The true measure of celebrity in the late 70s, was boasting your own pinball machine. Celebrities such as Ted Nugent and Evel Knievel had personalized versions, but they paled in comparison, popularity-wise to the 1979 Bally-designed KISS pinball game, based on the face-painted superstars of arena rock.

Bandmates Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and the serpent-tongued Gene Simmons all appeared along the sides of the cabinet, as well as on the scoreboard, and in various locales on the playing field, augmented by such heavy metal imagery as pillars of fire and sinister serpents – common elements for anyone that ever attended one of the band’s shows. And straight from the Love Gun album cover, two females adorned with KISS makeup each graced a side of the playing area.

Sure, the graphics were more than a little appealing, but they were matched by the action-packed design of the game itself. There was certainly no shortage of targets and bumpers, and each of four alleys were capable of lighting up one of the four letters that spelled the band’s name. Light them all up and a treasure trove of points awaited, ranging from 40,000 to 240,000 points, depending on how many times a player could pull of the feat. And, of course, no game based on a group of this stature would be complete without a head-banging soundtrack featuring two of the band’s hits.

At the time of its release, the band was at the top of their game as well, certainly lending a hand to the enormous popularity of this pinball offering. Today, it is rare to actually find one in an arcade, but they are a coveted part of many a pinball game collection, as well as the holy grail for anyone with a fondness for band memorabilia.