posting and thank you everyone for saving this great place. All the best from UK.

[@RolenTBard]

Just as a side note, Universal Orlando has some updated versions of the Injection Mold figure creator that they have used during the holidays recently. Been at their tribute stores.

[@gumloon]

I use to repair pinball games many years ago.They can be very challenging to repair sometimes. Thanks for sharing.

[@naomibee9020]

Oh my gosh, the toy machine is really cool. I like that style of Pluto. 5:50 I wonder what was in that huge gumball machine.

[@mikekyzivat1242]

Wow this is a trifecta. Not only do I like this channel, but then you do a video about the Pinball Hall of Fame, AND to top it all off you do a special mention of the Shrek pinball machine, which I was the lead programmer on!! The game was a re-art of a Family Guy pinball made the year before, but I came up with the mode ideas, and a lot of the speech, and put all those ideas into the game!! I'm glad you like it!!

[@fanatic8316]

I remember going to the old pinball location on a school field trip. The owner was there talking to us and he seemed pretty cool. Definitely going to check this out!

[@kirstenhutchinson933]

Thanks for giving these guys another look. They are the best thing on the strip. I have lived here 30 years and watched it evolve. It is one of the best places to visit here. It isn't well known but the Pinball Museum also contributes a lot of funds to charities in our city. I'm glad our community could give a little back to them.

[@MrDan708]

3:00 I remember getting something out of one of those machines at the Miami Seaquarium in the early 70's.

[@covercalls88]

I also visit the pinball museum when I visit Las Vegas. I have a Williams No Fear in my pinball bank that was originally located at Disneyland's Space Arcade. It still has the license sticker required by the city of Anaheim and the Disneyland maintenance log.

[@jaysantos536]

Very good and informative video! We went to the "old" PHOF in 2005 with my 6 year old. He loved it and we will return this one soon (He's now 22).

[@anthonyross-702]

I live in Las Vegas and I've driven by the old location many times but never went in. I think I'll visit. This was a great video!

[@48mastadon]

I can't believe they have the "Bow and Arrow" pinball machine. I spent so many quarters on that machine in the late 70's at the local Time Zone arcade. Anyone else remember Time Zone? Those were good times. Man, I'm old....

[@robo60616]

The old location was mind blowing when I went There in 2013 ! New place looks amazing as well .

[@RyanShyffer]

Universal Studios Florida has 2 of the Mold-o-Rama (or Mold-o-Matic) machines that they use in their tribute store. They change out the molds by season. I love the Pinball Hall of Fame, been there 3 or 4 times and recommend it to everyone who goes to Las Vegas.

[@Will-nq3fo]

Didn't know that they moved. Good update video. The old location did have a great Retro video game store next to it.

[@Randorita]

I loved playing pinball and spent many hours and quarters learning different machines. My favorite was Bally’s Happy Days 8 Ball. If I ever get back to LV I will have to visit.

[@brad5575]

I visited the old location can't wait to see the new one

[@crazykong1967]

I must go there next time I am in Vegas. Being born in the late 60's I have not been in a proper arcade in several decades. Thank you for posting the video. One word = Awesome.

[@tubeitmark]

Three Mold-a-Matics were at Free Play Orlando this weekend. You can see them on many of the 2021 videos people are posting on KZbin.

[@chrisdorr5786]

Nice vid. Great to see the new space, can’t wait to go back and check it out. I was surprised you didn’t mention the Pinball Circus though as that’s the only one available to the public in the world, one of two cabinets made.

[@SuperNicktendo]

If you're in Chicago, the museums there have mold-a-ramas and Ive always enjoyed them since I was a kid.

[@jens-3949]

Every time I go to Vegas, PHOF is a must visit. This is actually the 3rd location of it, before they went to the strip, it was locatated on Tropicana for quite a while. Before that, I was also in the same area, but I don't remember where exactly. I love their collection and also the non-pinball stuff. The crane machines from the 30's in your video are awesome! I remember we've got all the rubber ducks out of one of it, great day, big fun!! There also some of these injection molding machines at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI.

[@TheCrawfordaz]

This will be my next stop when in Vegas dragging the family so dad can re-live his childhood. Great video again

[@MatthewBaran]

I played a ton of these last week at the pinball museum in ashevill NC. So awesome

[@Oheeeoh]

I visited there for the first time a few weeks ago. It's really something how they keep those old machines in working order.

[@chrislaustin]

I've been visiting the Pinball Hall Of Fame since the owner did a few get togethers a year at his home(huge storage shed behind house), before finally opening the old location. So it was awesome to finally visit this latest location on the strip a few months back, as it was a long time coming. I grew up in So. Cal, so going to Disneyland was a regular stop many times each year, and those mold injection machines were long gone by my earliest memories of mid to late 70's visits. I never new Disney had had these, as every amusement place a went as a kid had one(Universal, zoo, animal parks, Knotts, etc.), so it was beyond cool to see that Disneyland had models at one point as well.

[@jfreakzach]

During the summer my gf & I left tonopah to go to Vegas for a day and made it a must to check out the new location. She never been to the old one or this new one. We were blown away by how big it was! I told her the old location wasn't as huge.

[@markvolpe2305]

In Western NY, we have a billiards place by me that has over 70 pinball machines, but most of them are fairly modern (1980's and newer).

[@TheWaterbedguy]

We've owned pinball machines dating back to my early childhood in the late 60s. In the early 80s we opened an arcade when the Pac Man craze started and kept it operating for about 5 years. We had a nice mix of old and new pinball machines. Next trip to Vegas means a stop at this new location. I wasn't aware they were relocating, so good for them. BTW, we had a bowling machine when I was little, but it had a puck instead of ball, and you had a powder to keep the lane slick. It finally met it's end and no one was able to bring her back. Great video and walk down memory lane.

[@lylelay]

PHOF has a baseball that works like that

[@alex-650]

Looking forward to going to Vegas to see this new location! Thanks!

[@rorrimcigam]

10:33 There it is! South Park pinball was one of my favorites. Before that, there was a Adams Family pinball machine based on the 90s movies. That was another one that I really liked.

[@brad6576]

It's the Mamuska!

[@allenzatko7662]

The Disney injection mold machine: They had those in the plazas on the turn pike in Florida. The were kind of like cookies out of an oven. Warm and smelled good. Only you couldn’t eat them. LoL I rennet oranges and dinosaur options. That was in the early 70’s. Brings back memories. Thanks!

[@wombledownunder]

Cheers for the video mate. As an aussie kid growing up in the 1970s I fell in love with pinball machines or pinnies as we call them in Oz. When we visited Vegas in 2010, I went to the old Arcade and loved it. Great to also see the pinnie machine where I got the first of many free games-Central Park. Give me a pinnie machine over a poker (slot) machine any day of the week!

[@eric1weecw001]

Pinballz in Austin, TX has a hefty collection and several locations.

[@charlotteowens4644]

Is it a not for profit and money goes to charity? Not if they have more than one location

[@UnixGoldBoy]

Wow! Didn't know they moved. I went to the old location back in the day. I will have to go back to Vegas soon to see it!

[@jasonmcquinn6601]

Disney World in Orlando used to have a large arcade full of old mechanical games on main street. I don't know it is still there but I loved it back in the early 80's. Great video like normal. Next time I am in Vegas I will be stopping here. I have been to the Pinball museum in Gatlinburg, TN and it pales in comparison to this one and had no old mechanical games that I can remember at any rate.

[@mastermindmartialarts]

Looks like an amazing place. I got nostalgic for my childhood just watching this video. Awesome.

[@ScottJWaldron]

Very cool place. Nice job on the video! I remember those Mold-A-Rama machines. As a kid I specifically remember getting a few at a big Zoo in the area.

[@cupnoodles6358]

this place is amazing. can’t wait to go back one of these days

[@mikecronis]

That Star Wars Arcade was actually a VERY rare Empire Strikes Back EPROM re-fit that was available to arcade owners you could buy as an upgrade. Super SUPER cool. The only other one I have ever seen was Universal Studios in the '90s, and it was a sit-down version.

[@GregNorton]

Mold-o-rama machines are more common than your research indicated. I came back from a trip to Chicago with half a dozen models from two museums. I also have models from machines in Gatorland in Florida.

[@IMRROcom]

Friend of mine has both the Q-Bert Pinball and the Baseball game in his collection.

[@peanutismint]

So glad this survived! I was working at an event at the Mandalay Bay a few months ago and this was just across the street, though sadly I didn’t have time to visit it. Luckily I’ll be back there in March so will definitely check it out then!

[@Christopher0817]

Great look at their new digs I love to visit them one day

[@mikeyjl54]

I was there last month with cousins and had a blast. Loved the retro machines. The cost is great and it was a great time

[@Budicles]

Thank you for showing this place. On my bucket list. Museum of science and industry had those mold makers in it. Oh the memories of all the pinball . 💗💗💗💗

[@charleslinker2904]

Sinbad was my first pinball machine I ever played. about 1979.

[@Breeder333]

I was there a few days back. Great place and the new sign looks great!

[@kevlarandchrome]

That place looks awesome! If I ever get out to Vegas again, I know where I'm spending a bunch of hours and a ton of quarters. Thanks for sharing this one.

[@theultimatetowerofterrorre301]

I love this place! GREAT place to spend an afternoon with your family for much less money then you would spend on the strip or seeing a show. One of the best parts of visiting this place is that they have some machines occasionally that never made it into production; one of a kind, or near one of a kind. I played a vertical pinball called "The pinball circus." Great fun, and a once in a lifetime opportunity to actually play a vintage, never produced machine.

[@magsblack8344]

Funny thing is you mentioned how some older pins had basically the exact same layout but different names. Shrek pinball by Stern is identical to Family Guy pinball (which was right next to Shrek at the PHoF). The only difference between the two games is the paint/theme. The layout, rules, and over game are exactly the same.

[@Melissa2087]

This place has been on my bucket list... hoping to get there next time i'm in Vegas

[@JamesBrock72]

So glad I got to go this past year. My only problem was I did not have enought time to play everything I wanted. Thanks for sharing

[@narcopsy]

I love pinball and always wanted to go there!

[@GrumpyBearRawr]

If you're ever in the south there's a place called Pinball Palace in Brunswick Georgia which is pretty cool.

[@stevexray6253]

Galaga was my favorite but the old shooting gallery game took me way back to some stores had them near the exit. My dad didn't like to spend money but every once in a while he'd let me play. I'd have to stand on a chair or in the buggy to shoot.

[@gamewizardks]

The arcade at the eastside mall in town had a Q-Bert's Quest when I was a kid. I would love to play one right now. The flipper scheme is crazy.

[@dannyzontos536]

The zoo close to my house in Illinois (Brookfield Zoo) has those molding machines! They make statues of animals which are pretty neat!

[@rdsubjec2fluding]

I visited there a long time ago and it was awesome! I'm so glad it was saved.

[@MeltWithU]

Hopefully the new location will keep them prosperous. I didn’t know this was in Vegas, I used to go every year for like eight years in a row. Had I known that was there, I definitely would’ve been. In any case, I guess I have someplace to go next time I get there. Thank you for sharing.