Inside… Todd’s Pinball Room

In his time spent away from the court as the Sixers Radio Analyst, Todd MaCulloch has developed a passion for playing Pinball machines. Much like his dynamic play on the court over the years, Todd has found that he also excels at playing the often, misunderstood hobby. He ranks 150 on the World Pinball Player Rankings website, which is updated monthly.

MacCulloch is not just an admirer of the game as he has dedicated his entire basement to creating a pinball lovers dream room. In his basment there are five rows of Pinball machines all made by Williams and Balley, which happens to be Todd’s favorite maker of the product. According to MacCulloch, Williams and Balley have produced some of the best models ever created.

"Ye Olde Medeval Madness” is Todd’s favorite game in the room. This game is unique in that it has the ability to be fun for beginners, yet can challenge knowledgeable pro’s. The object is to destroy the “castle”, which guarded by “Trolls” and a “taunting Eagle” among others, continues to crumble and re-set throughout the game. Each time the castle re-sets the game becomes more difficult. Local craftsman Len Davidson made this neon sign with design assistance coming from Todd himself.

The “Indiana Jones” game was created following the premier of the third movie, yet it follows the storylines and incorporates sound effects from all three previous films. The concept of the game requires the participant to first, “steal the stones” before the player must “cross a rope bridge”, which involves taking five shots. Then, the participant must hit drop targets in the “well of soles” prior to a “tank chase” where certain shots are shot to make the tank go over a cliff. Within the game, there are three video modes, one of which being a small video game that the participant uses the “flipper” buttons to play.

“Bowlette”, created in 1950, is similar to bowling in that the goal is to knock down as many pins as possible. The difference is that the goal must be achieved by sliding a “shuffle puck”. As each pin gets hit, the light in the pin goes out. This old fashioned slot machine is one of a few coin operated golf games that Todd has collected. According to Todd, this game is meant to be fun. The most money that anyone has won was eighteen dollars in quarters.

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