Author Archives: Robert Harris

It seems like every year we keep breaking this record. The Embassy rooms sold out in only 150 seconds this year, faster than the Olympic 4×400 Relay. If you still need a room for the show and didn’t get one … Continue reading →

Last year the hotel sold out in under 15 minutes. This year should be on different. If you want to stay at the onsite hotel, be ready at 9AM CST Friday August 30. Click the image, or go here to … Continue reading →

This year’s show had 4 different tournaments going on with 3 divisions of the main Wizards tournament. The Wizards tournament sells out in 10 minutes every year when ticket sales goes live and has the fiercest competition at our show. … Continue reading →

Our old original style Gildan Ultra square, “true to size”, shirts in small to 5XL.. get ’em until April 5th. We also added our Elephant shirts in Jade, and Pastels, there’s a few dozen coins, posters and hats too. And … Continue reading →

We are loaded up-“finally” Wow! So many new firsts this year and a ton of people to thank. We decided to use as much of the additional 20,000 sq ft of lobby space as we could, made the aisles wider … Continue reading →

Congratulations to Christine Busick for having the winning ticket for the Elton John pinball raffle machine! She says her daughter is a huge Elton John fan and this is their first pinball machine. Be careful, they have a way of … Continue reading →

Stephen Silver, Creative Director on The Princess Bride for Multimorphic, is coming back to TPF this year!If you had your heart set on rubbing elbows with a D-list Pinball celebrity, time to lower your expectations, because those guys were booked, … Continue reading →

John is well known in the industry for popular titles such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Munsters, Aerosmith, Metallica, TRON, Iron Man, X-Men, Tales from the Crypt, Guardians of the Galaxy, and RUSH! John will be visiting with TPF … Continue reading →

“Cary is a pinball content creator on Youtube. His channel covers a variety of topics in the hobby. His entertaining videos include topics such as: Discussing current events, performing restorations, comedic skits, educational “How To’s”, product installs, reviews, and more.  … Continue reading →

After indulging in the creation of a few custom pinball machines purely for enjoyment, Josh made a pivotal career shift into the realm of pinball game development. His journey took flight with his inaugural visit to TPF, for the unveiling … Continue reading →

In his 10 years at Stern Pinball, Tanio Klyce has worked on all aspects of pinball software, including leading the game development of Foo Fighters and Deadpool, system software for SPIKE 1, SPIKE 2, and Insider Connected, and software support … Continue reading →

A graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design, Michael has been working professionally as an illustrator for close to 20 years running his own freelance illustration company: Sunburn Designs. Michael is also the artist behind Stern’s RUSH pinball machine. This … Continue reading →

Bill Grupp is a software engineer who has worked in the coin-op industry since 1992. During his tenure at Williams/Bally, he contributed to titles such as Demolition Man, Corvette, Dirty Harry, and Phantom Haus. He served as the lead programmer … Continue reading →

Ever wonder how this show has become one of if not the BEST pinball show in the world? It takes collectors who bring their machines, exhibitors who sell their products, and guests who come to enjoy our hobby. It is … Continue reading →

Meet top 200 player in the world and new Stern game designer.  “Elizabeth recently joined Stern in June 2023 as a game software developer. She has contributed to the ruleset and code for Jaws.  That’s it. Oh! I was on … Continue reading →

At Stern Pinball, Rick has led the software development of all of Keith Elwin’s cornerstone pinball machines, including Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast, Jurassic Park, Avengers Infinity Quest, Godzilla and Jaws. Rick Naegele has his roots at Midway Games, … Continue reading →

Today is the last day you can order your tickets and get the collectable badge when you chose to bring a game or purchase a weekend pass. It is also the last day that you can order merchandise to be … Continue reading →

Dwight is primarily known for slinging code with great rule sets. His history in pinball started in 1990, at Williams, followed by Bally, and Stern Pinball, where he currently works. Games include Stern’s Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Ghostbusters, Star … Continue reading →

Everyone’s favorite pinball engineer and tech is coming back to Texas. Butch has worked in pinball for some time and has been involved in the making of several games including Wizard of Oz, Hobbit, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cactus Canyon … Continue reading →

All the cool cats can go Bananas for the sounds of the Go-GoRillas, Saturday night on the Main Seminar stage, 11pm-12am

Jack Danger, the latest addition to Stern Pinball’s design team, is renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to the pinball industry, particularly in the realms of media and exposure. His passion and expertise led to his role as a Stern Brand … Continue reading →

Multimorphic is coming back to TPF to show off their ever-growing library of P3 games!  They showed off their first P3 prototype at TPF 2012, started shipping machines in 2017, and now have 20 different games available for the P3.  … Continue reading →

Pick up dinner and sit a spell while you jam to sounds of Scoma Jazz, Friday evening on the Lobby stage.

Mike is an Associate Game Developer at Stern Pinball. He has designed rules for James Bond 007 and Stranger Things, and aided in rule design on a variety of other Stern games such as Batman, Kiss, The Mandalorian, Guardians of … Continue reading →

Need help getting a game to or from the show? Team Worldwide is the official Transportation provider for the 2024 Texas Pinball Festival. Team Worldwide has a long history of assisting with the transportation of Pinball machines and gaming components. … Continue reading →

When the original organizers started TPF it began as us sharing our games with the community in an effort to “save pinball”. That sharing continues as collectors restore and share games each TPF, some you might just never see in … Continue reading →

FAN FAVORITE AWARDS – Back when we started the show not only did the organizers run around in the very early Sunday am hours finalizing judging on “best of show” games, we also counted lots of paper ballots on fan … Continue reading →

In 2016, Christopher Franchi arrived on the pinball scene with the illustrious Ka-Pow/Stern produced Batman ’66 games. His colorful, exciting designs and realism quickly earned him a spot in the hearts of pinball fans worldwide. His follow-ups; Guardians of the … Continue reading →

Famed pinball designer and good friend Mark Ritchie is coming back to Texas with his latest title! Mark truly is a fan favorite. He has designed some the most loved and collectible pinball machines in the hobby, including Indiana Jones: … Continue reading →

Searching for the perfect gift for that pinball fan of yours? Look no further! Visit the store and purchase a ticket to the 2024 Texas Pinball Festival. Then, print out this image and put it under the tree or in … Continue reading →

On the 20th Anniversary of the TPF, the Texas Pinball Festival will be giving away a NEW, Elton John pinball, Platinum Edition, from Jersey Jack Pinball. Did we know that our 2024 theme would match this game so perfectly? No, … Continue reading →

Yes, he was our one and only VIP at that first 2002 festival and has been a part of every show since then. It almost never happened!  Steve originally gave a hard NO to Craig when he first approached him. … Continue reading →

The TPF is excited to continue to host the most awesome awards in pinball.   Voting begins Dec 18th. Make sure you vote the Texas Pinball Festival as “Your favorite pinball show”!

Something NEW! – “Early Ride Time” pass – add this $50 option to your weekend pass for entry at noon on Friday.  You get an additional 4 hours of preview access to the main show floor.  Several or our exhibitors will … Continue reading →

Wow, that was as fast as we have ever seen. Tournaments were selling out in record time, so fast that it caused a glitch in the system. Just know that if you got an email saying you have a ticket, … Continue reading →

TPF2024 tournament pre-registration will go on sale Saturday, September 30th, 2023. The schedule for ticket sales is as follows: 4:00pm CDT – TPF Wizards Tournament Entry sales begin 4:30pm CDT – TPF Women’s Tournament Entry sales begin5:00pm CDT – TPF Classics … Continue reading →

TPF Fans, 2024 discounted admission tickets are now on-sale. Our new 2024 merchandise is also available at the TPF store in a wider variety of styles and color options for on-line and pre-show purchase. Tournament Registration is being finalized and … Continue reading →

TPF Fans, preparations have been made for a faster than normal race start, so don’t get stuck in the pits.   Last year’s race time to beat is 52 min.    If you are a bit slower off the starting line, there are other … Continue reading →

TPF Guys and Gals – Introducing Re-Threads, our new vintage merch catalog.  Go back in time… well maybe not that far back.  Visit the Texas Pinball Festival website store for “Brilliant True to Life Color” for 2 of our popular prior … Continue reading →

WOW! THAT WAS AMAZING! Another TPF has come and gone. As usual, we needed a few days (ahem… weeks) to recover. And now it’s time to say THANK YOU! TPF2023 was the BEST one yet! There is absolutely no way … Continue reading →

Stern Pinball’s newest game designer, Jack Danger, is heralded for his many innovations in the Pinball industry regarding media and exposure over the years. Starting his design career with Stern’s Jurassic Park Home Edition, Stern Pinball just released Jack’s second … Continue reading →

ColorDMD Pinball Displays is again making a special offer for TPF2023 pinball Exhibitors: $50 off and free delivery on a new ColorDMD display picked up at the show and installed in your game OR $50 credit toward your next ColorDMD … Continue reading →

Exclusive offer for TPF2023 attendees! 50% off and a free ride to the National Videogame Museum Show your TPF wristband at the door March 24-26 to gain entry to the NVM for just $6! That’s 50% off the regular $12 … Continue reading →

Join us Friday, March 24th at 8pm at the Texas Pinball Festival for a special showing of this new exciting film followed by commentary and Q&A by the man himself, Roger Sharpe. Seating is limited and a TPF show entry … Continue reading →

Join Todd Tuckey and Imoto Harney for a screening of the short film “Skill Shot, Baby! Pinball Epiphany” on Friday, March 24th at 7pm. The short features a scene from the feature film script in which Jake, a newcomer to … Continue reading →

Everyone’s favorite pinball engineer and tech is coming back to Texas. Butch has worked in pinball for some time and has been involved in the making of several games including Wizard of Oz, Hobbit, Pirates of the Caribbean and many … Continue reading →

A graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design, Michael has been working professionally as an illustrator for close to 20 years running his own freelance illustration company: Sunburn Designs. Michael is also the artist behind Stern’s RUSH pinball … Continue reading →

Founder and CEO of Jersey Jack Pinball, Jack returns to TPF2023 joining Steve Ritchie and Eric Meunier to show off Jersey Jack’s line of pinball machine. Jack will be visiting with fans and guests all weekend and I bet you … Continue reading →

Legendary pinball designer Dennis Nordman will be joining us at TPF2023. Dennis has been working on his upcoming title with American Pinball and we can’t wait to see (and play) it! Dennis is best known for pinball favorites such as … Continue reading →

Don’t miss out on the Texas Pinball Festival Swap Meet on Saturday morning, March 25th, 2023. The DFW Pinball & Arcade Club does such an awesome job every year! The DFW Pinball & Arcade Club is a gathering of pinball … Continue reading →

Roger Sharpe’s demonstration of the game as skill-based overturned New York City’s thirty-four-year ban on pinball machines in 1976. His story, now a film, “PINBALL: The Man Who Saved The Game” is set to open in theaters on March 17th.  … Continue reading →

Pinball designer John Borg will be returning to the 2023 Texas Pinball Festival joining a growing list of other designers and guests.  John is well known in the industry for popular titles such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Munsters, … Continue reading →

Mike Vinikour is an Associate Game Developer at Stern Pinball. Mike has worked on almost every Stern game released in the past several years including RUSH and James Bond 007.  Other titles Mike worked on are Batman, Iron Maiden, KISS, … Continue reading →

The final voting for the TWIPYs will start on January 1, 2023 and end at midnight on January 16, 2023 at twipys.com. We are very excited to have Imoto Arcade and Todd Tuckey as hosts for the live awards ceremony … Continue reading →

With production of Weird Al’s Museum of Natural Hilarity in full swing, Gerry Stellenberg and the Multimorphic crew are returning in 2023 to show off their full catalog of games and demonstrate all of the features that set the P3 … Continue reading →

Yes, you read that correctly! On the 20th Anniversary of it’s release, the Texas Pinball Festival will be giving away a NEW, The Simpsons Pinball Party which is being generously donated by fellow pinball collectors Ross and Lisa Viguet. This … Continue reading →

Famed pinball designer and good friend Mark Ritchie is coming back to Texas! We love having Mark. He is truly a fan favorite and has become a TPF staple.  Mark has designed some the most loved and collectible pinball machines … Continue reading →

Game designer of Jersey Jack Pinball’s smash hits “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Guns N’ Roses”, and part of the team on every other JJP game, Eric has certainly made a name for himself in the pinball world. We can’t … Continue reading →

Cary is a pinball content creator on Youtube. His channel covers a variety of topics in the hobby. His entertaining videos include topics such as: Discussing current events, performing restorations, comedic skits, educational “How To’s”, product installs, reviews, and more.  … Continue reading →

We are happy to announce that fellow pinball aficionados and friends Jonathan Joosten of Pinball Magazine and Martin Ayub of Pinball News will be back at TPF2023 for another round of their fun game show: “So You Think You Know … Continue reading →

In 2016, Franchi arrived on the pinball scene with the illustrious Ka-Pow/Stern produced Batman ’66 games. His colorful, exciting designs and realism quickly earned him a spot in the hearts of pinball fans worldwide. His follow-ups; Guardians of the Galaxy, … Continue reading →

Scott Danesi has certainly made a name for himself with his break out hit “Total Nuclear Annihilation” and his second title “Rick and Morty” by Spooky Pinball. Most recently, Scott partnered with Multimorphic by creating sound packages for multiple P3 … Continue reading →

TPF2023 in 3D Swag NOW AVAILABLE: New shirts and hoodies featuring artwork by the very talented Brad Albright (each 2023 shirt will include a pair of 3D glasses). A limited collection of previous Texas Pinball Festival show merchandise is also … Continue reading →

On your mark…. Here is the TPF2023 pre-registration opening schedule for Saturday, October 15th, 2022 at https://texaspinball.com/tpf/store/. 10:00am CDT – TPF Wizards* Tournament Entry sales begin 10:30am CDT – TPF Women’s* Tournament Entry sales begin11:00am CDT – TPF Classics Tournament Entry … Continue reading →

Greetings TPF Army! We are still very much in summer vacation mode, but we wanted to give you a little preview of the TPF2023 theme and also let you know it’s time to GET A ROOM! The Embassy and surrounding … Continue reading →