“Enviro-Graphics, an exciting new concept for the amusement industry. An Enviro-Graphics kit includes all the decorative treatment, signage, and support material required for your arcade, game room or game location. These products are designed and produced by the premier game art company in America – Willis Industries.” A bold statement from a company that the classic arcade collecting community tends to frown upon. But take a look at the brochure and you might think twice.

I had never heard of Enviro-graphics, or known about artwork packages that operators could use to decorate their arcade. I was too busy finding my next quarter for that new game, or waiting for the 6 tokens for $1 special at Aladdin’s Castle, who paid attention to the décor? I suppose I do recall the way many of the arcades looked back in the day and the atmosphere did contribute to the overall memory. So perhaps Willis had a good idea. Token signs, out of order signs, score boards, event schedules, specials, rules…all things the operator needed to communicate with his customers. The random space scene posters remind me more of the stuff some stoner would put on his walls to light with black lights and listen to purple haze. Probably not the best idea for a family oriented venue. The brochure states that the posters were directly screened onto 1/8″ thick foam board, which is probably why so few (if any) survive today.

One thing I noticed is the apparent change in relationship between Willis and Wico around the time this stuff was being produced. If you recall my post about the partnership they shared, apparently it didn’t last or just wasn’t working out. Whatever the reasons, the brochure above is a lot different from the unopened one you see below. Dated September 10, 1982 it has the Wico name and distributor information prominently displayed. A few additional pieces of artwork can also be seen on the back. The almost identical brochure above has all traces of the Wico name removed and “Now operators can buy direct from Willis”. Interesting move and even before the industry crash really took hold. If you can shed any light on this relationship or if you have a Willis Enviro-Graphics poster you’d like to sell, let me know.

If you know anything about classic arcade games, the name Wico should be familiar. They’re the famous makers of the Wico 4 and 8 way leaf switch joysticks, a “must have” for many classic restorations. While they were standard equipment on many of our beloved classics, finding complete NOS Wico joysticks gets harder and harder every day. Those knock off replacements just don’t stack up to the originals. So what does Willis have to do with it? I’ll tell you. (more…)

I was checking out a link to the blog nocashvalue that Preston posted over at coinopspace, a fantastic forum for arcade game enthusiasts. The link showcases a scanned article from Play Meter which reveals a little history about the part supplier WICO. We all know WICO for the famous 4 way joystick that was used on so many classic games, so it is interesting to learn a little more about the company and its contributions to our beloved hobby. You can read the WICO article over at Preston’s blog. Check it out!