Step right up to the big top — this is Circus from Brunswick, a solid-state single-player wrapped in a cheerful circus-and-carnival theme, from a manufacturer far better known for bowling and billiards equipment than pinball machines, which makes it an intriguing curiosity from an unexpected name. With an alphanumeric display, it’s a scarce entry from a company that dipped only briefly into the flipper business.
The layout is lean and focused: two flippers, two pop bumpers, a pair of slingshots, and a standup target. It’s a clean, simple design in the classic mold, the kind of straightforward playfield that rewards accurate shooting and keeping the ball alive. The two pop bumpers keep the ball lively up top, while the standup target and slingshots round out the field, all in service of the festive circus theme. There are no elaborate ramps or multiballs here — just the honest, approachable pleasures of a well-tuned solid-state playfield and the midway cheer of its theme.
This Brunswick Circus is exactly the kind of off-the-beaten-path machine that makes pinball collecting so endlessly fascinating — a title from a company outside the usual pantheon of manufacturers, carrying its own quirks and character (and worth noting, several makers built machines called Circus, so collectors should mind which one they’re chasing). Brunswick’s brief venture into building complete machines makes its games a rewarding pursuit for the collector who prizes the unexpected and the rare. For anyone who loves the hobby’s surprising corners, it’s a worthy find. Ride those bumpers, work the standup, and enjoy the show under the big top. Sometimes the most interesting machines come from the least likely names, and this Brunswick circus curiosity is proof. Come one, come all, and drop a coin.