In 2011, Mountain Dew created a gigantic, fully functioning pinball-machine-themed skate park in Henderson, West Auckland, New Zealand. Instead of a metal ball rolling around a pinball table, skateboarders themselves were the “pinballs.” The project was developed with advertising agency Colenso BBDO and professional skate-park builders.
The concept was spectacularly over-the-top. The park incorporated ramps, banks, rails, obstacles, lights and sensors arranged like the components of a giant pinball machine. As skaters hit particular areas, the system could trigger lights, sounds and scoring effects, making a skateboarding run behave somewhat like playing a real pinball game.
Mountain Dew reportedly spent about four weeks constructing, painting, wiring and testing the installation. It covered roughly 600 square metres, and the reported construction cost was around US$500,000.
The project initially hosted 30 of New Zealand's top skateboarders for a special professional competition. After that event, Mountain Dew opened the installation to the public for part of June 2011, allowing ordinary skateboarders to experience it.
What makes it particularly interesting is that it wasn't simply a skate park decorated to look like pinball. The pinball mechanics were actually incorporated into the experience. The advertising concept was essentially:
PINBALL + SKATEBOARDING = GIANT HUMAN PINBALL MACHINE! 😂🛹🎰
It was also filmed as part of a Mountain Dew advertising campaign. Advertising industry coverage described the skateboarders as the pinballs moving through a giant obstacle course, and the completed installation became the setting for a “Skate Pinball” television spot.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a permanent attraction. The park was dismantled after the promotional campaign, so you can't visit the original Mountain Dew Pinball Machine Skate Park today.
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