Down The Rabbit Hole With John Popaduik
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
Release Date: 05/17/2022
Even Jersey Jack Pinball Left New Jersey
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
Episode Summary: Join us this month where Dave says ‘Swing on Over’ like 40 times in the preamble, Ron spoils JJPs next game with the help of Jersey Jack himself, reviews of 70’s style, Jack’s business building and evolving that business over and over, pinball needing to move to the home consumer market, stripped down … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 44: Even Jersey Jack Pinball Left New Jersey →
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Are Barrels (Of) Fun?
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
Have you ever heard the saying, “pinball is hard?” Well, the team at Barrels of Fun hasn’t and they decided to smash on ahead and impress pretty much everyone. It’s been over 24 months since they launched their company and their first licensed game… and (as of this recording) they’ve manufactured all the games they … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 43: Are Barrels (Of) Fun? →
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Pinball Down Under Part 2: Hankerin’ For Some Hankin + Mr. Pinball
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
Do you find yourself craving? Do you ever hanker for a special little thing? Well, we have had multiple people email and inquire about Hankin, you might say they had a craving for another Australian-based episode. Let’s go down under again with Part 2: Hankerin’ for Hankin and Mr. Pinball! Let travel together down under … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 42: Hankerin’ For Some Hankin Plus Mr. Pinball →
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Meet The Gottliebs: D. Gottlieb & Co.
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
The Gottlieb Family is an important part of pinball. David Gottlieb and Alvin Gottlieb made pinball what it is today. David’s vision and spirit, Alvin’s excitement and drive built the Gottlieb name into what it is today; and it will always live on. Join Dave and Ron this month as we talk about the beginnings … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 41: Meet The Gottliebs: D. Gottlieb & Co. →
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Pinball Down Under Part 1: Haggis Pinball
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
Manufacturing is hard. Pinball is hard and when you’re starting on the other side of the world from all the suppliers and skilled labour, it’s that much harder. COVID-19 did not help Haggis Pinball is the latest cautionary tale of a pinball start-up who promised big and initially delivered but ultimately succumbed to the pressures … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 40: Pinball Down Under Part 1: Haggis Pinball →
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Multimorphic Is Reshaping Pinball
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
Multimorphic, Inc. manufactures the P3 Pinball Platform, a modern, physical-digital, multi-game pinball machine, as well as pinball machine control system products, such as the P-ROC and P3-ROC. Since 2009, Gerry Stellenberg and his crack team of engineers and software developers have created the first off-the-shelf pinball controller board for making your homebrew pinball machines, and changed the … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 39: Multimorphic Is Reshaping Pinball →
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By Golly It’s Bingo
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
Silverball Chronicles with David and Ron Episode 38: By Golly It’s Bingo Want to Support the Show? Visit Our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles or pick up a tee shirt at Topic Begins at 12:12 Bingo just isn’t the game you can play at a country fair or a sketchy gambling establishment. Bingo is also the big … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 38: By Golly It’s Bingo →
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Yes… More Roger Sharpe
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
Roger Sharpe is hailed as the Man who Saved the Game from our previous episode, but he did so much more! Roger has been involved in the birth of tournaments, the second rise of licensing, and mainstream journalism. He also has had a great film based on him and his relationship with his wife Ellen. … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 37: Yes… More Roger Sharpe →
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The Token Roger Sharpe Episode
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
We’ve fought long and hard to avoid giving Roger Sharpe yet another ego-building podcast to spin his narrative and propaganda… but, here we are. Roger wrote about pinball. Played pinball. Promoted and evangelized pinball. Roger has been involved in the birth of tournaments, the second rise of licensing, and mainstream journalism. He also has had … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 36: The Token Roger Sharpe Episode →
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The Capcom Debacle Part 2: Illinois PinBall Inc.
Silverball Chronicles: A Pinball History Podcast
Silverball Chronicles with David and Ron Episode 35 – The Capcom Debacle Part 2: Illinois PinBall Inc. Want to Support the Show? Visit Our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles or pick up a tee shirt at Episode Summary Last month we learned about Capcom, the video game company who wanted to get into the pinball industry and … Continue reading Silverball Chronicles Ep 35: The Capcom Debacle Part 2: Illinois PinBall Inc. →
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Visit our Patreon at www.patreon.com/silverballchronicles
Or pick up a tee shirt at https://tinyurl.com/kz5xt4hc
Episode Summary:
John Popadiuk, also known as J-Pop, created some of the most interesting and whimsical playfield designs of the 1990s. He went from a god tier Bally-Williams designer to a start-up pinball company owner and finally to a pinball pariah. John once described his journey as “a long tale of woe in some cases, but also tales of glory in others.”
His name was once included with other Pinball Legends, but in 2022, J-Pop had been reduced to a pinball leper. People would often say, ‘What could J-Pop have done with Bally-Williams had never closed’? Now, the question most likely heard is ‘Where did it all go wrong?’ Does J-Pop deserve all the criticism and abuse that has sullied his legacy?
This month, we go Down the Rabbit Hole With John Popadiuk.
Sources:
Wikipedia: John Popadiuk. Here, Zizzle. Here.
YouTube. NWPAS 2012 Seminar #08 – John Popadiuk. Here.
Pinball Mag, Nick _O. John Popadiuk – Pinball Designer. Here.
Pinball Shenaigans. Alice in Wonderland Prototype. Here.
Pinball Profile. Episode 326: Michael Hanley and Shane Jackson. Here.
Coast 2 Coast Pinball. An Evening with John Popadiuk. Wayback Machine. Here.
Dan Cowles and Kristi Highum. Zombies, Yetis & Pinball. Dec 2014. Here.
Greet, Kayla. Skill Shot – Zombie Yeti Artist Profile. Here.
Pinball Super Nova. John Popadiuk: Another One Bites the Dust. Here.
Pinball News. American Pinball Goes Public. Sept 2016 Here.
Horacze, Stan. Popular Science. The curious story of Magic Girl. Apr 2017. Here
The Pinside Stuff: Here. Here. Here.
Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1982 to Present. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here