The Good Life – May-June 2024

WRITTEN BY: KRISSY NESS
PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
Pinball has been around for almost a century but
hasn’t been all bells and whistles. Automated pinball
machines were invented in the 1930s, though there
are earlier prototypes that date back even further.
I was fortunate enough to sit down with Bill Brooks of
Fargo Pinball and get the scoop on all things pinball.
“When pinball was outlawed for gambling reasons in
‘42, it was thriving in Europe. Machines would be sent
there from America to be played,” exclaimed Brooks.
“But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t an underground
movement bubbling just under the surface in larger
American cities all across the country.”
It wasn’t until ‘76 that the ban on pinball would be
lifted in America, resurrecting the love of the game
for children and adults alike. As the years passed and
there were more opportunities to play, the pinball
movement began picking up steam.
From the ‘70s to the ‘90s, pinball was everywhere!
When you think of Americana, you may think of blue
jeans, BBQs, or fireworks, but pinball deserves to be in
that category. “Pinball IS Americana,” boasts Brooks.
Brooks and his brother, Jim, have been avid collectors
of these machines for over 20 years. “I’ve been
collecting machines, and Jim had been collecting
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