Gottlieb’s Pink Panther, released in 1981 and designed by John Buras, brings the suave, wordless cartoon cat to a colorful solid-state playfield. With three flippers, four pop bumpers, twin drop-target banks, a generous spread of standup targets, and even an additional backglass display tracking two “Blue Diamond” counters, it’s a feature-rich early-80s machine that captures the breezy, jazzy cool of its licensed star.
The scoring revolves around the standups and a rewarding multiball. The big arc of standup targets progresses each one through a satisfying cycle — unlit, to pink, to blue, to both, and back — paying bonus, points, bonus multiplier, and collect base bonus along the way. The multiball is the centerpiece: completing each drop-target bank lights that side’s hidden lock saucer, and locking both balls begins a three-ball multiball (with lock-stealing in play in multiplayer games). During multiball, shooting the standups and the left drop bank racks up points and bonus while collecting the prized Blue Diamonds tracked on the backglass.
Stylish, colorful, and dripping with cartoon charm, Pink Panther is an enjoyable and underrated Gottlieb machine from the System 80 era — its diamond-collecting multiball and those distinctive backglass counters give it real personality. For collectors who love a beloved license and a rewarding lock-and-multiball ruleset, it’s a likeable and characterful classic. Cue the unmistakable theme and go collect those diamonds in style.