Whoa Nellie! Stern and Whizbang Pinball Bring Melon Season Early This Year!

MELROSE PARK, Ill., Oct. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stern Pinball, Inc., the world's oldest and largest producer of arcade-quality pinball games, announced today its new partnership with Whizbang Pinball LLC to build and distribute Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons™ pinball in the spring of 2015.

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons™ pinball takes players on a journey through the Mellon Family farm renowned for abundant produce. Players shoot for and score points on the farm operated by the lovely Melony Mellon and her twin sisters while avoiding the wrath of their over-protective shotgun-wielding father. The colorful easy-to-learn game features a fun classically-styled pinball playfield tuned for a balance of randomness and skilled shooting challenges that rewards players of all skill levels.

"We wanted to create a game that everyone can enjoy, so we started with a more accessible layout from a classic era of pinball," said Dennis Nordman, co-founder of Whizbang Pinball and famed pinball industry design veteran. "This is the first new electro-mechanical style game in over 35 years."

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons™ pinball delivers the most tactile pinball experience since the advent of electronic pinball with real bells, mechanical score reels, a solid state control system, and a digital soundtrack. This unique blend of classic and modern technologies creates a new breed of pinball machine that presents pinball as an art form while maintaining the reliability and serviceability of modern commercial pinball machines. The playfield, backglass, and cabinet art and styling, central to the game's unique visual quality, feature detailed original characters and fresh hand-drawn artwork that blend elements of mid-century pin-up art and classic pinball themes.

"Stylistically, this is a mash-up of fruit crate labels, classic pinball and retro pin-up art," said Greg Freres, co-founder of Whizbang Pinball. "We're very excited to be working with the professional team at Stern Pinball on this project."

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons™ offers many unique features including:

• Original throwback-style playfield designed by Dennis Nordman
• Original hand-drawn graphics by Greg Freres featuring fresh fruit, a cool truck and the robust Mellon family
• A unique, durable, weathered fruit crate cabinet design
• Illuminated mechanical score reels
• Retro-style bumper caps and flipper bats
• Dual-action bullseye melon targets
• Two old-time pinball bells and a real cow bell
• The return of "The Knocker"
• Crushed beer cans included for the perfect playfield angle

"This game is an entertaining unique blend of vibrant art, classic pinball, and modern technology that's sure to stand out in any collection," said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball. "If you want something different in your line-up, this is it!"

Pricing and Availability:
Pricing will be announced later this year.

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons™ pinball games will be produced by Stern Pinball in the spring of 2015. For more information and to reserve your game, please contact any authorized Stern distributor or dealer, or send an email to: [email protected]

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons™ merchandise and accessories will be available at the Stern Shop in the spring of 2015.

About Whizbang Pinball LLC
Founded in 2009 by Greg Freres and Dennis Nordman, Whizbang Pinball LLC is a design studio that presents boutique pinball as a new art form by integrating its extensive pinball industry experience with its artistic vision for a unique combination of art and technology.

About Stern Pinball, Inc.
Stern Pinball, Inc., headquartered just outside Chicago, Illinois, is the oldest and largest producer of arcade-quality pinball games in the world. Stern's highly talented creative and technical teams design, engineer and manufacture a full line of popular pinball games, merchandise and accessories. Recent Stern titles include The Walking Dead, Mustang, Star Trek, Metallica, The Avengers, X-Men, AC/DC, Tron, Transformers, Avatar, Iron Man, Batman, Spiderman and many more! All of Stern's pinball games are crafted by hand and assembled by Stern's expert team. Both pinball enthusiasts and casual players around the globe enjoy Stern's games. For more information, please visit www.sternpinball.com.   

All trademarks and product names are the property of their respective companies.

Media Contact
Alexandra O'Leary
FortyThree, Inc.
831.401.3175
[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141016/152607
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SOURCE Stern Pinball, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sternpinball.com