Circle the Earth — Gottlieb’s 1959 Universe is an electromechanical single-player from the very dawn of the modern flipper age, wrapped in an outer-space theme and crafted by the legendary team of designer Wayne Neyens and artist Roy Parker. Its signature charm is a piece of mechanical backbox animation: two rocket ships that circle the Earth, scoring a “trip” each time a rocket reaches the moon, with a maximum of nineteen trips possible. With reel scoring and a confirmed run of 1,150, it’s a genuine antique and a delight.
The layout is a fascinating window into 1959 design: four flippers arranged with one at each end of each slingshot (with all the other flipper-shaped objects being stationary ball guides), three pop bumpers, two bullseye targets, and a gobble hole. That gobble hole is a classic period feature, the cruel-but-thrilling hole that swallows the ball for an award, while the unusual flipper arrangement marks the machine as a product of an era when the rules of the game were still being invented. It’s raw, experimental, and utterly charming.
Universe is a wonderful piece of history for the collector who treasures the earliest chapters of the modern game and the legendary Neyens-and-Parker partnership. That rocket-circling backbox animation is exactly the sort of delightful mechanical theater that gives these ancient machines their soul, turning a game of pinball into a little space odyssey. For anyone who loves pinball’s deepest roots, it’s a treasure. Circle the Earth, brave the gobble hole, and score your trips to the moon. Some machines are cherished for their play; this one is cherished for its history, its charm, and the pioneering hands that built it. A genuine journey to the stars, 1959-style.