Step right up to the big top — Circus Circus is a solid-state single-player from the manufacturer Cisco, wrapped in a cheerful circus theme, one of the lesser-known makers whose machines form a fascinating corner of pinball history. With an alphanumeric display, it’s an intriguing curiosity with a genuinely distinctive scoring feature at its heart.
The layout is lean and focused with a standout element: two flippers, a single pop bumper, a pair of slingshots, two standup targets, and an “Action Ring” that encloses the pop bumper within a ring of bumpers for fast, kinetic scoring action. That Action Ring is the machine’s calling card — by surrounding the pop bumper with a ring of bumpers, it creates a burst of rapid-fire scoring whenever the ball enters, a genuinely fun and unusual bit of design. The two standups give a player clear objectives to work through, all in service of the festive circus theme. It’s a clean, distinctive design that rewards a player who keeps the ball moving into that lively action ring.
Circus Circus is exactly the kind of off-the-beaten-path machine that makes pinball collecting so endlessly fascinating — a title from a lesser-known manufacturer, carrying its own quirks and a genuinely distinctive Action Ring feature. For the collector who delights in the hobby’s forgotten and unusual corners, it’s a worthy pursuit. That ring-of-bumpers mechanism gives the game real character, an eye-catching burst of scoring that sets it apart from more static layouts. Work those standups, send the ball into the Action Ring, and enjoy the fast-scoring frenzy. Some machines stand out for a single clever idea, and this Cisco circus curiosity earns its stripes with that lively ring. Come one, come all, and drop a coin.