ESCO

The Exhibit Supply Company — universally known as ESCO — was a Chicago-based manufacturer whose history in coin-operated amusements stretches back to the early twentieth century, well before pinball existed as a category. Originally a supplier of arcade machines, trade stimulators, and coin-operated exhibits, ESCO was already an established force in the amusement industry when the pinball boom of the early 1930s presented a new opportunity. The company pivoted aggressively into pin games, producing a steady stream of titles from 1932 through the late 1950s.

ESCO’s early catalog included Pure Mechanical countertop games, but the company quickly moved to full-sized Electromechanical machines as the technology matured. Designer Lyn Durant was among the contributors to a catalog that emphasized playability and reliability over flashy innovation. The legendary Harry Williams — who would later found Williams — also designed games for ESCO during the company’s formative years, part of the cross-pollination of talent that characterized Chicago’s tightly knit amusement manufacturing community.

ESCO’s pinball production wound down in the late 1950s as the market consolidated around fewer, larger manufacturers. The company’s legacy is that of a versatile Chicago amusement firm that helped establish pinball as a viable commercial category during its earliest and most uncertain years, contributing over 150 titles to the medium before the modern era took shape.