Flip with jumbo power — Chicago Coin’s Big Flipper is an electromechanical two-player with a circus-and-carnival theme and one genuinely distinctive feature that gives it its name: a pair of five-inch jumbo flippers, oversized paddles that change the whole feel of play. Designed by Jerry Koci, it’s a characterful woodrail-era piece from one of the industry’s pioneering manufacturers.
Those jumbo flippers are the machine’s calling card, and they make Big Flipper a genuinely unusual play — those extra-large paddles give a player a different kind of control and reach across the playfield, a bold bit of design meant to stand out on the crowded arcade floor. Rounding out the layout are four pop bumpers, two rollunders, a kick-out hole, and a center up-post that gives a player a fighting chance against the drain. That combination of oversized flippers, lively bumpers, and the defensive up-post makes for an engaging, distinctive game, all in service of the bouncy carnival theme.
Big Flipper is a fun example of Chicago Coin’s electromechanical craft, pairing a joyful circus theme with a genuinely novel gimmick in those five-inch jumbo flippers. Chicago Coin was one of the industry’s foundational manufacturers, and its willingness to try distinctive ideas like this makes its machines a rewarding pursuit for the collector who prizes the unusual. For anyone who loves the golden age of EM pinball and a machine with a real point of difference, it’s a worthy find. Work those jumbo flippers, pop the up-post, and ride the bumpers under the big top. Some machines stand out for a single bold idea, and Big Flipper earns its name in spades. Grab those giant paddles and drop a coin.