Hee Haw

Hee Haw, released by Bally Manufacturing in 1974, was a pinball machine that capitalized on the massive popularity of the country music-comedy television show of the same name. The machine represented a significant moment in themed pinball history, as it was one of the earlier examples of a TV show licensed pinball property.

The machine's artwork and design elements drew heavily from the rural comedy aesthetic of the TV show, featuring cartoon-style artwork of cornfields, farm scenes, and likely caricatures of the show's stars. As an electro-mechanical machine of the mid-1970s, it featured the classic bells, chimes, and mechanical score reels characteristic of that era, along with the satisfying clunks and clicks that pinball enthusiasts associate with machines of this vintage.

Gameplay-wise, Hee Haw was designed to be accessible to casual players while still offering enough challenge to keep experienced players engaged. The playfield likely included standard features of the era such as pop bumpers, drop targets, and various scoring lanes, though specific details of the layout are not widely documented. The machine's theme helped it find homes in many locations where country music was popular, particularly in rural areas and southern states.

While production numbers are not definitively known, the machine's association with a popular TV franchise likely helped it achieve respectable sales figures for its time. Today, Hee Haw pinball machines are considered collectible pieces, particularly among fans of country music memorabilia and those interested in television-themed arcade games of the 1970s.