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A fourth-generation Rock-afire Explosion show at a ShowBiz Pizza Place location in Orlando on May 24, 2018.
The Rock-afire Explosion is an animatronic character band that appeared in ShowBiz Pizza Place restaurants from 1980 to 1992, and again since 2011. The band's characters are various anthropomorphized animals, including a brown bear, a grey wolf and a silverback gorilla. They perform medleys of classic rock, pop, and country music, as well as original compositions and comedic skits.
The show was designed and manufactured by inventor Aaron Fechter, engineer Greg King and artist Dave Thomas through Fechter's company Fechter Creative Engineering (FCE) in Orlando, Florida. In addition to overseeing the production of the animatronics, Fechter provides several of the characters' voices. When ShowBiz Pizza rebranded in 1992, the band was replaced by Chuck E. Cheese's characters. The Rock-afire Explosion show was sold to other restaurants and entertainment centers such as Looney Bird's, Circus Pizza, Pistol Pete's Pizza, and Billy Bob's Wonderland.
The show was pioneering, in many respects, to other animatronics shows of the early 1980s. The life-sized characters were capable of facial expression, and some could even play simple melodies on musical instruments. At the end of the show's tenure, Chuck E. Cheese marketing director Jul Kamen credited Rock-afire with being largely responsible for ShowBiz's success.
In 2008, Fechter, with Chris Thrash, reintroduced the Rock-afire ensemble as a cover band for a variety of pop, rock and hip-hop groups. Beginning in 2011, the band has been reintroduced at the revived ShowBiz, and in 2016, the band received an animated series on Netflix known as The Rock-afire Explosion Show. An animated film focused on the band was released on April 21, 2021, and a sequel was released on January 12, 2024.
Technical specifications[]
The Rock-afire Explosion uses four recorded tracks, two for audio and two for data. The data tracks are encoded using Biphase mark code produced during the programming process by two Apple IIe computers. During the early 1980s, the circuitry of the RAE was purchased by Creative Engineering from Superscope, the makers of Pianocorder. Eventually, as technology evolved and ShowBiz became involved in programming, they switched to a new programming system, APS (Animation Programming System), designed by Dave Philipsen. Cyberstar, a new controller designed by Bill Synhorst of Triad Productions, was implemented to add video playback capability, eliminating the need for the Pianocorder playback board and communicating directly with the existing driver boards. Modern Rock-afire Explosion shows are programmed through Looney Bird's Lab, a program first released by Creative Engineering and Johnson Technologies in 1995 and continually updated since then.
Beginning in the third generation, all animatronics have the ability to walk around unassisted.
Production[]
A child uses a microphone to speak with Billy Bob at the ShowBiz Pizza location in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Production of the show's programming and audio is done in-house by Fechter Creative Engineering, Inc. in Orlando, Florida. Almost all Rock-afire shows are produced completely in-house, with Fechter employees not only manufacturing the characters, but also writing and performing their songs and skits.
Later, as ShowBiz Pizza Place took over programming, they used Songcode, a system inherited from their acquisition of Pizza Time Theatre, until APS (see above) became their standard programming system.
Unlike other animatronic shows of the early 1980s, the Rock-afire Explosion was life-sized, with most of the performers about the size of an average adult human. Fechter also implemented latex masks for the characters' faces, as opposed to the rubber and Styrofoam masks common in other animatronics. The latex masks fit over movable parts on the characters' faces, permitting a range of facial expressions, including smiling and the raising of eyebrows. Fechter also implemented computer programming that permitted some of the characters to move in rhythm with music.
In November 2000, a second-generation animatronic show that was worked on in the early 1980s prior to financial troubles at ShowBiz was finally realized; Mitzi (whose animatronic would later become Mitzi Jr.) is capable of doing movements such as hip twists, as well as the ability to actually "dance", while Dook can play a full set of drums, swivel his waist, play drums that surround him, raise his arms to hit cymbals above him, and even reach one arm across the other while playing, and Beach Bear can stand up off of his surfboard, among other upgrades. Also, the background and Dook's drum head are now illuminated by rear lighting to display them in different colors. Existing animatronics weren't retrofitted to include those movements, however. Beginning in 2007, the animatronics were given the ability to walk unassisted in a third-generation version, using technology that would later be incorporated into Fechter's AnimeTronics. A fourth-generation version was released in 2016, with the animatronics being able to actually play their own instruments, in addition to further improved movements. Earlier generations are still seen in many ShowBiz Pizza Place locations and other family entertainment centers, with almost all first-generation animatronics located at former Chuck E. Cheese's and Looney Bird's restaurants.
Band members[]
- Billy Bob Brockali – Bass / Vocals. A brown bear from Tennessee who wears yellow and red overalls and plays a wooden bass. He was the mascot for ShowBiz Pizza Place throughout its existence, and his image is on most of the chain's merchandise. Preceded by Billy Wilbur from the Hard Luck Bears and Bear Country Jubilee. Sweet and naive, Billy Bob is usually a mediator to the band's minor on-stage squabbles. Voice: Aaron Fechter (1980-present), Bob West (1986-1987)
- Looney Bird – Vocals. Looney Bird shares Billy Bob's stage, as they are close friends. His head is the only thing ever seen, the rest of him hiding in an oil drum. Some shows feature a segment where Looney Bird would answer fan mail. For this, the robot is retrofitted to include a pair of hands that hold a piece of paper for him to read. Looney Bird was originally portrayed as having the personality of an alcoholic and frequently huffed gas to calm himself down. In the mid-1980s his personality underwent a drastic change and he would be portrayed as an inventor and scientific genius. Preceded by Gooney Bird from the Hard Luck Bears and Bear Country Jubilee. Voice: Aaron Fechter (1980-present), Frank Gaughan (1986-1987)
- Dook LaRue – Drums / Vocals. A mongrel who aspires space travel and wears a space themed suit. Slightly dimwitted, Dook would often lose focus during shows and miss his cues. Preceded by Dingo Starr from the Wolf Pack Five. Voice: Duke Chauppetta (1980-present), unknown voice actor (1986-1987)
- Fatz Geronimo – Keyboards / Vocals. A silverback gorilla. He is a parody of real-life entertainers Fats Domino and Ray Charles. Unofficial band front man, Fatz has a tendency to ramble. He has introduced the most shows and orders other band members around, leading him and Rolfe DeWolfe into many arguments. Preceded by Fats Gorilla from the Wolf Pack Five. Voice: Burt Wilson (1980-2023), Mark Brink (1986-1987), Jackson Bridges (2024-present)
- Beach Bear – Guitar / Vocals. A polar bear with a laid-back attitude and a smooth singing voice. He is wise and somewhat sarcastic. Beach Bear was carried over from the Wolf Pack Five. Voice: Aaron Fechter (1980-1982), Rick Bailey (1982-present), unknown voice actor (1986-1987)
- Mitzi Mozzarella Jr. - Vocals. Introduced in 2011 with the revival of ShowBiz Pizza Place, Mitzi Jr. is the daughter of and successor to the original Mitzi. She wears a ponytail instead of pigtails and has a more independent, somewhat more tomboyish personality. Her favorite band is Steam Powered Giraffe. In 2019, her cheerleading outfit was replaced with more casual clothes to reflect the character aging, and her pom-poms were removed. Voice: Sarah Locke
- Mitzi Mozzarella Sr. – Vocals. Mitzi was a mouse and a cheerleader. A typical teenager, Mitzi was considered "loose" by the rest of the Rock-afire Explosion, and was obsessed with gossip, boyfriends, pop music, and (appropriate for the time) Michael Jackson. She and her daughter are the only characters in the group to age. Preceded by Queenie Fox and Mini Mozzarella from the Wolf Pack Five. Voice: Aaron Fechter (1980-1982), Monique Danielle (1982), Shalisa Sloan James (1982-present), unknown voice actress (1986-1987)
- Rolfe DeWolfe and Earl Schmerle – A ventriloquist/comedy act. Nominally a stand-up comedy act performed in between musical sets; Rolfe is a wolf, and Earl is his sentient ventriloquist puppet. Rolfe is portrayed as sarcastic and abrasive, with a tendency to be incredibly rude to both the band and the employees that work at ShowBiz. He has a fondness for disco music, Kmart, and the works of Frank Sinatra. Earl was there to "set him straight" by calling his behaviors out, and by turning Rolfe into a joke. Rolfe was preceded by the Wolfman from the Wolf Pack Five, while Earl is an original character. Voice: Aaron Fechter (Rolfe and Earl, 1980-present), Joe Conti (Rolfe, 1986-1987, 1990), unknown voice actor (Earl, 1986-1987, 1990)
- Uncle Klunk - A backup singer and talk show act. Originally a human character who replaced Rolfe in thirty stores and hosted talk-show segments with his bird sidekick, Click, Klunk was brought back as a full-time member in 2011, serving as the band's backup singer. A spare Klunk is also retrofitted into a Santa Claus during the holidays. Voice: Jeff Howell (1983, 2011-present), unknown voice actor (1983), Shawn Fernandez (1985)
- Fernando Fox - Another backup singer, also introduced in 2011. Fernando is an orange-furred, Southern-accented fox with a love of motorcycles. He tries to put on a "tough guy" facade, but constantly fails. Voice: Shawn Fernandez
- Hannah Banana - A backup singer who only appears in British ShowBiz Pizza Place locations. Hannah is a sweet but snarky Welsh-accented monkey who was created for a restaurant chain of the same name in the mid-2000s. Voice: Beki Russo (2007, 2013-present), two other unknown voice actors (2007)
The show also has several smaller prop characters, many of which do not have speaking roles. These include an animated Sun and Moon (who provide background vocals from time to time), Antioch the birthday spider (who speals in garbles), Choo-Choo the baby bear, who hides in a small tree stump in front of Dook's drums, and Birthday Bird, who sits on Billy Bob's guitar. On Dook's original stage, there was an owl that was just a prop, and did not move or speak; it was reinstated in 2011.
Later years at ShowBiz and Concept Unification[]
ShowBiz Pizza Place was similar to (and competed with) Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, another animatronic restaurant chain that was popular in the United States. In the mid-1980s, both venues began to suffer financial difficulties, partially due to the video game crash of 1983 and also due to both companies having opened more restaurants than they could afford to maintain. When Pizza Time Theatre filed for bankruptcy in 1984, ShowBiz bought the company, hoping that new talent and merchandising opportunities could save both companies.
By 1985, Richard M. Frank had joined the company as CEO and chairman. The corporation maintained the two restaurant chains simultaneously for several years. Each continued its own stage shows and sold different merchandise. However, in the latter part of the decade, relations between Creative Engineering and ShowBiz began to sour. Aaron Fechter, the founder of Creative Engineering and creator of the Rock-afire Explosion, claimed that the fallout between his company and ShowBiz arose when ShowBiz asked him to sign away the licensing and copyrights to the Rock-afire Explosion, which would have allowed ShowBiz to cut production costs on the show, such as manufacture of future shows and royalty payments to Creative Engineering. Fechter refused, on the grounds that ShowBiz offered no monetary compensation for the rights.
During this time, ShowBiz completely shut Creative Engineering out of showtape production, including programming and voice acting. All of the characters were voiced by impersonators who tried (and in most cases, failed) to sound like the Creative Engineering voice actors. As of 2023, only four of the corporate voices have been identified, these being Bob West as Billy Bob, Frank Gaughan as Looney Bird, Mark Brink as Fatz, and Joe Conti as Rolfe. These showtapes, among other things, were criticized for their overly positive and campy feel compared to the Creative Engineering showtapes (which had a tendency to be more adult and somewhat cynical), as well as the voices being poor imitations (one showtape saw Bob West use his Jasper T. Jowls voice for Billy Bob) and the sloppy programming that sometimes caused the wrong character to speak or sing.
In 1986, a showtape celebrating the 100th anniversary of the installation of the Statue of Liberty was released. The tape had two shows: one programmed by ShowBiz and continuing the cheap, campy feel of past tapes, and the other programmed by Creative Engineering, which had higher production values and a very serious tone, with not a single joke made in the Creative version. Later, for Christmas, Creative Engineering sent out a Christmas showtape (it is unknown if ShowBiz made a Christmas showtape for the Rock-afire Explosion); said tape was recorded in a single take and mostly ad-libbed, with the characters talking about what the spirit of Christmas means to them, thanking the managers who were also feeling the sting of ShowBiz's rampant cost-cutting, and stating their intent to stay together forever. In 1987, ShowBiz relented; while they still programmed the shows, scripting and recording were given back to Creative Engineering.
ShowBiz began toying with the idea of adding licensed characters such as Spider-Man or Garfield to replace the Rock-afire show, and three ShowBiz locations actually replaced Billy Bob and Looney Bird with Yogi Bear and Boo Boo animatronics in 1987. Ideas to retrofit the Rock-afire into completely original characters were also proposed at the time by Creative Presentations Inc, a now-defunct animatronic company based in Schaumburg, IL which already provided ShowBiz with new showtapes and replacement cosmetics for Rock-afire shows.
An experiment of Paul Linden and Dave Philipsen using JVC BR-7000 VHS Hi-Fi tape decks which integrated two stereo audio tracks, two longitudinal data tracks, and video led to a system in 1988 where television screens were installed above the Rock-afire stage as the company introduced their new Cyberstar TV screen system. During showtime, the characters were finally shown performing in video, as reel-to-reel formatted tapes began to be used less often. A reel-to-reel version of Cyberstar called "Cybervision" was tested at two restaurants in Austin, TX; Cybervision can be distinguished from Cyberstar by the fact that they only feature the animatronics, and no graphics or walkaround characters. Cyberstar was also implemented at Pizza Time Theatre, and remains in use at all Chuck E. Cheese's and ShowBiz Pizza Place locations, albeit using a cloud-based system rather than VHS tapes.
The changes to the Rock-afire stage were very minor (aside from replacing the Smitty's Super Service Station backdrop on Stage Left with the ShowBiz Pizza Campground background, to distinguish ShowBiz's shows from the Rock-afire shows that Creative Engineering had sold to smaller restaurants and regional chains), as the company later decided to enact a process called "Concept Unification," in which all ShowBiz Pizza locations would be remodeled into Chuck E. Cheese's. The remodel included the elimination of all Rock-afire characters from merchandise and advertising, and retrofitting/reprogramming the Rock-afire Explosion animatronics into a show called Munch's Make-Believe Band, featuring the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre characters. Dook was moved to Billy Bob's place and became Pasqually P. Pieplate, Looney Bird became Pizzacam, Beach Bear became Jasper T. Jowls, Fatz became Mr. Munch, Mitzi was moved to Dook's place and became Helen Henny, The Sun became The Building, Choo-Choo became Munch Jr., and Rolfe became Chuck E. Cheese; The Moon was the only character carried over unchanged, and Antioch's computer and air lines were reused for The Wink, an animated Chuck E. Cheese head over the stage that would wink at the end of each segment. Unused animatronics (which included Billy Bob, Earl, and Antioch) and props were sent back to Creative Engineering.
After ties between Creative Engineering and ShowBiz were completely severed, "Concept Unification" began in September 1990 and occurred sporadically at ShowBiz locations for the next two years, with the final Rock-afire being converted at the Memphis location in January 1993. As Concept Unification began at each location, the right and center stages of the Rock-afire show were shut down, leaving only the Rolfe and Earl characters operational. The two performed "The Rolfe and Earle Show" (Earl's name was unintentionally misspelled), featuring the voices of ShowBiz employees imitating Fechter's voice; the two ran a highlights reel of old Rock-afire Cyberstar segments and wondered aloud what the band would do now, and hinted at the coming Chuck E. Cheese-themed show. "The Rolfe and Earle Show" was the final Rock-afire show; after concept unification had been completed on the center and right stages, Rolfe and Earl were ready to be retrofitted. Several ShowBiz restaurants, however, dissented against Concept Unification and become independent restaurants, such as Billy Bob's Wonderland; these restaurants received full support from Creative Engineering.
ShowBiz Pizza Place franchisee and Creative Engineering consultant Chris Thrash and ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. president Belle Armstrong with the voice actors for the band at Creative Engineering in January 2020. From left to right: Jeff Howell (Klunk and backup singer), Duke Chauppetta (Dook), Aaron Fechter (Billy Bob, Looney Bird, Rolfe, and Earl), Burt "Sal" Wilson (Fatz), Sarah Locke (Mitzi Jr.), Shalisa Sloan James (Mitzi Sr.), and Rick Bailey (Beach Bear).
Post-ShowBiz[]
Fechter attempted to keep Creative Engineering afloat after being pushed out of the ShowBiz operation. Using parts from the old animatronics, he created different shows, in the hope to sell to other establishments. One of these was the Moon Rockers, which represented a group of aliens from a city in the moon. There was Princess Haley (a female vocalist that used Mitzi's animatronic), Quazar (a guitar player that used Beach Bear's animatronic), Orc (a keyboardist that used Fatz's animatronic), and Ozone (a drummer that used Dook's animatronic). The stage also got a new look; it had a night sky and a large moon for the new background. It also had a floor that looked like they were on a planet. Only Looney Bird's was known to have bought this show, which was used in the Albuquerque, New Mexico location (which also had a Rock-afire Explosion show). Since 2014, Moon Rockin' Pizza has used this show.
In the 2000s, spurred by the growing online Rock-afire fan community, Fechter reunited some of the Rock-afire performers and began to program shows set to fan-requested songs. Videos of the performances—posted to YouTube upon completion—are credited with helping to further revive interest in the group and ShowBiz Pizza, and spurred individuals who owned their own Rock-afire bands to begin programming new shows themselves.
The New Rock-afire[]
Creative Engineering began to design the New Rock-afire Explosion introduced in 1994 featuring smaller, redesigned Rock-afire characters. These smaller, more advanced animatronics were dubbed "mijjins" due to their small size. This show also featured a rotating stage allowing a more advanced and versatile show. They were put in spinoff restaurant Looney Bird's, among other restaurants. All Looney Bird's locations were converted to ShowBiz locations by the end of 2012. Many of the mijjin shows were sold to other restaurants and family fun centers, though all mijjin shows at Looney Bird's locations were retained.
Independent public shows in the Americas[]
The Rock-afire Explosion performs at Rock-afire, an arcade bar in Kansas City, Missouri, using a first-generation show; it was the final show of that type purchased.
Smitty's Super Service Station has an almost fully-functional first-generation show in Improve, Mississippi.
The Rock-afire Explosion show at Billy Bob's Wonderland in Barboursville, West Virginia, remained operational but was in poor condition. The restaurant became a Super ShowBiz Pizza in 2013, and its show was massively restored.
Scandia Golf and Games, located in Kelowna, British Columbia, had a first-generation Rock-afire Explosion show in its restaurant.
The Volo Auto Museum received a first-generation Rock-afire Explosion show and placed it on exhibit in the summer of 2020.
Odyssey Fun World, an indoor amusement park located in Naperville, Illinois, and Tinley Park, Illinois, operated the New Rock-afire show in its restaurant, but as of January 4, 2019, both shows have been removed and sold to fans, and replaced by a Ho-kago Tea Time Stage.
Independent public shows in Europe[]
The Dreamfactory & World of Wonders has an almost fully functional first-generation show in Degersheim, Switzerland. It is currently being restored and can be visited.
Revival[]
On February 17, 2010, Johnson Industries closed a deal to acquire CEC Entertainment, Inc. for $20 million. On April 28, it was announced that the band would return the following year, along with the ShowBiz Pizza Place name. Later in the day, Fechter released a video on his YouTube channel officially confirming that CEI would be involved in the band's return; he also revealed that he managed to get Wilson, Bailey, Chauppetta, and Howell to reprise their roles as Fatz, Beach Bear, Dook, and Klunk, respectively, while James (the voice of Mitzi), who saw herself as "too old" to voice a role model for young girls convincingly, was replaced by 10-year-old Sarah Locke as part of a nationwide contest launched by Johnson and CEI called The Next Mitzi. Locke voices Mitzi's daughter, Mitzi Jr., who has a similar wardrobe, but wears a ponytail instead of pigtails and has a more independent personality.
On November 17, 2011, the first revived ShowBiz Pizza Place location opened at the Chuck E. Cheese's flagship store on Tully Road in San Jose, California (making it a combination restaurant).
On December 28, 2023, Burt Wilson passed away, becoming the first member of the original voice cast to die. Wilson had recorded new performances for Fatz, Sun, Moon, and Click through March 2024. Wilson, in his final months, had begun training his successor, a young baritone named Jackson Bridges. Prior to Bridges taking over the role, ShowBiz will run a special showtape in May and June 2024 centered around Fatz and his greatest hits as a tribute to Wilson. Wilson's voice will continue to be heard as Antioch, as the same few voice clips have been reused since the 1980s, as well as birthday shows recorded in 1980 and 1982. The Rock-afire Explosion Sequel, which was released after his death, was dedicated to his memory.
Films[]
The Rock-afire Explosion, a documentary about Chris Thrash, Aaron Fechter and the remaining Rock-afire Explosion fan base, was released at film festivals and special screenings around the United States in the fall of 2008. Written and directed by Houston filmmakers Brett Whitcomb (director) and Bradford Thomason (writer), and produced by Jason Connell, the film has been featured on Last Call with Carson Daly. It was released on DVD in 2009. In 2011, it was released on iTunes. In 2020, it was released on Netflix.
In 2021, The Rock-afire Explosion Movie, an animated film directed by Fechter following the Rock-afire Explosion and Chuck E.'s Pizza Time Band going on the run while evading Mike Wolf and his associates as Ho-kago Tea Time trails Mike and uncovers a conspiracy from the past, was released in theaters and on Netflix. A second film, The Rock-afire Explosion Sequel, was released on January 12, 2024.
Specials and animated series[]
Since 2003, animated specials starring the band have been produced annually, all of which have aired on WBC. The first special, The Rock-afire Explosion Holiday Special, aired in December 2003; it was followed by The Rock-afire Explosion on the Loose! (2004), A Rock-afire Halloween (2005), Rock-afire Tales (2006), Rock-afire Easter (2007), The Rock-afire Explosion in New York (2008), The Rock-afire Explosion in Texas (2009), The Rock-afire Explosion in Hollywood (2010), Rock-afire Heroes (2011), The Rock-afire Explosion in Oz (2012), Rock-afire Mysteries (2013), Rock-afire Valentines (2014), Rock-afire Carnival (2015), A Rock-afire Thanksgiving (2016), A Rock-afire Musical (2017), Here Comes the Rock-afire Explosion! (2018), The Rock-afire Explosion Meets Scooby-Doo (2019), The Rock-afire Celebration (2020), Rock-afire 2000 (2021), Another Rock-afire Christmas (2022), and The Rock-afire Explosion in the Middle Ages (2023).
The specials use an artstyle based on the original designs by former CEI artist Dave Thomas, which have carried over to future projects.
In April 2014, an animated series centered around the Rock-afire Explosion began development. This series, titled The Rock-afire Explosion Show, was officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2015 as a variety series featuring said band alongside Chuck E.'s Pizza Time Band from Chuck E. Cheese's and Ho-kago Tea Time from the anime K-On! and Japanese States ShowBiz locations alongside other characters, and the first season officially premiered on Netflix on December 16, 2016. Reruns also air on The Hub and the Sprout block One for the Big Sprouts.
Video games[]
The Rock-afire Explosion Game was released in 2018 for various platforms. A pinball game for mobile platforms called Rock-afire Pinball was released in 2019.
In January 2021, Rock-afire Replay, a fan-made game by The 64th Gamer, was granted an official license. The game features stages from the Rock-afire Explosion's history, including obscure stages, along with former and current Chuck E. Cheese's stages; it also features characters such as Klunk, the Moonrockers stage, and Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo, as well as a video archive, and the ability to walk around the restaurant and buy souvenirs. Showtapes can be downloaded and shared via cloud storage, as well as Looney Bird's Lab. In late 2022, it was rebranded to Reel to Real, to reflect its expansion beyond Rock-afire Explosion and Chuck E. Cheese's material.
Podcasts[]
Billy Bob's NewsBlast is a news podcast hosted by Fechter in-character as Billy Bob and Looney Bird. Its first episode went online on November 19, 2005. The Rock-afire Podcast is a talk, comedy, and music podcast hosted by the voice actors in-character. It has run since January 1, 2018.