Below you will find an archive of Willis, Bootleg and NOS (or Reproduction) artwork from my personal collection. I’m always looking for new pieces to add to the archive, especially Willis artwork. If you have any unusual arcade game artwork for sale or trade, or just need some help identifying your stuff, drop me a line. For more information about the artwork shown below you can view the sidebar categories, or use the search box to find the related post. Can’t find it? Contact me for help, thanks!

Willis Industries Inc., was a prolific manufacturer and distributor of artwork for the arcade game industry during the 1980′s. Willis became synonymous with “bad” cpo artwork among the collecting community and the name Willis was often used to describe any artwork that wasn’t original to the game. While it’s true that some Willis artwork is loaded with 80′s cheese, the majority of their work is under appreciated, especially when you consider the impact the company had on the arcade industry. Not only did they make the reproduction overlays they are now infamous for, but the company also produced a large variety of dedicated artwork for classic games. If promotional materials are to be believed, Wills was the first company to take the leap from screened metal panels to the Lexan cpo’s we’re familiar with today.

Bootleg arcade game artwork is a term used to describe any artwork that was made without authorization, licensing or the necessary payments required to secure the rights for a particular video game. This might happen for any number of reasons, the primary one being operator profits. Importers, distributors, operators and even collectors made a wide variety of bootleg artwork that can still be found today.

New old stock (NOS) is artwork that was originally produced as a factory replacement for a dedicated cabinet, or was included as the artwork in a conversion kit. NOS art has never been applied so it is considered “new”, however, it is certainly “old” and has been sitting around for decades. Condition of the artwork varies greatly and NOS does not necessarily equal mint or perfect. Reproduction artwork is created when NOS artwork is hard to find, too costly, and there is high demand. Reproduction artwork is made from original films or created from scratch using a scan of an NOS piece. A comprehensive list of reproduction artwork can be found over at Rotheblog, a great resource worth checking out.