Toreador

Toreador, released by D. Gottlieb & Co. in the early 1960s, captured the drama and excitement of Spanish bullfighting during a period when international themes were becoming increasingly popular in pinball design. This electro-mechanical pinball machine represented the growing sophistication of pinball artwork and thematic integration during the golden age of mechanical pinball.

The machine featured vibrant artwork depicting matadors, bulls, and the pageantry of the bullfighting arena, which was particularly appealing to American audiences fascinated by Spanish culture. The playfield likely included standard features of the era such as pop bumpers, kick-out holes, and scoring lanes, all themed around the bullfighting motif. Like many Gottlieb games of this period, it would have featured the company's distinctive high-quality craftsmanship and reliable mechanical components.

Toreador was produced during a pivotal time in pinball history, when manufacturers were competing to create more engaging themes and gameplay mechanisms while still working within the constraints of electro-mechanical technology. The machine represents the classic era of pinball when the focus was on pure mechanical action and player skill, before the introduction of electronic sounds and displays that would come in the late 1970s.