The sign has the standard Willis logo, date and trademark info right on the front, typical of Willis artwork. Being just a sticker, it wasn’t printed using the heavy duty 3M paper and adhesive, just a generic plain backing. I can’t recall ever seeing these on games back in the day, usually it was just a hand scrawled note that said “Out of order” taped to the bezel. Not sure if sticking one of these on a game would have been a good idea anyway, would they come off easily? Doubt it.

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.

The artwork and color scheme on that game exude 70′s funk and I love it. The cp artwork was originally screened right onto the metal panels, just like on Asteroids and Missile Command. Unfortunately that means when it wears off, its gone forever. So besides being a replacement overlay and not a metal panel, the Willis piece just doesn’t fit well with the Atari cabinet artwork. Sure, the big “football” and a bunch of football players make it obvious what game its for, but so boring. Still has all the earmarks of a quality Willis piece and makes a nice addition.

Now I’m not saying that it’s super fantastic or anything, it just works well and looks better than the original in this case. Quality materials, die-cut button holes, part numbers and copyright info all in place. Another piece for the archive.

The original control panel overlay was reverse printed on a thick piece of plexi which made it quite durable but prone to scratching or graffiti. The reproduction was made in the same way Willis made all their products, reverse printed on lexan material with 3M adhesive. Quality production, with part number and copyright info, but too far removed from the feel of the original cpo. Another problem is the nose picking girl. I can’t imagine that when this piece of artwork was reviewed before production, no one caught that slight little problem? I mean it looks like she’s about to dig for gold. Add the hokey overall appearance of all the artwork combined and you get one dog of an overlay. Unfortunately this was a popular game and the reproduction overlay was likely made in mass quantity, spreading the horror over the greater collecting community. It will be added to the artwork archive, preserving the history one piece at a time.

However, the original was reversed screened on lexan and the artwork was a little more refined than the Willis attempt. I keep thinking about prismacolor markers when I look at the details. The spinach can highlights and reflective surfaces look like something a student might do in an industrial design class. While this is not one of my favorite Willis pieces, at least the spinach can makes it pretty obvious what game the cpo is for. I’ll add this to the archive.

It does bear the Willis name and even a part no, so there is no doubt that this version is the actual Willis Frogger reproduction overlay. It will hop on over to the archive. Enjoy!

Lots of robots pulled from the side art and colors from the bezel. Not a bad replacement and perhaps better than the dark factory replacement cpo that was offered direct from Stern. This Willis Berzerk control panel overlay is in great shape and produced with their typical quality production. I will happily add it to the archive.

Looking for a stainless steel reproduction for your Berzerk upright? Pre-order yours now! Likely the last time I will revisit this project, so if you need one, let me know.

You can see the different Willis replacement overlays, for popular games of the time, spread out over two pages in this Wico catalog. Asteroids, Pac-Man, Gorf, Berzerk and Space Invaders to name just a few. What a great way for Wills to get their product in front of the operators as Wico was a major supplier of parts to the industry. The catalog also explains the application of the Willis generic graphics, used for converting a game.

The exclusive distribution agreement seems like a sound business decision for both companies at the time. Willis would get widespread distribution and recognition thanks to Wico and Wico would add another product type to their growing list of items; while earning a margin of some type on all sales. Win win to me, but would it last?