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10/10/14
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2/23/17
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Hey there, fellow nitwits!; A brief self-introduction
Topic Started: Nov 27 2014, 12:58 AM (1,183 Views)
jeffnov
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I should probably introduce myself before I ask a bunch of questions and provide some of my own information I've discovered about Showbiz and CEC.

I'm an amateur filmmaker at the moment, steadily growing more professional. That's my main interest, but I've always loved animatronics in film and entertainment and going to Chuck E. Cheese's is probably where that started. I loved going there and playing games and eating pizza and getting tickets and whatnot, but the animatronics were something that always stuck in my head and were one of the first things I thought of when the place was mentioned. I wasn't scared of them, I was fascinated by them, and my interest grew even more as I got older.

Around 2007 was when I decided to do some online research and look into the history of the restaurant. I found Showbizpizza.com, and that's where I learned about Pizza Time Theatre, Showbiz Pizza Place, the Rock-Afire Explosion, Concept Unification, and everything in between. I wasn't around during the existence of Showbiz or the heyday of Chuck E. Cheese's/Pizza Time Theatre, but learning everything about the history of the restaurants and the animatronics was was just so interesting to me.

I love seeing CEC locations in person that still use old animation formats (1 stage, 2 stage, 3 stage, etc.) and it's something of an adventure to be able to see some of these reminders of a different time period still in operation. At least, that's how I see them. It breaks my heart to think that any of these elaborate setups would be phased out and trashed for a giant screen and some lights. There's something about seeing a live performance (even if they're not "alive" so to speak) of a bunch of robotic characters that screens will never be able to replicate. I would really love to see a Rock-Afire Explosion in person some day. It's a small thing, I know, but it's definitely on my bucket list.

I've also never really used a forum before, so please bear with me XD anyway, I'm looking forward to finding out even more cool stuff here. I'm really enjoying reading through personal experiences on here and finding out more about things like the illusive Portrait show from the very beginning of PTT.

Have a magical day :cecwink:
-Jeff
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The Chuck E. Cheese Life
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Follow Me On Instagram: @the_chuck_e_cheese_life
Welcome To Forums.
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Patrick Boots CEC

Welcome!
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80sgirl
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Electroidal Animal Doctor
Welcome aboard!

I believe there is one working public Rock-afire left at Billy Bob's Wonderland in Barboursville, WV. It was in pretty bad shape, but lately fans have helped fix it up. If you want to see the band, making a trip there is probably your best bet.

If you think the current CEC setups are elaborate, you should have been here for the early balcony shows. I've seen both, and IMHO they were just as impressive as any RAE show. Only 1/2 body bots, but the characters were much more lively with synchronized lighting effects with dozens of waving flags and the clapboard going in time to the music. Especially in the early 80s before the merger when they kept the showroom really dark. It really was just like being in a theater. Alas, all that remains today are a few old videos and CaptSlappy's private show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaOGWTnvIMA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcSHExDSFT8
Edited by 80sgirl, Nov 27 2014, 04:53 PM.
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jeffnov
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I remember videos of Billy Bob's Wonderland had them looking pretty bad, but in September of this year someone posted a video on YouTube and they look to have been fixed up a whole lot. I'd definitely like to visit there some day or perhaps get in touch with Aaron Fechter to try and see his show or something.

Oh yeah, the Balcony setups look amazing from videos and photos I've seen. They really put it together like, well, a theater! The characters were really well programmed and well animated back then too for such limited movement and they looked really lively. The lighting and the waving flags and the clap board look like they would have added a lot to the whole experience too. Their movements just seem so slow and stark on 1 stages/2 stages etc. today. Of course that may be due to the fact that they have to program the shows to work with the Cyberamics in addition to the 3 stage bots and Studio C bots. I'm glad they still have multi-character setups today but still, I would have loved to have been around in the early Pizza Time days to see the stage shows in person.
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80sgirl
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Electroidal Animal Doctor
I think the main reason for the terrible animation on 1/2 stage shows is management wanting to put in the minimum amount of effort into the animatronics as possible. They probably spend more on the videos and puppets than they do on the animatronics programming. They COULD have people working on animation just for the 1/2 stage shows rather than just adapting the 3 stage programming, but they don't. The bean counters probably figure the less they move, the lower the upkeep costs.

It bugs me because I really like the aesthetics on the 1/2 stage bots. The 3 stage bots look freaky to me except for Jasper, but their animation is much better. So I can either have good-looking characters that hardly move or odd-looking characters with movements that send them straight into the uncanny valley.

Honestly, I don't think Showbiz has ever really cared all that much about the animatronics, at least not after the merger when there was no more real competition. If you watch some of the PTT videos from the late 80s when all they had was balcony shows, you'll notice the animation and effects aren't nearly as good as the early shows. I think that's why I've seen a lot of comments on YouTube and other boards about how Chuck and company didn't hold a candle to the RAE. Very few areas had both restaurants during the early years when they were trying to outdo each other and by the time CU came around Showbiz had been cutting corners at CEC for a long time.

I really wish both companies had survived and the merger never happened.
Edited by 80sgirl, Nov 28 2014, 08:19 PM.
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jeffnov
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I love puppets but I still can't stand the idea of television screens replacing animatronics. I've been animating videos for years with clay characters that I design and sculpt so I feel like if I had the technological skills and worked for them I could program some really nice looking shows. They wouldn't want to spend money on that though I'm sure and I wouldn't really want to work for CEC anyway.

I like the 3 stage robots with rubber masks, but the plastic two-piece masks they currently have are extremely unflattering and uncanny valley. 3 stage Chuck never looked quite right to me though; rubber or plastic mask. I think what worked so well with the balcony bots is that they had a cute Muppet-like feel to them whereas the 3 stage bots were already kind of supposed to be hyper-realistic when they were the RAE. That's already tricky to pull off without being creepy but I think they looked really nice as the original characters. Concept Unification already had the CEC cast looking kind of 'off' since it was stretching the proportions of the characters over the skeletons of characters of a totally different art style. The cheaper programming and plastic masks over time just continued to drive them further into the uncanny valley. I do still really like watching them though and I'm glad some stores still use them.

You're right, it definitely feels like they've cut corners even since the times I went in the early 2000s. Phase 4 looks really stark and unexciting to me. I guess they feel like animatronics aren't going to entertain kids as much anymore with the popularity and over-saturation of screens/tablets/mobile devices. It's really depressing how corporate and chart-based everything feels with CEC now. At least we have fans who collect, preserve and restore some of these and share them with people who appreciate this stuff through the internet.
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ScriptexStudios
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Thicker Quicker Picker Upper
Seems like you and me have a lot in common, Jeff!
Welcome to the forum! :)
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80sgirl
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Electroidal Animal Doctor
I agree about the stretched proportions in the 3 stage figures. That's why I personally prefer the look of the cyberamics. They're not supposed to be realistic and they have a puppet/stuffed-animal look to them. Out of the 3 stage bots, Chuck and Pasqually are probably the ones that creep me out the most. Even the latex ones look terrible. With Helen it depends on which cosmetics she has (Helen is pretty much the only character I like more in the modern era than her PTT incarnation) but Munch looks kinda derpy and fat. Jasper still looks good to me, which reminds me of one of the Helen skits from shortly before PTT went under.

Chuck tells the other characters they're going show the audience how to dance and Jasper makes a comment about the "primitive anatomical features cleverly built into our cuddly little bodies" preventing them from dancing. I'm not sure if they still do the clever meta humor either.
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Mousester23
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Designated Mom Friend
Welcome to the forums! :D
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RetroGirl
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Welcome to the forum!

Billy Bob's is certainly one option to see the RAE live and in person, but you'll probably get a better experience of the animatronics from Damon Breland. He's still showing his RAE by appointment.

http://www.smittyssuperservice.com/home.html
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CECWestCoast
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Welcome!
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80sgirl
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Electroidal Animal Doctor
RetroGirl
Nov 29 2014, 08:05 PM
Welcome to the forum!

Billy Bob's is certainly one option to see the RAE live and in person, but you'll probably get a better experience of the animatronics from Damon Breland. He's still showing his RAE by appointment.

http://www.smittyssuperservice.com/home.html
It's good to know there are other working shows out there since Chris closed his restaurant.

Doesn't Damon have some of the PTT figures too? I remember seeing a Chuck and Dotti in the background during a couple of scenes in the RAE documentary. I assume they're his since I see some of the PTT characters in the site logo.
Edited by 80sgirl, Nov 30 2014, 12:47 AM.
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jeffnov
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RetroGirl
Nov 29 2014, 08:05 PM
Welcome to the forum!

Billy Bob's is certainly one option to see the RAE live and in person, but you'll probably get a better experience of the animatronics from Damon Breland. He's still showing his RAE by appointment.

http://www.smittyssuperservice.com/home.html
This sounds like another good option, Damon's look like they're in pretty good shape cosmetically. Definitely in better shape than BBW. One of these days I have to plan a trip to see them somewhere.
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jeffnov
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80sgirl
Nov 29 2014, 01:40 AM
I agree about the stretched proportions in the 3 stage figures. That's why I personally prefer the look of the cyberamics. They're not supposed to be realistic and they have a puppet/stuffed-animal look to them. Out of the 3 stage bots, Chuck and Pasqually are probably the ones that creep me out the most. Even the latex ones look terrible. With Helen it depends on which cosmetics she has (Helen is pretty much the only character I like more in the modern era than her PTT incarnation) but Munch looks kinda derpy and fat. Jasper still looks good to me, which reminds me of one of the Helen skits from shortly before PTT went under.

Chuck tells the other characters they're going show the audience how to dance and Jasper makes a comment about the "primitive anatomical features cleverly built into our cuddly little bodies" preventing them from dancing. I'm not sure if they still do the clever meta humor either.
I personally liked Munch's latex mask but I can agree about Chuck and Pasqually even though I do kind of like Pasqually's latex mask too XD. The most unappealing face to me would definitely have to be 3 stage Chuck's plastic mask though; The Rock-afire eyes are all WAY too small for Chuck's late '90s-early 2000s face and the separation of the jaw from the rest of his snout is really obvious making him look like a ventriloquist dummy. The Cyberamics had separate jaws too but the way their faces are shaped makes it a lot more pleasing to the eye. I do still really like the 3 stage though just because of the animation and all the interesting variations it's had over the years and the history behind it. It's really entertaining to watch, especially in person. The cyberamics are probably the first faces that come to mind when I think of Chuck E. Cheese animatronics though.

I love those little references. I think the skits were actually a lot funnier in the PTT days as well XD
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80sgirl
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Electroidal Animal Doctor
Is this 3-stage Chuck with the plastic or latex mask?

Posted Image

Posted Image

This one I assume is latex but it's pretty unsettling too.

Posted Image
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jeffnov
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80sgirl
Dec 3 2014, 04:16 AM
Is this 3-stage Chuck with the plastic or latex mask?

Posted Image

Posted Image

This one I assume is latex but it's pretty unsettling too.

Posted Image
Sorry about the rather late reply XD Those first two pictures are definitely the plastic mask and the third looks like one of the latex ones.
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