Gunther: "Temper temper!"
Tee'd Off is a Physical Pinball Table designed by Ray Tanzer and Jon Norris. It features artwork by Constantino and Jeanine Mitchell and David Moore, and was released by Gottlieb (under the "Premier" label) in 1993.
Taking place on a tropical island, the game casts the player as a golfer spending a day on the links. However, he's badgered by Gunther Gopher, who's out to enjoy himself by distracting the player with a barrage of dances, taunts, and insults. Go through 36 holes around the island and beneath the volcano, Slice through the coconut trees, Hook around the Dog Leg, then try for a Hole-In-One up the center lane. For more points, play the Skins Game, try for the Pitch 'n Putt, and peek into a hole and try to Find the Gopher. Spin the Gopher Wheel to build up the Go-Fore-Par-Tee, then celebrate after nine holes with some Multiball or a Lightning Storm scoring frenzy.
Although Tee'd Off was a modestly successful game for Gottlieb with 3,500 tables sold, it's a rather divisive table among pinheads. Detractors point to its uninspired sounds and cartoonish artwork as turn-offs, and note that it's easy to reap big points by starting multiball and then repeatedly looping the center lane. Supporters embrace its lighthearted theme, family-friendly humor, and undemanding gameplay, while pinball historians note that many of the same ideas would appear in Williams Electronics' No Good Gofers several years later.
Digital versions of Tee'd Off are available from FarSight Studios' Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection and The Pinball Arcade.
The Tee'd Off pinball demonstrates the following tropes:
- Alliterative Name: Gunther Gopher, though his full name is "Gunther the dancing Gopher" as noted in advertisements.
- Announcer Chatter
- Chekhov's Volcano: Shooting a ball into the Volcano causes it to erupt out of the opening a moment later.
- Convection, Schmonvection: You shoot balls (golf- or pin, depending on your perspective) into a volcano.
- Heart Symbol: The playfield shows a male golfer smitten with a female golfer, with heart symbols around his head.
- Jerkass: Gunther, though he's more of a Griefer than a full-blown jerk.Gunther: "This just ain't gonna be your day! (snickering)"
- Lava Adds Awesome: There's a volcano on the golf course. Why? Why not?
- Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: In "Skins", choosing to take 10 million points instead of "Double or Nothing" will result in Gunther calling you a chicken.
- Pinball Projectile: An animation clip shows the golf ball bouncing wildly among a grove of coconut trees.
- Rage Quit: The table shows several golfers rage quitting their golf games, including one man on the backglass breaking his putter over his knee, and another golfer hurling his clubs off a cliff and into the ocean.
- Ramp Jump: The "Pitch 'n Putt" requires shooting the pinball up a ramp and making it land in the Mean Green Hole.
- Shaking the Rump:
- The game starts with a close-up of the golfer shaking his rear, limbering up for the tee-off.
- Gunther dances on top of the backbox during the game to distract the player.
- Shout-Out: In addition to the obvious parallels to Caddyshack, Gunther throws in a reference to The Honeymooners:Gunther: "He addresses the ball."
Golfer: "Hello ball!" - Spelling Bonus: S-L-I-C-E starts a Slice Hurry-Up and lights the target for 50 million points each hit, S-K-I-N-S starts the Skins Game, and getting G-O-P-H-E-R on the Gopher Wheel enables the Go-Fore-Par-Tee three-ball multiball.
- Take That, Audience!: This is Gunther's primary schtick.Gunther: "Did anybody teach ya how to play this game?"
- Tap on the Head
- An animated display shows Gunther getting hit with a golf ball.
- The playfield shows a golfer in a sandtrap getting hit with a wayward ball.
- Title Drop: During Attract Mode, a golfer verbally expresses his frustration, as seen in the page quote at the top.
- What the Hell, Player?: Invoked by Gunther many times.Gunther: "What the heck are you shootin' at?!"
- Written Sound Effect: The playfield and cabinet show golf balls ricocheting all over the place, accompanied by assorted BONK!s and ZONK!s.
