Games · 1923
Mechanical Wonders and Boardwalk Amusements of 1923
Long before digital screens, the roaring twenties brought entertainment to life through penny arcades, electromechanical marvels, and parlor craze phenomena across boardwalks. In 1923, coin-operated mechanical novelties and tabletop games defined the interactive entertainment landscape.
- 1923, Tabletop, Parker Brothers
Mah-Jongg (Babcock Rules Edition)
Imported from China by Joseph Park Babcock, this tile-matching game reached peak fever pitch across American parlors in 1923.
- 1923, Arcade, International Mutoscope
The Mutoscope Flip-Book Cabinet
Patrons dropped a penny into these cast-iron pedestals to hand-crank moving photographic reels inside amusement parlors nationwide.
- 1923, Coin-Op Arcade, Mills Novelty Co.
Mills Owl Target Coin-Op Tester
Players tested their reflexes and skill by aiming mechanical drop-coins into target slots inside ornate wooden cabinets.
- 1923, Mechanical Arcade, Boardwalks
Skee-Ball Alley
Boardwalk patrons tossed wooden balls up thirty-foot lanes into scored cylinder hoops in the decade's premier physical skill game.
- 1923, Penny Arcade, Caille Bros.
Caille Perfection Grip Developer
This heavy cast-iron strength tester measured a player's physical squeeze force for a single copper cent.
- 1923, Coin-Op Hardware, Exhibit Supply
Exhibit Supply Co. Candy Digger
Early mechanical candy-digger crane machines tested players' dexterity to scoop up prizes using hand-cranked metal buckets.
- 1923, Electromechanical, Mills Novelty
Violano-Virtuoso Electromechanical
A landmark electromechanical marvel that played automated violin and piano duos whenever a patron inserted a coin.
- 1923, Card Game, Parker Brothers
Pit Card Game (Revised Edition)
Edgar Cayce's chaotic stock-exchange trading card game remained a roaring parlor hit with revised rules published by Parker Brothers.
Enjoyed your trip back in time?