TOY STORY 4 RELEASED

Jersey Jack Pinball has revealed their latest game, the long-awaited Pat Lawlor design based on the Toy Story movie franchise.

However, rather than being based on the wider Toy Story narrative, this game is themed on the most recent of the full Toy Story movies, 2019’s Toy Story 4.

As we already stated, this is a game design by Pat Lawlor. Although unconfirmed by the company, it is believed Toy Story 4 will be Pat’s final design for Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) before his retirement is announced. Also unconfirmed but related by several different sources, it is believed the licence and game design were originally for the first three Toy Story movies, but delays meant Pat’s design was used for the Willy Wonka game instead and the licence changed to Toy Story 4.

We said Toy Story 4 is the most recent of the full Toy Story movies, however, by the time the game was officially announced on 14th June 2022 the spin-off movie Lightyear had been premiered, though full cinematic release didn’t begin until 20th June.

So, enough of the background. What about the game itself?

Well, it is a three-flippered standard-width game and it comes in two versions – Limited Edition and Collector’s Edition. That means there’s no base Standard Edition model and, with the Limited Edition restricted to 5,000 units and the Collector’s Edition 1,000 units, the whole run won’t exceed 6,000 machines (unless another edition is announced at some future point, as was the case with JJP’s first two titles, The Wizard of Oz and The Hobbit).

Functionally, the two editions are identical. Enhancements for the Collector’s Edition are mostly cosmetic with a different art package on the cabinet, backbox and backglass, while the Collector’s Edition gains an animated topper, a mirrored backglass, external cabinet lighting, RadCals cabinet decals, interior art blades, a custom shooter knob, additional RGB lighting, sparkle effect on the playfield and additional Bo Peep speech calls.

Artwork for the game is by John Youssi, display artwork and animation is by Jean-Paul de Win, while sound design is by Unlock Audio.

Both models include Invisiglass, a shaker motor, RGB LED Hotrails interior lighting, a player camera and six officially-licensed playfield toy models.

Impressively, JJP has secured the voice talent from Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Jim Hanks (Woody) and Annie Potts (Bo Peep) to create custom call-outs for the game. Jim Hanks is Tom Hanks’ brother and does most of Tom’s voice work for numerous games, toys and other licensed products.

Prices for the two models are:

• Limited Edition – $12,000 (including a $1,000 non-refundable deposit)
• Collector’s Edition – $15,000 (including a $2,500 non-refundable deposit)

The 1,000 Collector’s Edition machines sold out almost immediately upon announcement at midday. 100 of those were available to buy through the JJP web shop with the balance allocated to distributors. Some of those distributors may still have Collector’s Edition machines available but they are likely to be difficult to locate. Some resellers do have the Collector’s Edition model available for a premium over the list price.

So, what’s on the playfield?

There are two standard flippers at the bottom plus a mini upper flipper on the right to shoot the upper loop. There is a spinning award wheel, four pop bumpers, a captive ball, a jump ramp with pop-up posts, a 3-ball lock with a drop target in front, a scoop, a saucer, a fixed ramp, a pop-up bash toy and two spinners, along with the usual mix of targets and slingshots, plus a large secondary display.

Apart from the trim colour, playfield sparkle effect and bottom arch artwork differences the Limited Edition and Collector Edition playfields look identical.

The playfield design uses a couple of familiar devices from earlier Pat Lawlor games, such as the spinning award disc and the movable jump ramp leading to an above-the-playfield shot (No Good Gofers) and collecting tickets feature (Rollercoaster Tycoon). The biggest item on the playfield, however, is the 10-inch iPad-style display located at the back-left.

All Jersey Jack Pinball games to date have featured a second monitor somewhere in the game, but this is the largest display used so far. It is used throughout the game to show awards and in the game’s twelve Carnival modes, together with a simplistic digital pinball game for the Tiki Party feature.

The Duke Caboom jump ramp is a re-designed version of the Hole-in-One jump from No Good Gofers and rises from the playfield rather than dropping down onto it. There are pop-up posts either side of the ramp to ensure the ball doesn’t fly off the ramp at various angles and hit other playfield elements.

The delay in releasing Toy Story 4 has provided time to work on the code, such that the game’s software looks to be near-complete at launch.

The aim of the game is to play or complete seven movie ‘scenes’ to start the Meet Me At The Carousel wizard mode.

The scenes are:

• Road Trip Multiball – knock down the drop target on the left side and lock three balls to start.
• Buzz Quick Multiball – Shoot the Buzz ‘Inner Voice’ saucer enough times to start.
• Forky Rescue – Shoot the F-O-R-K-Y targets then the left ramp to start feature.
• Carnival Multiball – Ramps collect tickets. Use tickets to start modes and lock balls.
• Super Spinners – Complete the Woody and Bo Peep spinners to start feature.
• Duke Caboom Jump – Shoot inner loop and an inlane to raise ramp. Make the jump shot enough times to complete.
• Bo Peep’s Super Loops – Shoot upper loop enough times or make 3-in-a-row to complete.

The game’s software is by Joe Katz, Ted Estes, Keith Johnson and Duncan Brown. Joe produced this gameplay video explaining the rules:

Here’s a graphical view of the rules. As with all images in this article, you can click on the rules image for a larger version.

Toy Story 4 had been in production at the JJP factory in Elk Grove Village for around two months prior to the announcement, which meant when it went on sale there were around 400 machines ready to ship. Indeed, the game was available to play at the Enterrium barcade in Schaumburg, Illinois the following day and has been appearing at other locations in recent days.

With the exception of any promotional games, all machines manufactured so far have been the Limited Edition model. The Collector’s Edition machines won’t be built until the autumn.

Here’s how Jersey Jack Pinball announced their newest release:

Toy Story 4 Pinball is here! Jersey Jack Pinball is excited to announce the highly anticipated release of the Toy Story 4 Limited Edition and Collector’s Edition pinball machines. Experience the magic of Toy Story like never before, playing pinball with Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, and more of your favorite toys as they come to life in this pinball adventure. Experience the magic of Toy Story 4! Launch into the world of Toy Story, with the voices of Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Bo Peep, Duke Caboom, and more. Custom call-outs from Buzz and Woody can be heard throughout the game. The journey is accompanied by an original soundtrack that includes a special rendition of Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”. Award-winning designs Experience the light and wonder of this high-flying, combo-filled playfield from JJP’s award-winning design team, led by Pat Lawlor — celebrated designer of the best-selling pinball machine of all time, The Addams Family. Jersey Jack’s state-of-the-art platform includes proprietary technology that engages players with an immersive experience, featuring mesmerizing light shows alongside animations and scenes from the film. Players can send the silver-ball flying off the Duke Caboom jump ramp — just don’t let the Bensons block your shot! Blast into the jet bumpers to collect a super jackpot in Buzz Multiball, and aim for the stand-up targets to light Rescue Forky. Hurry up and bash Gabby Gabby into a pinball frenzy on the way to scoring Grand Champion. Take a chance on the spinning wheel to earn different awards like Extra Ball, Tiki Party, Super Loops and more! Start interactive carnival games like Star Adventurer, Dragon Zone, Squirrel Derby, and Flipball on the 10-inch playfield frame display. Smile for the camera! A special feature of this high-tech entertainment system is the digital photo booth that takes pictures while you play. Make memories and ‘tweet’ your high scores! The machine comes fully equipped with bluetooth audio for wireless listening and Wi-Fi connectivity for seamless over-the-air software updates. Scorbit, a competitive pinball platform and social network, is also included in the package.

Here are the flyers for each model together with a flyer for both.

The company also released a promotional video.