Gottlieb (formerly D. Gottlieb & Co.) was an American company based in Chicago, Illinois. It is best known for creating many different types of pinball machines and arcade games, including Q*bert, for most of the 20th century.

History

Gottlieb's main office and factory were located at 1140–50 N. Kostner Avenue until the early 1970s, when a new, modern building was opened at 165 W. Lake Street in Northlake, IL. A smaller factory where parts were made was also built in Fargo, ND.

The company was started in 1927 by David Gottlieb and his brother Sol. At first, they only made pinball machines. In October 1932, the company moved to a factory that was four times larger than its previous one. Later, the company expanded to make other games, such as pitch-and-bats, bowling games, and eventually video arcade games, including Reactor, Qbert, and MACH*3.

Like other companies, Gottlieb first made mechanical pinball machines, including the first successful coin-operated pinball machine, Baffle Ball, in 1931. Starting in 1935, they made machines that used both electricity and mechanical parts. In 1947, the invention of player-controlled, electric-powered 2-inch bats called "flippers" changed the industry. These flippers let players hit the ball back into the playfield to earn more points. The first game with flippers was called Humpty Dumpty, designed by Harry Mabs. At this time, the games were also known for artwork created by Roy Parker.

In the late 1950s, Gottlieb began using numerical score displays, which made it easier to track scores for multiple players than the old system of lights. These score displays later appeared on single-player games, which became known as "wedgeheads" because of their slanted back boxes. By the 1970s, artwork on Gottlieb games was usually done by Gordon Morison, and the company started using longer 3-inch flippers, which became the industry standard.

In the late 1970s, Gottlieb began making machines that used solid-state electronics. The first of these were copies of older electromechanical machines, such as Cleopatra (1977), Joker Poker, and Charlie's Angels. At this time, games for multiple players were more common, and wedgeheads were no longer made. The last wedgehead was T.K.O. (1979), and the last single-player machine was Asteroid Annie and The Aliens (1980).

In 1976, Gottlieb was bought by Columbia Pictures for $47 million. By 1979, the company had about 650 employees. In 1982, Gottlieb released Q*bert, which became very popular and is now seen as a classic from the golden age of arcade games. In 1983, after Coca-Cola bought Columbia, the company was renamed Mylstar Electronics, but this name did not last long. By 1984, the video game industry in North America was struggling, and Columbia shut down Mylstar. A group of managers, led by Gilbert G. Pollock, bought Mylstar's pinball equipment in October 1984 and continued making pinball machines under a new company called Premier Technology. In 1985, some parts of Gottlieb/Mylstar's video game business were sold to JVW Electronics, a company started by three former Gottlieb/Mylstar workers. This sale meant some prototype games were never released. Premier made one final arcade game, Exterminator (1989), and continued making pinball machines under the Gottlieb name until 1996. By 1992, Premier also started making redemption and other types of coin-operated games.

Gottlieb's most popular pinball machine was Baffle Ball (released in mid-1931), and their last machine was Barb Wire (early 1996).

Licensing and rights

The 1965 pinball machine Kings & Queens by Gottlieb was used in the 1975 movie Tommy. The movie features a character who is blind, deaf, and mute due to psychosomatic reasons and is a pinball expert. Today, Gottlieb's pinball machines, as well as those sold under the names Mylstar and Premier, are owned by Gottlieb Development LLC of Pelham Manor, New York. The trademarks "Gottlieb" and "D. Gottlieb & Co." are registered with the USPTO under numbers such as 1403592, 2292766, and 3288024, along with other numbers in other countries. Most of the video games created by Gottlieb and Mylstar are now owned by Columbia Pictures.

Gottlieb video games

• No Man's Land (1980) – licensed from Universal
• New York! New York! (1981) – licensed from Sigma Enterprises
• Reactor (1982)
• Q*bert (1982)
• Mad Planets (1983)
• Krull (1983)
• Juno First (1983) – licensed from Konami
• M.A.C.H. 3 (1983) – laserdisc game; published under Mylstar name
• Us vs. Them (1984) – laserdisc game; published under Mylstar name
• The Three Stooges In Brides Is Brides (1984) – published under Mylstar name
• Q*bert Qubes (1983) – published under Mylstar name
• Curve Ball (1984) – published under Mylstar name
• Exterminator (1989) – published under Premier Technology name

• Gridlee (1982) – licensed from Videa, Inc.
• Argus (1982) – a.k.a. Videoman, Protector, and Guardian
• Insector (1982)
• Arena (1982) – Early-development stages of Wiz Warz
• Quizimodo (1982)
• Knightmare (1983)
• Faster, Harder, More Challenging Q*bert (1983) – developed under Mylstar name
• Screw Loose (1983) – developed under Mylstar name
• Tylz (1984) – developed under Mylstar name
• Video Vince and the Game Factory (1984) – developed under Mylstar name
• Wiz Warz (1984) – developed under Mylstar name

Gottlieb pinball machines

• Pinball Machine Models and Release Years:
• Bingo (1932)
• Humpty Dumpty (1933)
• The Royal (1934)
• The Whirlwind (1935)
• The Flipper (1936)
• The Magic (1937)
• The Ringer (1938)
• The Star (1939)
• The Comet (1940)
• The Galaxy (1941)
• The Meteor (1942)
• The Neptune (1943)
• The Pluto (1944)
• The Saturn (1945)
• The Uranus (1946)
• The Venus (1947)
• The Mars (1948)
• The Jupiter (1949)
• The Mercury (1950)
• The Earth (1951)
• The Sun (1952)
• The Moon (1953)
• The Sky (1954)
• The Sea (1955)
• The Forest (1956)
• The Mountain (1957)
• The Desert (1958)
• The Ocean (1959)
• The City (1960)
• The Country (1961)
• The Town (1962)
• The Village (1963)
• The Park (1964)
• The Beach (1965)
• The Lake (1966)
• The River (1967)
• The Stream (1968)
• The Brook (1969)
• The Pond (1970)
• The Bay (1971)
• The Gulf (1972)
• The Sea (1973)
• The Ocean (1974)
• The Lake (1975)
• The River (1976)
• The Stream (1977)
• The Brook (1978)
• The Pond (1979)
• The Bay (1980)
• The Gulf (1981)
• The Sea (1982)
• The Ocean (1983)
• The Lake (1984)
• The River (1985)
• The Stream (1986)
• The Brook (1987)
• The Pond (1988)
• The Bay (1989)
• The Gulf (1990)
• The Sea (1991)
• The Ocean (1992)

• Additional Notes:
• Cleopatra #409 (1977) – also released as two EM versions: Cleopatra (4 player) and Pyramid (2 player).
• Sinbad #412 (1978) – also released as an EM version.
• Joker Poker #417 (1978) – also released as an EM version.
• Dragon #419 (1978) – also released as an EM version.
• Solar Ride #421 (1979) – also released as an EM version.
• Charlie's Angels #425 (1978) – also released as an EM version.
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind #424 (1978) – 9,950 Solid State games and 470 Electro-Mechanical games made.
• Count-Down #422 (1979) – 9,899 games made (also released as a 2 player EM version as Space Walk).
• Pinball Pool #427 (1979) – 7,200 games made.
• Totem #429 (1979) – 6,643 games made.
• The Incredible Hulk #433 (1979) – 6,150 games made, a few had System 80 electronics for testing.
• Genie #435 (1979) – wide body game. 6,800 games made.
• Buck Rogers #437 (1980) – 7,410 games made.
• Torch #438 (1980) – 3,880 games made.
• Roller Disco #440 (1980) – wide body game with bright neon colors. 2,400 games made.
• Asteroid Annie and the Aliens #442 (1980) – only single player System 1 game and last System 1 game. Only 211 games made.

• Later Models:
• Panthera #652 (1980)
• The Amazing Spider-Man #653 (1980)
• Circus #654 (1980)
• Counterforce #656 (1980)
• Star Race #657 (1980)
• James Bond 007 #658 (1980)
• Time Line #659 (1980)
• Force II #661 (1981)
• Pink Panther #664 (1981)
• Mars God of War #666 (1981)
• Volcano #667 (1981)
• Black Hole #668 (1981)
• Haunted House