Get Smart

Get Smart pinball machine has become a recurring topic of discussion among pinball enthusiasts, despite no official announcement of such a project. The franchise originated as a spy comedy television series created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry that aired from 1965 to 1970, starring Don Adams as bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99. The show became a cultural touchstone of 1960s television, satirizing the spy genre popularized by James Bond films with memorable gadgets like the shoe phone and the Cone of Silence. The property was later adapted into a 2008 feature film starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, introducing the franchise to a new generation while maintaining the original's comedic sensibility. Pinball community discussions about a potential Get Smart machine have appeared periodically on enthusiast forums, with fans citing the theme's rich potential for creative playfield integration. Multiple community members have noted that Maxwell Smart's iconic gadgets would translate naturally into pinball mechanics, with specific suggestions including the Cone of Silence as a pinball lock mechanism, the phone booth elevator as a multiball feature, and the invisible wall as a magnet barrier challenge. Some discussions have proposed Get Smart as an ideal retheme of existing James Bond pinball layouts, given the franchise's direct parody relationship with spy fiction. The nostalgia factor appears split across generations, with fans of both the original 1960s series and the 2008 film expressing interest in the concept. The visual and gameplay opportunities for a Get Smart pinball machine are extensive, drawing from the franchise's distinctive aesthetic and comedic devices. The playfield could incorporate the underground CONTROL headquarters with a lit corridor visible beneath the playfield glass, while iconic props like the shoe phone, Swiss Army knife, and various malfunctioning spy gadgets could serve as interactive targets and toys. The theme offers substantial audio potential, including Don Adams' catchphrases like "Would you believe" and "Missed it by that much," along with the recognizable theme music. The comedic nature of the source material would allow for humorous callouts and failure modes that could distinguish it from more serious spy-themed machines, appealing to collectors seeking lighter entertainment themes with strong nostalgic appeal.