Williams Funhouse, 1990 Pat Lawlor & Team   Gallery

Medium-res   High-res

Medium-res   High-res

Hi-Res Custom pricing card

The first time I heard the music and saw that head on the playfield, I knew this was going to be a great game.

The music has a manic carnival tone to it, using odd harmonics to good effect.  The segues from intro to main theme to stress themes are perfect.  Very original and it never gets old.

Rudy.  Unless you've seen him in action, it's hard to describe the excellent effect they created with this character.  His jaw is driven by a tricky combination of a standard solenoid driver, an interface board which converts the binary solenoid commands into an analog voltage to drive an electric motor, and the proper mechanical gears and linkage to the jaw.

The perfectly-synchronized movements of the jaw with the speech yields an uncanny effect...very life-like indeed.  Combined with the shifty eye movements and the eyelids (which pop wide open at appropriate moments during Rudy's speech), Funhouse really does live up to it's original promise to make "pinball come alive".

Game Description:

The object of the game is simple on the surface, but has many levels and sub-plots to keep it entertaining.

• Main Thing: advance the clock to midnight, then get ball to go into Rudy's open, sleeping mouth.
  • This will start a 3-ball multiball with opportunities to amass huge points.  Shots to the Trap Door and then the main ramp build the bonus, and make Rudy scream like he's been electrocuted.
     
• Sub-plot 1: get all the awards on the "Mystery Mirror" to start a super frenzy with fireworks-like sound and light effects
• Sub-plot 2: get an extra ball by going around the "Gangway" (orbit) multiple times
• Sub-plot 3: get one of 4 prizes using the steps ramp and unique left-side ball shooter.

Other fun things to do in the game:

• Hit Rudy with the ball.  His reactions are great!  Especially try to get one in there while he is talking.
• Open and use the "Trap Door" to get big points or start special scoring rounds.
• Get the ball into "Rudy's Hideout" which is invisible and thus, hard to get to.
• In multi-player games, the player who is addressed as "Slick" will also get extra comments from Rudy since he will be in Silly mode.

This game is currently undergoing a complete overhaul and rebuild. 
Below are some teasers, or see the gallery of the reassembled game.

		Reworked wiring harness! Check out the photos of my efforts to eliminate the spaghetti-like mess of wires found under the playfield.
		Ball-deflector modification I got rid of the ugly cover over the transition between the plastic and wire ramps and had to make a small ball deflector to prevent ball traps.
		Big Time Cabinets comes through with a fantastic replacement for the old, tired cabinet and head. This is a great finishing touch and makes the whole package look better than new.

For basic Fun Factor, Funhouse wins.  I'd say it is a must-have for any pinball collection.

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