THE SIMPSONS
by Data East (September 1990)
This pin is based on cartoonist Matt Groening’s cartoon bumperthat originally aired during The Tracey Ullman Show. The shorts soon eclipsed all other entries in the variety show and spun off to become FOX TV’s first big hit.
In the pin, players try to light the Kwik-E-Mart Laser Kick targets, knock down bowling pins, eat chocolate pork rinds, and ride the Ultimate Behemoth ramp to get the Nuclear Jackpot. The machine talks constantly and features the original voices of the characters from the series, including Mr. Burns, Homer, and of course, Bart Simpson. “Don’t have a cow, man.”
Data East’s Simpsons pinball machine was awarded the “Best Pinball Game” award in 1990 by the Amusement and Music
Operators Association.
Michael Thomasson is one of the most widely respected videogame historians in the field today. He currently teaches college level videogame history, design, and graphics courses. For television, Michael conducted research for MTV's videogame related program Video MODS. In print, he authored Downright Bizarre Games, and has contributed to nearly a dozen gaming texts. Michael’s historical columns have been distributed in newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written business plans for several vendors and managed a dozen game-related retail stores spanning three decades. Michael consults for multiple video game and computer museums and has worked on nearly a hundred game titles on Atari, Coleco, Sega and other console platforms. In 2014, The Guinness Book of World Records declared that Thomasson had “The Largest Videogame Collection” in the world. His businesses sponsor gaming tradeshows and expos across the US and Canada. Visit www.GoodDealGames.com.
