The Sinbad Pinball Machine That Helped Invent Hollywood Synergy

When I was young, pinball machines were just pinball machines. I never stopped to think about why a particular theme existed or whether there was some corporate mastermind behind it. Looking back, though, one machine stands out as a surprisingly important turning point in both pinball and Hollywood history.

The 1978 Gottlieb Sinbad pinball machine is widely considered the first major official movie tie-in pinball machine born directly from corporate synergy. Today, that sounds completely normal. Every superhero movie, television show, and video game seems to get its own promotional merchandise. Back then, however, it was something new.

The story begins when Columbia Pictures purchased D. Gottlieb & Co., one of the biggest names in pinball. Almost immediately, Columbia executives looked for ways to cross-promote their new acquisition. Their answer was simple: turn one of the studio’s movies into a pinball machine.

That movie was Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977), the final entry in the legendary Sinbad trilogy created by special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. The film featured all the fantastical creatures and stop-motion magic that made Harryhausen famous. Unfortunately, it also suffered from some of the worst timing imaginable. It arrived during the same summer as Star Wars. Overnight, Harryhausen’s handcrafted effects suddenly looked old-fashioned next to the revolutionary visual effects being introduced by George Lucas. What should have been a major fantasy event instead became overshadowed by a cultural phenomenon.

Still, Columbia saw an opportunity.

Gottlieb released the game in several versions as the pinball industry was transitioning from electromechanical machines to computer-controlled solid-state technology. The primary four-player version was called Sinbad and became only Gottlieb’s second solid-state machine. For operators who weren’t quite ready to trust computers, Gottlieb also produced an electromechanical version under the same name. A special two-player electromechanical version was released as Eye of the Tiger, borrowing the film’s full title.

Today, that title creates an entirely different kind of confusion. Many younger fans immediately think of the famous 1982 song Eye of the Tiger by Survivor and assume there must be some connection. There isn’t. The movie actually predates the song by five years.

As a game, Sinbad earned a loyal following. The playfield was packed with ten drop targets spread across three banks, creating plenty of satisfying shots. Even more memorable was its unusual four-flipper layout. Players affectionately nicknamed the upper pair “scissor flippers.” They made for fast and exciting gameplay, but they also had an unfortunate habit of sending the ball screaming straight down the middle when things went wrong.

The machine’s eye-catching artwork was created by longtime Gottlieb artist Gordon Morison, whose colorful fantasy illustrations appeared on the backglass, cabinet, and playfield. His art captured the adventurous spirit of the film far better than the movie’s box-office results ever did.

Morison began his career in comic books before finding his true canvas at D. Gottlieb & Co. During the 1970s, he became the company’s most prolific artist, stepping into the spotlight after Roy Parker’s departure. Over the years, he created artwork for roughly 150 pinball machines, helping define the look and feel of an entire era.

What made Morison’s work special was its energy. His illustrations seemed to burst with movement. Heroes lunged into action, villains looked genuinely menacing, and fantasy worlds practically exploded with color. Drawing heavily from his comic book background, he filled backglasses, cabinets, and playfields with bold outlines, dramatic poses, and richly detailed scenes that grabbed your attention from across the room.

Pinball collectors often talk about Morrison’s distinctive artistic quirks, and one of the most famous is the way he drew hands. Once you notice it, you start spotting it everywhere. His characters had expressive, oversized hands that became something of a signature, making his artwork instantly recognizable to longtime fans.

Machines such as Sinbad, Joker Poker, Dragon, Charlie’s Angels, and dozens of other Gottlieb classics owe much of their visual appeal to Morrison’s imagination. At a time when pinball machines had to compete for attention in noisy arcades packed with flashing lights and distractions, his artwork helped make them impossible to ignore.

What’s fascinating is that the machine represents the beginning of something we now take for granted. Before Sinbad, pinball themes were generally original creations. After Sinbad, licensed entertainment properties gradually became a major part of the industry. What started as a simple attempt by Columbia Pictures to promote one of its movies helped establish a marketing strategy that would eventually become standard practice.

Strangely, the pinball machine may have ended up with a more enduring legacy than the film it was created to promote. Today, collectors still seek out Sinbad, not because it was tied to a movie, but because it remains a genuinely fun and distinctive game from one of pinball’s most interesting transitional eras.