Whiffle Machine - The First Pinball Machine (1931)

Welcome to the Whiffle Machine Hub!

The machine that started it all. — 1931

Explore the legacy of the 1931 Whiffle machine, a groundbreaking coin-operated amusement device from Automatic Industries. In Depression-era America, Youngstown, Ohio—hit hard by closed steel mills—was the unlikely birthplace of a game that would define arcades for decades. For a nickel, players got 10 balls and a shot at the high score. Stay tuned for more content, including history, technical details, and community features!

Did you know? Over 27,000 Whiffle games were built in the first year alone. Today only a handful of original machines are known to survive—making the Whiffle one of the rarest pieces of pinball history.

How to Play

One play cost 5¢ and gave you 10 balls (9 white, 1 red). Use the spring-loaded plunger to shoot balls onto the inclined playfield. Score by landing balls in numbered holes (10, 20, 30, 50, 100, 150, 200, 300 points). The red ball counts double. If you get a ball in the "double your score" hole, your total is doubled. Add up the values of all holes that have balls in them (doubling the red ball's hole and applying the double-score bonus if earned) for your final score. With a little practice, you can place balls much like on a pool table.

Discover the fascinating story of how this innovative game paved the way for modern pinball machines.