Christmas is just around the corner, and for many of us across the UK, this is our last working week of 2018! Chances are that lots of you are already picturing yourself nestling down at home, in front of roaring fires and perhaps with a Christmas tipple or two close at hand. Here at the Games Room Company, we’re right there with you! In our imaginations, though, our interiors are replete with one or two particularly rare and whimsical items to bring us just that little bit more Christmas joy. Here’s what’s on our wishlist… we wonder if they’ll make yours!
1. The Rock Ola Bubbler
How to describe the Rock Ola Bubbler? Put simply, it’s an icon; the only authentic brand new American jukebox on the planet. Its name comes from its flagship design feature, the pockets of air that float through the eight bubble tubes lining the machine. Watching them in motion is a truly captivating experience, matched only by revelling in the superb sound quality of this amazing machine. There’s a reason that the Bubbler’s design has endured for over half a century with very few changes, and why it’s cemented itself in the public’s imagination as the definitive silhouette of classic jukeboxes. If you were to choose any jukebox for your home, we’d always recommend taking a look at the Bubbler first!
2. Twilight Zone pinball table
This beautiful machine hails from the 1990s, the Golden Age of Pinball, and is modelled upon the TV show that frightened and delighted audiences in equal measure. The Twilight Zone was a curious show; at once unsettling and didactic, its characters often found themselves in the centre of the most bizarre scenarios, at times influenced by powerful and unseen forces. Part of the reason the pinball has become so legendary is through its designers’ commitment to capturing the spirit of these scenes through particularly innovative playfield design. For example, instead of flippers, one element of the playfield uses magnets to control the ball instead, mirroring the unknowable and invisible forces the influence so many of the narratives of the show. It’s no wonder the Twilight Zone is still the highest rated electronic pinball machine on the Internet Pinball Machine Database!
3. Vendo 81 Coca Cola Machine
The annual ‘Christmas Coke ad’ has a fond place in the international public’s consciousness, and you’d have to admit Coca Cola has done well to position itself as one of the definitive drinks of the Christmas season. It’s no doubt why we at the Games Room Company often see such a huge spike in sales of our Coca Cola drinks machines in the run up to Christmas. Of all of these machines, the Vendo 81 is an especially treasured piece of classic Americana. It’s astonishingly rare, entirely mechanical, and highly sought after by collectors as the ultimate in American vintage products.
4. RS3 Gold Edition Table Football by RS Barcelona
One of the reasons so many of us look forward to Christmas is that it’s a wonderfully social occasion, and as far as social games go, you can’t do much better than the iconic RS3 table. Produced by Spanish design house RS Barcelona, it’s modelled on the successful RS2 range that established RS Barcelona as such pioneers in their field. As you’ve no doubt guessed, this Gold Edition combines its traditional wooden legs with elegant gold trimmings – helping it to fit in perfectly with the greens, silvers and reds of a glamorous Christmas colour scheme. It’s no mere delicate showpiece either, boasting a fantastic fast-placed gameplay that rivals the world’s very best foosball tables. In short, it’s stunning beautiful and usefully durable – the perfect balance for a busy family Christmas!
5. Lancaster Shuffleboard
As we’ve covered recently in our post about vinyl jukeboxes, Christmas is all about tradition, and there are few games more steeped in tradition than the classic British game of shuffleboard. First invented in English taverns centuries ago, shuffleboard has endured through the ages thanks to its simple, addictive gameplay appeal, ultimately inspiring us to create our own range of shuffleboard tables here at the Games Room Company. The Lancaster was one of the first of these; it’s the ideal vehicle for that lightning-fast gameplay, while its aesthetics perfectly bridge the gap between refined traditional and sleek contemporary styles. There are few finer tables to introduce your friends and family into the captivating world of shuffleboard.
If any of these have piqued your interest (and we hope they have!), you’ve still got time to pop down to our expansive Weybridge showroom and see them for yourself. Our friendly experts are always on hand to answer your questions or provide any further details you might be after. Equally, they’re quite happy to give you the space you need to just explore! Don’t forget, you can always give us a call on 01932 282 123 – and if we don’t see you, have a very Merry Christmas from all of us here at the Games Room Company!
