D. Gottlieb & Co.

D. Gottlieb & Co. was founded in 1927 by David Gottlieb in Chicago, Illinois, and rose to prominence as one of the most influential pinball manufacturers of the 20th century. The company quickly gained recognition after the release of Baffle Ball (1931), often cited as the first commercially successful pinball machine, which sold tens of thousands of units and helped launch the entire coin-operated amusement industry. Throughout the mid-20th century, Gottlieb cemented its reputation for quality engineering, iconic artwork, and user-friendly designs, eventually earning the nickname “Cadillac of Pinball.” One of its most important contributions came in 1947 with the introduction of Humpty Dumpty, the first pinball to feature player-controlled flippers, revolutionizing gameplay and transforming pinball from a largely luck-based pastime into a skill-oriented pursuit.

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Over the following decades, the company continued to innovate, embracing electromechanical and later solid-state technologies, while releasing influential titles such as Black Hole (1981), known for its multi-level playfield design and advanced features. Ownership changes followed when Columbia Pictures acquired Gottlieb in 1977, after which the brand briefly operated under different corporate structures (including Mylstar) and launched several popular video games before returning to pinball production under Premier Technology in the mid-1980s. Despite producing numerous noteworthy machines in the 1990s, declining demand in the coin-operated market led to the company’s eventual closure in 1996, marking the end of nearly seven decades of Gottlieb-branded pinball. The final pinball machine bearing the Gottlieb name, Barb Wire, was released that same year, bringing to a close the storied history of a pioneering force in pinball innovation.