Pinball Science is a 1998 Edutainment Game spun off of The Way Things Work by David Macaulay. Like that book, along with the more straightforward CD-ROM adaptation it got earlier, Pinball Science aims to teach children how various machines and mechanisms work. It does so by quizzing players on how those things work, after which they can be placed in Digital Pinball Tables which also prominently feature the woolly mammoth mascots of the franchise.
Tropes include:
- Butt-Monkey: The woolly mammoths serve as the bumpers for the pinball stages, and they are frequently shown with Amusing Injuries after getting hit by the pinball.
- Game Maker: Downplayed. The game has you place the pinball table components on the table, and you can choose where some of those pieces go, but for the most part there are preset spots where you are allowed to put them.
- Palmtree Panic: The second table, the Island, takes place on a tropical island with all the sand, palmtrees, parrots, and shipwrecks you would expect. The woolly mammoths are also seen wearing grass skirts and sunglasses as they laze on the beach.
- Trip to the Moon Plot: The third table, only unlocked after activating the rocket on the Island table, takes place on the Moon, which features an elaborate lunar base and woolly mammoth astronauts.