The Limited Edition of Jersey Jack Pinball’s Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is the top-tier form of Pat Lawlor’s sumptuous 2019 tribute to the beloved 1971 film, dressed in exclusive art and premium trim. With four flippers, seven magnets, a remarkable thirty-six mini-inserts, and a rotating cellar hole, it’s a richly mechanical table that captures the whimsy and wonder of Wonka’s factory — and the menace lurking beneath its sweetness.
The scoring revolves around the golden tickets and the Everlasting Gobstopper. The Gobstopper target lights locks and advances your bonus multiplier, and to lock a ball you shoot a rotating disc with a scoop that spins around — the slick trick is to forehand the shot with the right flipper, then backhand it with the left once the hole rotates into position. The TV shot is another key target, and glancing the G.U.M. standups on the way activates targets, spins the Augustus spinner, and feeds the TV saucer. Shooting both orbits lights a super playfield multiplier.
There’s clever depth in the skill shots, too — a short plunge into the computer shot earns one, while an elaborate Super Secret Skill Shot chains the camera, factory, and Gobstopper ramps into the TV, which turns chocolate-brown when the factory ramp is hit. Gorgeous, deep, and dripping with Lawlor’s signature wit, the Willy Wonka LE is a late-career gem from one of the all-time greats in its most collectible form. Come with me, and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination.