early 1940s penny arcade machine- "Flipper"

solomonbil · by **solomonbil** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:00 pm

Hi, I'm looking for complete and parts machines of "Flipper" (this has NO flippers). Produced by The Markepp Company of Cleveland, Ohio. They were available with different graphics, all showing a woman in a bathing suit. This machine apparently did nothing but take a penny, no output of gum, etc. or mechanics to get your money back. I'm guessing early 1940s from ads I've found online. Thanks, Bill in New Orleans

by **Ron Rich** » Wed Aug 07, 2013 6:16 pm

Hi Bill,
Can't help with parts, but have a question ??
Why would anyone insert a penny in to such a machine--was the "girl" blacked-out, till someone inserted a coin ? ?
Ron Rich

solomonbil · by **solomonbil** » Fri Aug 09, 2013 4:34 am

Ron,

I ask this question myself. If no gum was given out, no moving parts to get your penny back for another try ( why?), then the appeal must have been the 'excitement' of watching the penny bounce around (the girly graphic has pins to keep the penny from simply dropping down into the locked base). Quite a run-on sentence. I have ads from trade magazines that appeal to the 'mystique' of a lady in a bathing suit. Was this game aimed at sorry teenage guys? As in; "Hi, I'm female. Give me a penny."? My front door (opening the base where the money stays) is missing but there is no indication of even a simple mechanism, as in a Kicker-Catcher game. I need to find a complete machine, but I think I'm right, no mechanism at all. Simpler times or I'm missing something here...
Bill