The A-Team
Status:
Wanted
Rank:
219
- Other:
- Peak Rank:192
Rank Change:
25
User Hype Score:
The A-Team is an action-adventure television series that aired from 1983 to 1987, created by Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo, following four Vietnam War veterans who work as soldiers of fortune while on the run from the military. The property offers pinball designers recognizable characters including Mr. T's B.A. Baracus, memorable vehicles like the custom GMC van, and action-oriented gameplay opportunities tied to the team's improvised combat scenarios.
Hype Metrics
Franchise Age
Origin:
1983
Age (years):
43
Nostalgia Factor
Nostalgia Score:
54
Nostalgia Rating:
Peak
Cultural Pulse
Wikipedia 7-day views:
12061
Culture Rating:
68
Trendline:
flat
The A-Team Pinball Theme
The A-Team pinball machine has emerged as a topic of interest within the pinball community, with fans discussing the potential of adapting the iconic 1980s action television series into a playable table. The A-Team originally aired from 1983 to 1987 and became a cultural phenomenon, following a group of ex-military soldiers framed for a crime they did not commit who operated as soldiers of fortune while evading capture. The show starred George Peppard as Hannibal, Mr. T as B.A. Baracus, Dirk Benedict as Faceman, and Dwight Schultz as Howling Mad Murdock, and became known for its distinctive blend of action, humor, and improvised vehicle construction sequences. The franchise maintained relevance through syndication and a 2010 theatrical film adaptation, cementing its place as a recognizable property from the 1980s action entertainment era.
Pinball community discussions about The A-Team have surfaced in forum speculation about upcoming licensed titles, with at least one community member mentioning the property as a possibility for a designer's next project. The franchise presents several compelling elements that could translate effectively to pinball machine design. Visually, the show offers instantly recognizable iconography including the black GMC van with its distinctive red stripe, military weaponry, welding equipment and improvised vehicles, and the characters' memorable appearances and costumes. The episodic structure of rescuing clients from various antagonists provides natural mission-based gameplay progression, while the team's trademark workshop montages where they construct elaborate contraptions from available materials could inspire multiball sequences or build-a-device playfield mechanics.
From an audio and thematic standpoint, an A-Team pinball machine would benefit from Mike Post's immediately identifiable theme music, one of the most recognizable television themes of the 1980s, along with Hannibal's catchphrase "I love it when a plan comes together" and other character-specific callouts. The show's combination of action sequences, strategic planning, and comic relief provides varied tone options for different game modes. The four distinct team members offer natural targets for character-specific missions or objectives, while recurring elements like B.A. Baracus's fear of flying, the team's constant evasion of Colonel Lynch and later Colonel Decker, and the transformation of ordinary locations into tactical battlegrounds provide additional gameplay variety and narrative structure for a pinball adaptation.
Pinball community discussions about The A-Team have surfaced in forum speculation about upcoming licensed titles, with at least one community member mentioning the property as a possibility for a designer's next project. The franchise presents several compelling elements that could translate effectively to pinball machine design. Visually, the show offers instantly recognizable iconography including the black GMC van with its distinctive red stripe, military weaponry, welding equipment and improvised vehicles, and the characters' memorable appearances and costumes. The episodic structure of rescuing clients from various antagonists provides natural mission-based gameplay progression, while the team's trademark workshop montages where they construct elaborate contraptions from available materials could inspire multiball sequences or build-a-device playfield mechanics.
From an audio and thematic standpoint, an A-Team pinball machine would benefit from Mike Post's immediately identifiable theme music, one of the most recognizable television themes of the 1980s, along with Hannibal's catchphrase "I love it when a plan comes together" and other character-specific callouts. The show's combination of action sequences, strategic planning, and comic relief provides varied tone options for different game modes. The four distinct team members offer natural targets for character-specific missions or objectives, while recurring elements like B.A. Baracus's fear of flying, the team's constant evasion of Colonel Lynch and later Colonel Decker, and the transformation of ordinary locations into tactical battlegrounds provide additional gameplay variety and narrative structure for a pinball adaptation.
