This plastic and paper Big Shot pinball game is one of forty similar Cracker Jack prizes issued in the 60's and 70's. The pinball games are approximately 1 1/8" x 1 5/8" (1 3/4" including the lever), and were made by Makatoy.

There is much variety among the pinballs. Some have copper balls, others have white plastic balls, and still others have smaller off-white balls with a vegetable base in case children swallowed them. Reportedly, there are additionally some pinballs with blue metal balls. Some have 3 or 4 cups for catching the ball to score; some instead have compartments at the bottom to determine points, like the Big Shot pinball game above. Some have no bumper pins; others have 2, 4 (like the one shown), 6, or 8 bumpers.

Some of the pinball games are from series Z-1287 from 1964; some are marked No. 1399 and are from the 70's. Some are marked "The Cracker Jack Co."; some "Cracker Jack - B Borden, Inc."; others "Cracker Jack Div., Borden Foods."

Some of the pinballs are simply marked "Made in U.S.A.," or have nothing at all on the back, and may or may not be Cracker Jack prizes.

Some of the games have "Pin Ball Game" written on the back, along with generic instructions. Others have the exact name of the game on the back and instructions specific to that particular game (and some of these additionally have a child safety warning).

Finally, there is a broad range of subject matter among the pinball games. Some of the pinballs are based on nursery rhymes, some on sports; some feature animals, while others feature children playing. One has daisies, one is a money tree. There is one with a hot air balloon, and another picturing a deep sea diver. One of the pinball games features a rocket in space; another shows a boy riding a rocket as it is launched. There is even a fortune teller game with the cups for catching the ball marked Yes, No, and Maybe to determine the answer to the player's question.

The diversity of the pinball games make for quite a challenge in collecting all the varieties that exist. Anyone who manages to find all of them is certainly a Big Shot among Cracker Jack collectors.