Sources
Contributors to this record: Flipcommons AI Descriptions (Manufacturer), Flipcommons Catalog.
- description
- Flipcommons AI Descriptions (Manufacturer)Automatic Industries is the company behind the Whiffle — one of the first coin-operated pin tables sold in the United States and the game most often cited as launching the American pinball industry. Founded in early 1931 in Youngstown, Ohio, the firm sold an estimated 27,000 *[[title:whiffle-board]]* (1931) units in its first year, growing from a small partnership to sixty-six employees and opening offices in Kansas City and Toronto. The Canadian subsidiary produced *[[title:whiffle-bagatelle]]* (1931), a localized variant, and *[[title:the-maple-leaf]]*, a game named squarely at the Canadian market. The original Whiffle's success spawned a rapid family of variants: *[[title:champion-whiffle]]* (1931), *[[title:improved-whiffle]]* (1931), *[[title:whiffle-board-deluxe]]* (1931), *[[title:automatic-whiffle]]* (1932), *[[title:baby-whiffle]]* (1932), *[[title:whiffle-delux]]* (1932), *[[title:whiffle-zip]]* (1932), and *[[title:whifflette]]* (1932). Most are [[technology-generation:pure-mechanical]] games, though *[[title:whiffle-zip]]* (1932) crossed into [[technology-generation:electromechanical]] territory — an early sign of where the industry was heading. The entire catalog is built around the single product concept that started it all.
- name
- Automatic IndustriesFlipcommons Catalog
- slug
- automatic-industriesFlipcommons Catalog