Tag Archives: Peter Pan

Literary Pinball

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Recently, Katie traveled to Asbury Park, New Jersey and found herself at the Silver Ball Retro Arcade & Museum, right on the boardwalk. I’ve been to Silver Ball too, and I can tell you – the place is an amazing bit of fun, especially for all of us who remember actual arcades in the 80s and enjoy old school nachos.

From Silver Ball Museum, photography by Joseph Murphy

In between rolling skee-balls and attempting Donkey Kong, Katie spotted a Hobbit pinball machine. Later, that got us wondering. Exactly how many pinball machines HAVE derived from literature? As it turns out, quite a few!

If there’s a Hobbit pinball game, there has to be a Lord of the Rings game as well. In fact, there are many book-to-screen pinball machines. Harry Potter, Dracula, Jurassic Park, Frankenstein, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Jaws, Starship Troopers, Game of Thrones, an abundance of 007, and even graphic novel The Walking Dead. The Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory pinball game features graphics from the 1971 film (you were the greatest Gene Wilder), an Oompa-Loompa figurine, and an interactive Wonkavator!

From Lermods

Digging a little deeper, Katie and I turned up some more unexpected literary-themed machines. Like The Three Musketeers from 1949…

And this super saucy Peter Pan from 1955…

From Finside

Though technically not a book, this 1987 Dungeons & Dragons pinball game included graphics gleaned directly from the cover of the 1983 Player’s Manual. Which is awesome.

From Reddit

The Close Encounters of the Third Kind pinball game was based on the 1977 film. But there was a Close Encounters book! It was a novelization of the film published in tandem with the theatrical release. We believe this makes it eligible for the pinball literacy list. Plus, spaceships are cool.

While this next machine might not represent a specific book or literary character, it gets 100+ bonus points for being an amalgamation of several novels. May we present Verne’s World pinball from 1996 (with a depiction of the author, quill in hand!):

We found only one picture book turned pinball (unless you count this or this):

But the grand finale, voted hands-down winner of “Least Expected Literary Pinball” is this 2023 Godfather 50-year anniversary collectors edition, complete with a sculpted bust of Don Vito Corleone in his signature tux:

From Reddit

Which pinball game would YOU like to play?

Pop’s Top 10: Literary Weddings

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It’s June, and that, my friends, is wedding season! Today, we are celebrating the tying of the knot with our top 10 picks for literary-themed weddings. Now. There are zillions and zillions of bookish wedding ideas out there, and add another gabillion Pinterest boards. Type “literary themed wedding” in Google and you’ll get 989,000 results. “Literary wedding cakes?” 924,000. We did, however, turn up only 1 literary bachelorette party (you go girls)!

So we went with couples who dedicated their entire special day to books. We also ruled out the plethora of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones weddings in favor of the more obscure. Here they are, in no particular order. Definitely click on the links, because the details are AMAZING.

#1 THE NIGHT CIRCUS
From Offbeat Bride

First, they pick a cool book. Then, they have their wedding in Los Angeles’ famous Last Bookstore. Her nail art rocked, there were silhouette cake toppers, AND they had a stage magician. I can’t handle the awesome.

#2 PETER PAN
From Ruffled

White with pops of hunter green, floating fabrics, and simple elegance. Add some golden crocodiles and the cutest Tinkerbell you’ve ever seen and you’re off to Neverland!

#3 SHREK
From The Daily Mail

Technincally, Shrek was a picture book before it became a movie. And while this couple definitely went with the Dreamworks version, they are so darn adorable, we couldn’t resist including them here.

#4 THE LITTLE PRINCE
From Ruffled

I do believe the cake says it all. And that gorgeous color palette! But click on the link to see what has to be the most adorable ring-bearer of all time, rocking a pair of purple boots.

#5 ALICE IN WONDERLAND
From Rock n Roll Bride

The original blogger titled this “Margaret & Edi’s Incredible ‘Blows-Everything-Else-Out-of-the-Water’ Gothic Alice in Wonderland Wedding.” And it delivers. What’s cool is that the couple actually had a very simple ceremony at the groom’s parents’ house. But then they totally blew the top off the reception.

#6 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
From Publisher’s Weekly

A beautiful, thoughtful, and touching wedding. I especially love the childhood trinket boxes at the tables. Also, oversized ham costumes are mentioned. My heart is won.

#7 THE PRINCESS BRIDE
From Offbeat Bride

Another wedding that draws more on the movie than the book, and this one is full of joy. And that kiss? Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most the pure. This one leaves them all behind.

#8 A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
From Green Wedding Shoes

Prepare to be transported. The ceremony was in a redwood grove. The reception was in an exposed-rafter barn blooming with lush ferns and gorgeous flowers. The bride handmade animal masks for each and every guest. Oh rapture!

#9 THE WORKS OF DR. SEUSS
From Green Wedding Shoes

This couple didn’t choose one book. They chose many Seuss books and perfectly nailed the color palette to boot. Especially nice touches were whimsical directional signs, opportunities for the guest to doodle, and Bar 1 and Bar 2.

#10 SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
From Rock n Roll Bride

Two film-makers, joined through their mutual love of Ray Bradbury’s classic novel,  transport their Los Angeles friends to a jovial Gothic carnival in the bride’s childhood hills of Montana. Laughter, love, costumes, music, and fire breathers. I don’t even know these guys, but I’m totally bummed I missed their wedding!

The Game is Afoot

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the game is afoot“Check this out!” Katie said to me one morning, holding up her phone. “My friend just posted this to her Instagram!” It was a board game, based on the book Hatchet, designed by Quinn Densmore, a 5th grader in New Mexico.

First of all, wow. Hatchet is a fantastic book. Second of all, WOW! Quinn’s game board was 3-dimensional! Thirdly, what amazing muse inspired him to create a game version of the book? The answer was Kandice Tomanek, his teacher. Clever Ms. Tomanek invited her class to design board games based on their favorite books. I asked if she would be willing to share a few more creations. The whole class voted for their Top 5, which I am delighted to present to you today, in no particular order.

PETER PAN
Designed by Terra Donahue

peter pan designed by terra donahue

Dice rolls move 4 players around the board. Some squares contains a symbol, others a number. If you land on a marked square, you must pick a card with the matching symbol or number and follow its instructions (be they good or bad). The game ends when a player reaches the “Finish Zone,” but the winner is the person who has collected the most gold balls.

I love the way the game board opens into Mermaid Lagoon and Pirate’s Bay. I love that all the famous Neverland landmarks are there. I love the ring of clouds around the top of the tallest mountain. I love the gorgeous compass. And I especially love the upended mermaid tails in the lagoon!

UPSIDE-DOWN MAGIC: STICKS AND STONES
Designed by Ailey Cassidy-Jones

upside down magic stick and stones designed by ailey cassidy-jonesThe goal of this game is to get rid of as many gems as you can before reaching the finish line (i.e. the “Pennies for Potions” square).  No small feat considering that each player starts with 50 gems! As you travel the board, you can either gain or lose gems depending on the space you land on and the cards you draw.

I’m not familiar with the Upside-Down Magic books, but I can absolutely appreciate that the game players are characters from the books (such cool little wooden boxes for each of them!). I also appreciate the math involved as you navigate the board and acquire and lose gems. That and Kitten Ball in the Gymnasium. I need to know what Kitten Ball is!

THE LANDS BEYOND
Designed by Greta Smith

the lands beyond designed by greta smithBased on The Phantom Tollbooth, players begin at the tollbooth but soon encounter the Doldrums. If you roll a 1,3, or 5, you get stuck on the Doldrums. If you roll a 2,4, or 6 you take another path. The game continues to move forward in this quirky fashion, and also includes directional cards that make you stop or allow you to roll again. Waiting at the finish line, of course, are Princesses Rhyme and Reason.

So, how much do you love that beautiful purple tollbooth? And the innovative take on dice roll navigation? As you get close to the Mountains of Ignorance, you’ll notice that the cards change from “Pick a Card” to “Demon Card” as well. So clever. And did you notice the Mathamagician’s pencil?

I can’t resist sneaking a couple Phantom Tollbooth connections in here. Click here to meet the author, and click here to visit Digitopolis, the city of math.

HATCHET
Designed by Quinn Densmore

hatchet designed by quinn densmoreThe object of this game is to get rescued from the wilderness. As you move around the board, you acquire different cards. If you get a fire card you are immune to 1 hypothermia card.  If you get hit by a disaster, you must do what the card instructs (move back, lose a turn, etc.). If you get a rescue card, you are safe from the next attack card. Collect 5 rescue cards, and you win!

Not only is this board a total work of 3-dimesional art, I think Quinn really captured the uncertainty of Brian’s plight in the game play. Because sometimes Brian was just plain unlucky (plane crash, gut cherries, extremely territorial moose). Also, there’s no finish line. You wind your way back and forth through the wilderness until (hopefully) you are rescued. Very cool.

THE HOBOKEN CHICKEN EMERGENCY
Designed by Rebekah Bagwell

hoboken chicken emergency designed by rebekah bagwellI’ve been a Daniel Pinkwater fan since I was 9, so I was thrilled to see this classic book turned into a game. Players race each other to Hokoben City Hall. Along the way, they must follow the directions on each space (if they land on a blank space, they just wait until their turn comes up again). The winner gets to take home a little Henrietta as a pet!

The details on this game are awesome. The players are characters from the book. Rebekah’s labeled the streets, the stores, and locations. There are nods to Bozo, potatoes, the Hoboken Inquirer, and Dr. Hsu Ting Feng. I tip my hat to you, Miss Bagwell.

Many thanks to Ailey, Greta, Quinn, Rebekah, and Terra for sharing their games, and to Kandice Tomanek for organizing the vote and sending the pictures (and just for being an awesome teacher)!