Best pinball for kids

VIPER13

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I don't own any pins yet, but was thinking about purchasing my first. The only catch is I have to get something that is fun and not too difficult so my little kid can play also, or at least attempt to play. I would prefer something from the 80's or newer like maybe Bullwinkle, Fishtales, Cyclone or Hurricane. I don't have a huge budget, so I am sure a lot of the really good games will be out of my reach. Any suggestions?
 
the super mario game by gottlieb would be a fun and affordable game for a kid i would think.

I have this one and kids to love it because they can easily track the ball on the smaller playfield. I'm talking about Mushroom World, by the way.

Also, I recently sold my Hurricane to a guy with 2 younger kids and they love it. The main ramp is something kids just love to see and it's pretty easy to get the ball doing some fun stuff in that game. My nephews were a little sad when they came back to my house to see that the game had been sold.

Jurassic Park is another game that kids love because it has both the shaker motor and the ball eating T-Rex. Whenever my nephews make that shot to the T-Rex and he starts eating the ball they go nuts!
 
World Cup Soccer 94 is a great kids game. They can just shoot for goals if they want, and the left ramp is pretty easy to hit. All my son's friends gravitate towards it normally. They're all around 10 years old....it's affordable as well..and a great game for adults as well..

Fishtales would be a horrible pick for kids..it's a friggin hard game IMO
 
I wouldn't get a cyclone for the kids, they can't relate to the theme, and it isn't very exciting.

Turtles is pretty cheap, and fun, They love the dinosaur eating the pinball on Jurassic Park, and it is deep enough for adults to like also, both Mario games are nice for the kids. I also have a Star Wars (data east version) that everyone likes to play because they recognise the theme, but that will be more expensive.
 
Thanks everyone, this gives me a good place to start. Now the hard part is finding a good one at a decent price.
 
I'd throw The Addams Family into the mix as well. Kid or adult, I've never met a human that doesn't think that game's a blast. Kids dig the "hit cousin it" mode, the "It's Showtime!" multiball, the magnets, and Thing grabbing the ball off the playfield. Just typing that makes me want to go play my TAF.
 
How about The Flintstones? I've never actually played one, but I know they can be picked up relatively cheap, and it's a family friendly theme.
 
How old are the kids? My friend's kid has been playing since he was 2...the kid would lay on the glass w/ his arms stretched to the flipper buttons...he'd yell "MABAA! MABAA!" (Multiball!) ...too cute. My cousin brought her 5 year old twins to my house, and they played EVERYTHING. I think they loved every game. I was pretty impressed, they picked up on the pinball concept really quickly, and after a few hours were already doing some simple catches and clearly aiming for shots.

I think once introduced to pins, kids just like them...it probably doesn't matter too much if it's easy or hard...they just think it's fun. Granted - I think they'll be more attracted to something colorful and silly like Road Show vs. a scary game like Dracula....but I wouldn't worry about gameplay issues that much...they'll have fun w/ it.
 
I have 12 nieces and nephews. They all love my TZ even though you would think it would scare some. But its a little pricey. I have found that kids like to be able to track ball movement easily and like to see the ball travel on the ramps and bumpers. Something with an open playfield and easy ramp shots would be good. A kid friendly theme would be a plus but I found not as important. Automated features like the centrifuge on CSI or the racetrack laps on NASCAR always catch little kids attention.
 
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must of forgot the part about this op's budget as well :).

To be fair, he said he didn't have a huge budget. I'd put games like Medieval Madness in the huge budget category, but I've seen decent TAF machines go for 2K on more than one occasion. I guess it all depends on what your definition of is is. :)
 
I agree...I have 12 pins in the basement and my kids love them all.

That's what I told the wife I'll end up with 12 pin's but all I have room for is 3 more pin's in the gameroom. The garage is no good as it's not climate controlled and in the desert it's 120+ in my garage NOT good for pinball machine's (a Klov'er had his backglass just shatter because the pin was in his garage and it got colder outside. shattered) Nice to have all those pin's burt, very cool.
 
I remember loving The Getaway when I was a kid... But I think that's just because I loved cars. I do also remember being able to keep the ball alive for awhile on the machine as well back then. I also liked world cup 94'. This would have been when I was in the 2nd-5th grade range if it helps. :)

The theme is what will probably sell it to kids more than anything. If it had a car on it I was into it.
 
Comet is a great, cheap pin with a 'family' theme - no outrageous big breasts or anything like that. It does have a creepy laugh though during the attract mode.

Can't go wrong with Super Mario - but they can be hard to snag - most people keep 'em. You should be able to get one under 1k - but sometimes they sell for more.

Ninja Turtles can be had for under 1k - great theme/game.

It has a busty babe on it - but Black Rose is a fun pirate theme. Every kid loves pirates. They are usually 1k or under as well.

You might want to actually AVOID some talking pins if the kids are young. They can be really scary. I've scored 2 Gorfs and a funhouse before because someone had kids, and the games were in the basement and would talk - and the kids wouldn't go NEAR them.
 
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