Wizard of Oz
Jersey Jack's debut machine — a massive widebody with five flippers, three playfields, and eight jewels standing between you and Oz.
The right ramp is the gateway to nearly everything on this game. It locks balls for Emerald City Multiball, starts the spinning house sequence for Munchkin modes, advances the Yellow Brick Road when lit, and is where you start the Somewhere Over the Rainbow wizard mode once all eight jewels are collected. It feeds back to the left flipper reliably. If you develop one shot on WOZ, make it this one.
WOZ has more going on than almost any other pinball machine ever made. Eight separate jewel objectives, three playfields, five flippers, and dozens of interconnected modes create a ruleset that can take dozens of games just to understand. The castle mini-playfield requires you to navigate through a drop target and scoop to even get there, and the Rescue Multiball Mega Jackpot is widely considered the hardest jewel to complete. The Wicked Witch has magnets that grab the ball and fling it unpredictably. Crystal Ball modes apply curses like weakened flippers or reversed flippers. TV Tropes notes the scoring is intentionally lower than modern Stern games, so don't expect big numbers.
Your Game Plan
Advance the Yellow Brick Road, Start Munchkin Modes
BALL 1Advance the Yellow Brick Road Earnable
Shoot the Right Ramp from the right flipper when the yellow insert beneath it is lit — it feeds back to the left flipper, so you can loop it. Also shoot either orbit from the corresponding flipper when those yellow inserts are lit. You need 50 total advances for this jewel, so start early. At 10 advances you light an extra ball at the Throne Room saucer, and at 20 and 40 you earn Big Points bonuses.
Soft Plunge for the Skill Shot Earnable
Soft plunge to hit one of four skill shot targets. The highest-value target is the lit B-A-L-L target for 10,000 points, followed by the Haunted Forest skull target for 7,500. A lit O-Z inlane awards 5,000 and hitting the Witch awards 5,000. The skill shot values are modest — don't overthink the plunge.
Start a Munchkin Mode Earnable
Spell R-A-I-N-B-O-W by hitting the spot targets scattered around the playfield, then shoot the Right Ramp to start the spinning house on the upper playfield. Make 10 mini loops on the upper playfield to start one of four Munchkin modes. Playing all four Munchkin modes earns the Munchkin Multiball jewel. The R-A-I-N-B-O-W targets will complete naturally from general play, but you can speed it up by aiming for unlit letters.
Start Working on Fireball Frenzy Earnable
Shoot the Wicked Witch Target target once to start a hurry-up, then hit it again to collect. Do this three times to qualify Fireball Frenzy. During Frenzy, shoot the blue (water) lit targets and avoid the red (fire) targets. Collecting 10 jackpots during Fireball Frenzy earns the jewel. The witch is a center-left target — shoot it with conviction because the magnets in front of her can grab the ball.
Lock Balls for Emerald City, Play Crystal Ball Modes
BALL 2Lock Balls for Emerald City Multiball Earnable
Complete the rollovers at the Lion (4 completions), Tin Man (6), and Scarecrow (9) to light locks. These are the return lane rollovers near the flippers — cycle which lanes are lit using the flipper buttons, then let the ball roll through a lit lane. Shoot the Right Ramp from the right flipper to lock each ball — the third lock starts Emerald City Multiball. During the multiball, collect three gifts from the Wizard to earn the jewel.
Start Crystal Ball Modes Earnable
Spell B-A-L-L by hitting the four standup targets, then shoot the Spinner to start a Crystal Ball mode. There are five modes, each identified by the color of the B-A-L-L inserts: Lights Out (blue), Lights On (yellow), Weak Flippers (green), No-Hold Flippers (red), and Flipper Frenzy (light blue). Playing all five earns the Flipper Frenzy jewel. Warning: these modes apply curses to your flippers, so keep your composure when the controls feel wrong.
Spell W-I-Z-A-R-D for Mystery Earnable
Hit the Throne Room saucer to collect letters in W-I-Z-A-R-D. Completing the word lights a mystery award that can include an extra ball, bonus advances, or other helpful awards. The saucer is in the upper right area — balls often find their way there off bumper kicks.
Push for Remaining Jewels
BALL 3Work the Haunted Forest Earnable
Hit the Haunted Forest skull target on the left side of the playfield — it's a standup target you can reach from the left flipper or from a rebound off the left slingshot. Play all the haunted modes to earn the jewel and light Haunted Forest Multiball. During Haunted Forest Multiball, the jackpot is collected by dropping the ball into the crystal ball VUK from the pop bumpers — nudge to coax the ball in.
Attempt Rescue Multiball Earnable
Hit the two targets above the pop bumpers to light Capture Dorothy. Shoot the orbit so the winged monkey magnet captures the ball. Then hit the Winkie Guard drop target and shoot the scoop behind it to enter the Castle Mini-Playfield. Spell R-E-S-C-U-E on the castle mini-playfield targets, then hit the door three times to open it and lock a ball to start the multiball. Scoring a Mega Jackpot during Rescue Multiball earns the jewel — this is widely considered the hardest jewel to complete.
Keep Advancing Yellow Brick Road Earnable
If you haven't hit 50 Yellow Brick Road advances yet, keep shooting the Right Ramp and orbits when lit yellow. This is a grind jewel — it just requires volume. Every lit ramp or orbit shot counts, so stay disciplined. At 50 advances, the jewel is earned automatically.
Stay Alive Out There
- → Watch for Witch Magnets: The Wicked Witch has magnets that grab the ball and fling it unpredictably. Expect the ball to go somewhere weird after a witch shot. Keep your flippers ready and don't commit to a shot until you see where the ball is going.
- → Five Flippers Means Five Drains: With five flippers across three playfields, there are more drain paths than usual. The upper playfields have their own danger zones. Stay alert when the ball is on any sub-playfield and don't forget about the upper flippers.
- → Crystal Ball Curses Are Temporary: Crystal Ball modes mess with your flippers — weak flippers, reversed flippers, no flipper hold. Don't panic. The curses are timed and will end. If Glinda appears, she briefly removes the curse. Just survive until it passes.
- → Extra Ball at 10 Yellow Brick Road Advances: Getting to 10 on the Yellow Brick Road lights an extra ball at the Throne Room saucer. This is very achievable on Ball 1 if you focus on ramp shots. Collect it before you forget.
Don't Be a Hero
- ⚠ Somewhere Over the Rainbow: The true wizard mode requires all eight jewels. In a league game, this is nearly impossible. One Pinside user noted the Rescue Multiball Mega Jackpot alone is a jewel most players will never complete. Focus on collecting as many individual jewels as possible for their scoring value rather than targeting the wizard mode.
- ⚠ Completing Rescue Multiball Mega Jackpot: This is the hardest jewel by community consensus. The multi-step process (capture Dorothy, enter castle, spell RESCUE, open door, lock ball, then score a Mega Jackpot) is brutally long. If it happens, great. Don't build your game around it.
- ⚠ Flipper Frenzy Crystal Ball Mode: The most chaotic Crystal Ball mode, with fast flippers and reversed controls. It'll happen when it happens. Don't seek it out — just survive it when it arrives.
WOZ uses intentionally low scoring compared to modern Stern games — TV Tropes notes it even has one-point targets. A solid league game is around 500K-1M. Breaking 2M means you had an excellent game with multiple jewels and likely a productive multiball. Don't compare WOZ scores to anything from Stern or Williams — the scales are completely different. (Estimated — limited public scoring data available for this title.)
The Emerald City Limited Edition features exclusive emerald-green cabinet art, upgraded audio, and exclusive toppers. The gameplay and rules are identical across all WOZ models. The LE is rarer at league but the strategy is the same.
WOZ was Jersey Jack Pinball's very first machine, designed by Joe Balcer (The Simpsons Pinball Party, Lord of the Rings). It was groundbreaking — the first US pinball with a color LCD screen, the first widebody since 1994, and the first new US machine not from Stern since 2001. The hardware was ahead of its time but the code went through many revisions. Make sure the machine you're playing has reasonably current code.
The Research Pile
Every claim is sourced. Here's where we got our homework for this guide.
Clickable quick rules covering all major modes, multiballs, and skill shots. Great visual overview of the game's structure.
Community-maintained rulesheet with detailed scoring breakdowns for all modes, multiballs, and jewel objectives.
Production history, hardware details, and mechanical specifications. Good overview of the machine's groundbreaking features.
Community discussion of the eight jewel objectives with the PAPA rulesheet requirements for each.