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2015

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons

Quick Overview

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons is one of the most unusual modern pinball machines: although it went into production at Stern in 2015, its look and gameplay deliberately evoke classic 1950s pinball machines. Designed by Dennis Nordman and Greg Freres, the machine takes players into an imaginary melon farm world, with retro American produce-crate graphics, pin-up style, and plenty of humor. Despite its modern electronics, the game is intentionally simple, direct, and old-fashioned — and that's exactly what makes it special.

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons

Basics

  • Release2015
  • ManufacturerStern Pinball
  • Original conceptWhizBang Pinball
  • DesignerDennis Nordman
  • ArtGreg Freres, Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti), Donny Gillies (Dirty Donny)
  • GenrePinball
  • Players1–4 players
  • SystemStern SPIKE
  • ThemeRetro American farm / pin-up / produce-crate graphics

Creators

Dennis Nordman – designerGreg Freres – artJeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti) – artDonny Gillies (Dirty Donny) – art

Built on the same concept later:

Pabst Can CrusherPrimus

Play It Live!

Don't just look at the melons — take aim at them! Try Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons in person at Arcade Museum Budapest.

Insert Coin

Game Objective

Whoa Nellie! isn't built around complex quests or long storylines. The goal is classic: keep the ball in play, hit the right targets, light up the shots, and rack up as many points as possible. The playfield is packed with melon-themed targets, bumpers, rollovers, and various scoring shots. The rules are easy to grasp, so newcomers can enjoy it right away, while a truly high score still demands real precision and ball control.

Fun Facts

  • The machine's story didn't start at Stern — Dennis Nordman and Greg Freres originally built it as their own WhizBang Pinball project, with only a handful of units produced in 2011.
  • One starting point for the concept was a 1957 Gottlieb Continental Cafe electromechanical pinball machine.
  • The visual style was inspired by 1950s American pin-up art and old, colorful produce-crate labels.
  • One of the machine's most striking features is the cabinet itself: instead of standard pinball legs, it looks like it's standing on stacked wooden crates.
  • Even though it's a 2015 machine, the scoring display and the overall play experience are deliberately designed to evoke old electromechanical pinball machines.
  • And one small twist in the name: Nellie is actually the name of a horse.

Why Is It Special?

Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons is fascinating precisely because it goes against almost everything you'd expect from a 2010s pinball machine. There are no packed ramps, giant displays, or elaborate quest systems. Instead, it reaches back to the early days of pinball. The crate-like cabinet, the loud retro artwork, the mechanical-feeling scoring display, and the simple playfield together create the feeling that you've pulled a decades-old American pinball machine out of some old country arcade — when in fact you're playing a modern Stern machine. It's hard to mistake it for anything else.

Who Is It For?

For anyone curious what pinball felt like before the era of modern, complex machines — but who wants to experience it on a machine built with today's technology. It's especially interesting for fans of classic pinball, American retro design, and rare, seldom-seen machines.