Stern Reveals Catwoman-Themed Batman ‘66 and Colorized Munsters Pins

Despite my fondness for the ol’ silver ball game, I hardly ever cover it on my blog. That’s why, as small as this dab of news may be, I knew I had to give it mention. According to Pinball Press, Stern Pinball recently announced a “Catwoman Signature Edition” version of Batman ‘66 and a “New, In Color!” version of The Munsters Premium Edition.

Since those are a lot of fancy words, let’s dive into the deets.

For Batman ‘66, the Catwoman variant boasts some unique art not seen in prior releases of the game. While it’s not known if the software will differ in any way, the playfield seems to remain the same. According to the promotional flyer, the first 100 tables produced will come with an authentic Topps card autographed by Catwoman actress Julie Newmar.

The “New, In Color” version of The Munsters is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin: the Premium table will be available with full-color cabinet art as opposed to the black-and-white art of the original release. Though some would argue the colorized version diminishes the artistic dazzle of the previous Premium Edition, I suppose it’s good for interested operators (and collectors) to have this option.

Overall, I’m happy to see some fun Stern pins given extended life through unique reskins. Despite costing thousands of dollars, pinball has definitely become a collector’s commodity, and the company is acutely aware of this fact. With all of these variants, you’d think Stern were selling gosh darned comic books.

But at the end of the day, it’s good for customers to have plentiful options, whether they're business owners or home users. I certainly hope the Catwoman Signature Edition and colorized Munsters do the trick. (However, I have seen some strong reactions to the contrary, some of which are justly warranted.)

On the topic of Stern, here’s something I didn’t get a chance to mention on my blog: The manufacturer recently released a sequel to Williams’ Black Knight and Black Knight 2000 entitled “Black Knight: Sword of Rage”. Ain’t it crazy?

Although I’m certain every dedicated silver ball player out there is already plenty aware of this brand-new pin, I think it still deserves a Wilcox Arcade article in the future. Until then—assuming then ever comes—I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief bit of news.

I strongly advise you to keep it real.