Most kid friendly pins?

jcasetnl

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We are trying to come up with ideas for pins that might appeal more to
kids, say ages 5 - 13. I know just about any pin can be set up easy
and forgiving, but what games, by design, would appeal to kids? Your
thoughts?

A few that come to mind:

-Travel Time (drains don't matter) This has been surprisingly
popular.

-Some have said Safecracker operates in a similar way. Is this a good
one?

-Shrek (theme, cool toys)

-Simpsons Pinball Party (though some parents don't feel TSPP is
appropriate for kids)

-Spiderman

-Big Game (big open playfield, play not too fast, surprisingly popular
with the kids)

-Mario pinball (never played it)
 
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Stern's SpiderMan, BatMan, NBA, Pirates, Wheel Of Fortune, or Indiana Jones.

Pins from the 1980's, possibly Space Station, or any space theme for that matter.
 
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I can let you know this Sunday I'm picking up a Spiderman this Saturday and I've got two young kids. Right now I have a Tales of the Arabian Nights that my 4 year old son really likes.
 
Kids in the early ages between 3 to 7 I'd say spend $100 and get them one of the Zizzle pinball games. The real young ones don't know the difference. The size is more palyable for them. Even the 6 and 7 year olds will feel it is just their size, and play the crap outta of it.

7-10 years olds go with Recognizable characters. Spider-man, Batman, and Shrek mentioned above are all good choices. These kids aren't playing like life depends on it, so don't worry if the pin isn't easy enough for them, just make sure there is alot of visual and audio stuff they can relate too.
 
That's really a tough one to answer because every kids abilities are different. My 8 year old has cat like reflexes while my 15 year old needs a certified letter sent to her instructing her to use the flipper heh heh.

I can only suggest any game you buy has toys to bang on and lots of noise. Something on the heavy end of software. After all kids are more in tune with video games because of their graphics and audio/noise. One would think they'd relate better to a pin that offered the same. Set the playfield angle at a moderate level (typical 5.5 - 6.5 degrees).
As far as titles go - that's also tough because like everyting else with kids they get bored of it and your stuck with using it alone. Make sure it's a title you also enjoy.
 
Super mario Mushroom World is a smaller sized pin, more kid friendly. Also Wico produced a game called "Big Top" It was also a smaller sized game with the big game parts for reliability.
 
If we're talking themes, then:
Cyclone, Comet, Flintstones, Spiderman, Pirates of Caribbean, Funhouse, Addams Family, etc. Basically if it doesn't have guns or boobs on it, it is family friendly.

If we're talking play friendliness, then:
Some pins have a Novice setting that gives guaranteed playing time. I know Mario Andretti has this setting. As does my Whodunnit (though it is disabled).

Some pins are good with quick drains by having a ball save. Many Williams pins don't have this feature, which is a deal killer for many kids. Of course, old SS games and all EM's do not have this feature either. I've yet to meet a kid who enjoys having a ball be over in 5 seconds.

Another good feature for kids is outlane kick-backs or lane switched ball saves.
 
Comet is a hit at my house for all my kids. (5, 7 and 9, all boys). The 5 year old is especially good, which really surprised me. He has the concentration to play, and doesn't double-flipper his hits, even knows how to hold and time for different shots. The 7 year old just wants to hit the ball, the 9 year old needs the certified letter Deadly talked about :) but loves watching other people play.
 
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