No solid-state pinball machine has ever sold more than The Addams Family, and three decades on, Bally’s 1992 juggernaut still feels like the high-water mark of the early DMD era. Designed by Pat Lawlor and Larry DeMar and timed to the hit 1991 film, it moved an astonishing 20,000-plus units on the strength of personality and a few genuine engineering firsts. Chief among them is Thing — an animatronic hand that pops from its box to magnetically snatch the ball and spirit it below the playfield — alongside a computer-controlled mini-flipper smart enough to learn a tricky cross-playfield shot on its own.
The signature feature, though, is “The Power”: hidden magnets beneath the playfield that grab and fling the ball unpredictably, conjuring the family’s supernatural mischief at the worst possible moments. Savvy players learn to cradle up and wait out the magnet rather than fight it. The game flows through the mansion’s modes, started at the chair and stackable for big scores, while spelling GREED at the optical bookcase lights locks for multiball. Bear Kicks — racked up on the center ramp — light extra balls and spot mansion rooms, and the deep enders chase the Tour finale for a 50-million payday.
Combos reward a careful hand: a clean three-way of center ramp, left orbit, and left ramp builds serious points, and most players learn to backhand the chair scoop and bookcase to stay out of trouble. It’s a table that rewards both the casual flailer charmed by Thing and the tournament regular hunting Cousin Itt and the perfect GREED lock. Funny, fast, and endlessly re-playable, The Addams Family didn’t just sell — it defined what a licensed pinball machine could be.