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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ripleys-pinball_3930.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:''The Strange, the Bizarre, the Unusual!'']]
3
4->"''Welcome to Ripley's Odditorium''."
5-->--'''Robert Ripley'''
6
7''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is a 2004 [[PhysicalPinballTables pinball]] designed by Creator/PatLawlor, with artwork by Creator/JohnYoussi and released by Creator/{{Stern}} Pinball. It is based on the [[Franchise/RipleysBelieveItOrNot franchise of the same name]].
8
9The player is on a quest with Robert Ripley as he travels the seven continents of the world to collect strange objects. Gather Tomb Stones in Europe, search for Bigfoot in North America, chase penguins in Antarctica, and dodge boomerangs in Australia. Go for the upper playfield temple and try to collect the colored jewels to unlock a reward. Activate the magic Idol to redirect the ball, then shoot the snarking ShrunkenHead to start multiball.
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11Although the ShrunkenHead is a bit unnerving for some, ''Ripley's'' is considered to be a fun game for players of all levels, with smooth flowing action, easy goals to entice beginners, and a good amount of depth for experts. A digital version is available on ''VideoGame/ThePinballArcade'' and ''VideoGame/SternPinballArcade''.
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14!!This pinball demonstrates the following tropes:
15
16* AnnouncerChatter: Ripley and the Shrunken Head both provide this.
17* {{Atlantis}}: The Eighth Continent, accessible for the WizardMode.
18* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: Bigfoot features in the North America mode and in the top right pop bumper area playfield art. The Shrunken Head can also award the Bigfoot Value, which is built up by the pop bumpers.
19* BoomerangComeback: Referenced in Australia's mode. The jackpot value, like most of the Continents, goes down over time... unless you hit the right shot, which causes "Go Backwards" to appear and the value to start ''increasing''.
20* BuildingOfAdventure: Ripley's Odditorium.
21* {{Cap}}: The end-of-ball bonus multiplier tops out at 5x.
22* CollectorOfTheStrange: Robert Ripley.
23* {{Combos}}: The Temple Code, depending on jewel alignment, can be broken to reward up to three awards at the same time.
24** Combos are also available during regular play (though are uncommon and worth little points).
25* ButtMonkey: During the South America mode, the Shrunken Head must be hit to collect a countdown value; with each hit, the Head takes every opportunity to voice his displeasure.
26-->'''Shrunken Head:''' Can we pick on the Idol instead?
27* CreepySouvenir: The Idols and the ShrunkenHead.
28* DeadpanSnarker: The ShrunkenHead speaks with a somewhat sarcastic tone.
29* FortuneTeller: Bozo the Dog.
30* HeliumSpeech: The Idol's [[TheUnintelligible nonsensical high-pitched gibberish]].
31-->'''Shrunken Head:''' That idol is noise!
32* IndyEscape: Ripley is running away from a boulder (or possibly a giant pinball) when a player earns an Extra Ball.
33* InterfaceScrew: The introduction to the hidden mode, Frog Frenzy. The game (in a possible ShoutOut to ''Pinball/WhiteWater'') appears to be going on the fritz, and ends with the machine rebooting itself, until the words, "JUST KIDDING!" appears in small letters. After that, Frog Frenzy starts.
34* LightningReveal: Collecting a super jackpot reveals a statue of Poseidon.
35* MatchThreeGame: The Temple Code is a TabletopGame/TicTacToe grid of inserts in the middle. Getting three jewels (by shooting the middle ramp when the temple is open) in a row gives various awards--[[{{Combos}} possibly more than one at the same time]] if the player's skilled enough.
36* PaintingTheMedium: There is a "Did you know..." card behind the right ramp with some facts about pinball machines and then a TitleDrop.
37* PerpetualSmiler: The Idol has a rather creepy, sinister smile on it at all times.
38* PrecisionGuidedBoomerang: Hitting the vari-target during the Australia mode will have the boomerang hit the aborigine squarely in the head--twice if the ball makes it into the scoop.
39-->'''Shrunken Head:''' Double points!
40* ScoreMultiplier: The award for completing three in a row vertically on the right column on the temple grid is 2x Playfield.
41** There's also a bonus multiplier from the top rollover lanes.
42* SeriesMascot: The ShrunkenHead, who's prominently featured on both the backglass and the playfield.
43* ShoutOut: To Pat Lawlor's previous games, including the following:
44** ''Pinball/FunHouse1990'':
45*** One of the ShrunkenHead's lines is "I feel like a million!"
46*** The start of multiball features a man with three billiard balls in his mouth spitting them out, accompanied with the sound of Rudy doing the same.
47** The ShrunkenHead also speaks quotes from ''Pinball/TheAddamsFamily'':
48*** "It's not plugged in yet, mon."
49*** "Now you've done it!"
50*** Ripley himself gets in at least one: "Good show, old man!"
51*** One of the Odditorium awards: "Addams Family, The Best Selling Pinball of all time!" It awards 2,123,200 points, possibly corresponding to the total number of units made, regular and Gold combined.
52** ''Pinball/TwilightZone'':
53*** The tilt quote, spoken by Ripley: "Skate with the penguins at your own risk, in The Ripley Zone."[[labelnote:''Explanation'']]It is a reference to The Twilight Zone's tilt quote, "Dance with the devil at your own risk, in the Twilight Zone."[[/labelnote]]
54*** Bozo's predictions are presented in the same manner as the ''Twilight Zone'' camera.
55** At the end of a game, Ripley says, [[Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension "No matter where you go, there you are."]]
56* SkillShot: Gently plunge the ball into the Bozo scoop for one million points, which increases with every skill shot made.
57-->'''Robert Ripley''': "Amazing!"
58* SpellingBonus: Spell B-O-Z-O (Ripley's dog) for a random reward, and R-I-P-L-E-Y-S to visit the eighth continent. R-I-P-O-F-F (a letter is awarded when shooting the vari-target with nothing on it lit) will start Ripoff Multiball.
59* SpontaneousHumanCombustion[=/=]HaveANiceDeath: Draining the ball during the trip to Asia will result in the man walking on fire suddenly being burnt to a crisp.
60* TheUnintelligible: The Idol speaks in high-pitched gibberish.
61* TimedMission: The non-multiball Continent modes, as well as Road Trip are this either by an actual timer or a descending hurry-up value.
62** As pinball champion Keith Elwin points out in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghtDxTljex8 his tutorial for the game]], all modes run on the same timer (similar to ''Pinball/TheSimpsonsPinballParty''). Furthermore, starting a new timed mode when others are active will reset the timer for all modes currently in play. The timed Continent modes, Road Trip, and 2X Playfield fall under this rule.
63* [[ToothyBird Toothy Dog]]: When the Bozo feature is activated, Bozo smiles with human-like teeth.
64* VomitIndiscretionShot: The guy with the three cue balls in his mouth spits them all out at the start of multiball.
65* WizardMode: Two of them:
66** Atlantis, the Eighth Continent, which is acheived by spelling R-I-P-L-E-Y-S and then hitting the vari-target.
67** The hidden mode, Frog Frenzy, is reached by collecting all six Super Jackpots. It is a frenzy mode, where all shots are worth 25,000 points. It can even be a multiball with a ball saver for the duration of this mode, but it can only be done with the regular multiball modes and not the Continent multiball modes themselves.
68* WorldTour: Travel the seven continents for odd artifacts.
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