We're Costco Guys

Song of the Week

I’ve been sitting on Wet Leg’s 2021 surprise debut hit “Chaise Lounge” almost since I started inserting non-pinball song picks into the newsletter. After a pleasant back-and-forth with a long-time reader, and in light of the suggestive nature of some of Jersey Jack’s leaked Avatar pictures, now felt like the right moment to pull it out.

Wet Leg is a British band formed in 2019 by Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, and they took home a Grammy in 2022 for Best Alternative Music Album. I enjoy their music, but more than anything, I like their vibe, mostly as reflected by some of their tongue-in-cheek writing but also by Hester Chamber’s playful backup dancing in this and several other Wet Leg music videos.

If you’ve been digging our music picks, don’t forget we have a Spotify playlist of every Song of the Week choice, now up to 30 songs! It’s eclectic.

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Pinball News of the Week

Jersey Jack’s Avatar Leaks

Whether it was intentionally done this way or not, kudos to the Jersey Jack team for mostly keeping people grasping at straws for the theme of their next game until a non-potato quality picture was “leaked” to Knapp Arcade early this week (later, Kaneda’s Pinball Podcast would get his own “leaked” image). It’s fun sometimes to guess and play the speculation game.

We’ll do a standard TWIP Deep Dive on the game once it’s officially confirmed and we have more concrete details to work with, but for now, I’ll just say that I’m so excited to play Mark Seiden’s first production game. It’s been fun seeing him evolve from “guy who hosts local NEPL league nights” to “respected homebrew pinball maker (Metroid)” and now “commercial pinball machine designer.” That’s a long, hard road to travel!

I’m also casually pumped if the rumors of Lea Faske’s involvement as lead artist for the game prove true. The style of work represented in her portfolio feels fresh for pinball and fits a theme like Avatar.

Stern Goes to Costco

This news sent the pinball community into a little bit of a tizzy. Stern made a deal with Costco to sell a slightly updated version of its Jurassic Park Home Pin (most notably now with Insider Connected) at Costco. They have done this before.

Would I buy one? Of course not! I’m not the target buyer, though. You probably aren’t either.

For a company like Stern, Costco represents low-hanging fruit as a hands-off sales channel, a means for brand exposure, and a way to plant the seed of owning your own pinball machine. Plus, with Insider Connected features added, it brings people into that whole ecosystem, allowing Stern to build a more direct relationship with more of their customers.

@a.j.befumo

We’re Costco Guys‼️ #costco #father #son #family #bigjustice #boom

If you haven’t heard of A.J. & Big Justice yet, I’d understand, but they are a father-son duo who went viral on TikTok partly for a bit they did about the experience of shopping at Costco. 

In watching their most viral video (50MM views and counting), could you imagine if the kid (Big Justice) was talking about trying out the pinball machine instead of the furniture? The buyer persona represented by an influencer account like A.J. & Big Justice more closely aligns with the type of customer I think Stern would be hoping to reach with this effort than anyone reading this newsletter.

More Open Source Blues

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I can’t code. I know enough to be dangerous and have worked with enough technical teams to know my way around some things, but if someone asked me to write remotely shippable code, that’s beyond my skills.

Those of you who can code, however, may appreciate what’s coming from Dick Hammil as Homepin continues to make good on their promise of an open-source Blues Brothers machine. Except for homebrew and custom projects, has there ever been an example of a licensed, commercially produced pinball machine where you could see the game’s code written almost in real-time (and grab it for your own projects)?

Save the Date for Pinball Media Mixer 2.0!

The Pinball Media Mixer is coming back!

We’re still working on official details (big thanks to Josh Roop and Erika Svennson for jumping in to lend a hand with planning) but save the date for Thursday, October 17th, 2024, from 5-8 pm at Enterrium in Schaumburg, IL.

While last year was an invite-only, creators-first affair, we’re working on some ideas to expand the scope this year so that more people can join in on the fun.

We’ve received strong sponsorship interest from folks in the community already but are still looking for additional support to help offset planned event expenses. If you’re interested in helping out, send me a note by replying to this email!

Links of the Week

• LoserKid Pinball Podcast interviewed Keith Elwin about the release of the two new JAWS challenge modes. I haven’t had a chance to play it myself yet, but the release seems to be generating rave reviews from the pinball community, which is rare to see!

• Today, a new podcast series from Wormhole Pinball called “Arcades Across America” debuted with a plan to highlight arcade owners and operators across the country. I was fortunate to get a preview of the first episode, and I’m excited to hear more from this side of the pinball community.

• Speaking of Wormhole Pinball, they recently released a compelling interview with the pinball podcasting great Nate Shivers. I’m not as familiar with his work as I am with others, so I hope he makes good on his promise to upload his archives soon!

• In Before the Lock interviewed Turner Pinball’s Chris Turner.

• RIP artist Stan Fukuoka, probably best known in pinball circles for his work on the 1990s Capcom games Breakshot, Big Bang Bar and King Pin.

Poll of the Week

Last Week’s Poll Results

Would you be interested in attending Pinball Media Mixer 2.0?

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Yes (10)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 No (21)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Maybe (10)

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