History

Shuffle alleys appeared before bowler games, at the end of the 40s. Bowler games apeared in the 50s. There are different types of games all using a ball or a puck:

• puck games use a cylindric palet to push on an alley at the waist level.
• bowler games use a ball. The size of balls increased in time as manufacturer worked to make the game more attractive. Some balls even had a hole to put the thumb in./li>
• roll down bowler games looks like a puck game, but the game is using a ball instead of a puck. Some games where covered by a glass like Williams Ten Pins, other like the Chicago Coin Variety bowler let the user send the ball.
• manikin games use a manikin to push the ball. These games have a high value today. I guess the most famous are the games manufactured by Evans.
• skee ball games with scoring pockets at the end of the alley. At the end of the alley, the ball leaves the board to fly to the pockets. These games used balls and where very popular.
• shuffle targette are like skee ball but used a puck instead of a ball.

The main manufacturer was undoubtedly United, followed by Chicago Coin. Bally was also and important manufacturer but other manufacturers like Keeney and even Gottlieb, more famous for its pinballs, made bowlers. In 1964, Williams bought United but kept the United name on the backglasses because United was extremely popular.

The real first puck game was made by United in 1949 ( it was the first time a player would touch the puck ). It used light-up scoring. Pins above the playboard contained a lightbulb that would switch off as pins were "hit".

The first bowler game was Bowling Alley introduced by United in 1956.