Aaron Fechter

Last updated

Aaron Fechter
Aaron Fechter.jpg
Born (1953-12-22) December 22, 1953 (age 70)
Columbia, South Carolina
Occupation(s)Inventor, engineer, entrepreneur, manufacturer, musician, voice actor
Years active1973–present
Known forcreation of the Rock-afire Explosion
Website engineeringcreative.com

Aaron Fechter (born December 22, 1953) [1] is an American mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, voice actor, singer, and musician who owns and operates Creative Engineering, Inc. (CEI). He is best known as the creator of The Rock-afire Explosion , an animatronic show featuring a variety of characters created primarily for Showbiz Pizza Place restaurants throughout the 1980s. A fallout between Showbiz and CEI, along with the chain's dwindling revenue, led to the show's decline and eventual removal by the early 1990s.

Contents

In CEI's early beginnings, Fechter intended to manufacture fuel-efficient vehicles, but the company's focus soon shifted to the animatronic industry. The company later developed other products and concepts, but they failed to gain commercial interest. Fechter also claims to have been instrumental in the early development of Whac-A-Mole , an arcade game from Bandai that became popular in the late 1970s, but his involvement was never officially recognized. [2] His animatronics gained renewed interest decades later, when fan-made Rock-afire Explosion performances set to modern music began appearing online in the mid-2000s. They also partially inspired the horror video game franchise, Five Nights at Freddy's .

Early life and career

Aaron Fechter graduated from Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida. [3] In 1973, he graduated from the University of South Florida, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, at the age of 19. [4] [5] The United States was in the midst of an energy crisis, and Fechter decided to build a fuel-efficient, small car prototype in hopes of eventually manufacturing the vehicle under a new car company. [5] He founded Creative Engineering Incorporated (CEI) in 1975 for that purpose, but in order to raise money for the project, he resorted to selling smaller inventions door-to-door, such as his "Leaf Eater" contraption that collected leaves from swimming pools. [5] Fechter knocked on the door of an individual who solicited his help in designing an electronic control system for a shooting gallery, designed for sale to amusement parks. [5] The gallery featured an animatronic horse, and its success led to other offers in the animatronic industry, which became the central focus for Creative Engineering. [5]

Fechter's father was an early investor in CEI, helping it enter the animatronic industry. Early projects included The Scab, a single talking head, Willie Wabbit, an anthropomorphic rabbit, and a fortune-telling machine called Lazlo The Great. [6] By 1978, Fechter had finished work on the "Wolf Pack 5", his first animatronic series featuring multiple characters including The Wolfman, Fats, Dingo Starr, Beach Bear, and Queenie the Fox (later changed to a mouse and renamed Mini Mozzarella). [6] It was showcased and deemed a success at the 1978 IAAPA show. [6] He completed work on another animatronic show called "The Hard Luck Bears", featuring a hillbilly band of bears and a mimicking bird, which debuted at the IAAPA in 1979. [6]

Fechter combined elements from both shows to form "The Rock-afire Explosion", which debuted at the IAAPA in 1980 with improved animation and other changes. [5] The Rock-afire Explosion concept was ultimately selected by Showbiz for inclusion in its family entertainment pizza chain. [5] [6]

Showbiz Pizza Place

In 1980, Robert L. Brock opened the first ShowBiz Pizza Place restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, featuring Creative Engineering's Wolf Pack 5 display. Although ShowBiz wanted the "Rock-afire Explosion" (RAE) concept, RAE was still in the final stages of development when the first store opened. The pizza chain also featured other amenities including an arcade and restaurant tailored to accommodate both children and adults. Brock owned an extensive chain of Holiday Inn hotels, considered the largest of its kind at the time. Brock originally partnered with Pizza Time Theatre but backed out after discovering Fechter's work. CEI was given a 20-percent ownership stake in the chain and retained all rights to characters, animation, and show development. Queenie the Fox was converted into a mouse and became briefly known as Mini Mozzarella at the first location. Her name was changed a final time to Mitzi Mozzarella as ShowBiz expanded and utilized RAE in future locations. [7] [8]

Following financial troubles in the mid-1980s, Showbiz explored the possibility of reverse-engineering the animatronics and producing their own shows. This led to a feud with CEI, unwilling to relinquish the rights needed. In 1985, Showbiz purchased their competitor Chuck E. Cheese (CEC), who had filed for bankruptcy a year earlier. After failing to make progress with CEI, ties were severed in 1990, and Showbiz began replacing the RAE with CEC characters, forming a new show called "Munch's Make Believe Band". [9] All Showbiz locations, which were renamed Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza, were eventually converted by the mid-1990s.

Other ventures

During CEI's involvement with Showbiz, the company pursued other interests outside of the restaurant industry. They explored the production of toys, including Billy Bob, Fatz, and Mitzi animatronic dolls that had the ability to play pre-recorded showtapes, narrate fairytales, and connect to an Apple II for custom programmability. [10]

CEI invested $1.5 million in research and development of a secure messaging device called the Anti-Gravity Freedom Machine, capable of sending electronic messages over a phone line. [2] By 1998, however, web-based email had gained traction, and the project went unreleased. [2]

In 1996, animation from the New Rock-afire Explosion was used in a karaoke game shown at the IAAPA. In 1997, Looney Bird's was a new restaurant that housed the classic RAE, but one Looney Bird's Markets used "The New Rock-Afire Explosion" show. As with The New Rock-Afire, "Marvelously Electronic Animation" debuted as a karaoke, trivia and video recording area that features a NRAE Looney Bird Robot that is controlled with The Anti-Gravity Freedom Machine. In 2000, CEI developed The Mezmerizer, an arcade game licensed for manufacture to ICE that evolved into their Wheel of Fortune game.

The Starlauncher, developed in 2003 as "an American Idol kiosk", was never publicly released. [5] In 2015, CEI showcased an arcade game at the IAAPA convention called Bashy Bug (stylized BASHyBUG), where the player attempts to stomp on a bug with a flipflop in a timed skill scenario with multiple levels of difficulty. [11]

Carbohydrillium project

In 2010, research began on an alternative cooking fuel derived from graphite and water called Carbohydrillium, billed as safer and less polluting than propane. [12] [13] On September 26, 2013, catastrophic failure of high-pressure carbon steel canisters led to an explosion at a Creative Engineering warehouse in Orlando. [2] [14] A company operating as AquaLux experienced a similar explosion in 2001 at their plant in Largo, Florida, which at the time was blamed on a leaking fuel storage tank. [15]

In media and pop culture

Renewed interest in The Rock-Afire Explosion began with the release of several YouTube videos in the mid-2000s, such as "Ms. New Booty" by Chris Thrash, in which fans recreated several new RAE animations depicting modern musical themes. This led to the 2008 documentary, The Rock-afire Explosion, which explores the rise and fall of RAE and the impact of the childhood memories it created, with interviews of Fechter, Thrash, and others. [5] [16]

In 2014, indie game developer Scott Cawthon released Five Nights at Freddy's , a horror video game that takes place in a family entertainment restaurant setting similar to those found in a Chuck E. Cheese or Showbiz Pizza Place in the 1980s. [17] In the game, a single player tries to evade possessed animatronics that were partly inspired by Fechter's RAE. [17] In the 2016 film Keanu , by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, a cat named Keanu jumps through the window of a fictional, abandoned building that used to manufacture animatronics. [18] CEI characters such as Beach Bear, Billy Bob, and Fatz appear in the background. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck E. Cheese</span> US arcade / themed pizza entertainment chain

Chuck E. Cheese is an American entertainment restaurant chain founded on May 17, 1977 by Atari, Inc.'s co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, each location features arcade games, amusement rides and musical shows in addition to serving pizza and other food items; former mainstays included ball pits, crawl tubes, and animatronic shows. The chain's name is taken from its main character and mascot, Chuck E. Cheese. The first location opened as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, California. It was the first family restaurant to integrate food with arcade games and animated entertainment, thus being one of the pioneers for the "family entertainment center" concept.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audio-Animatronics</span> Trademark for a form of robotic animation

Audio-Animatronics is the registered trademark for a form of robotics animation created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. The robots move and often synchronise with audio by the assistance of an external sound system on the stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animatronics</span> Mechatronic puppets

An animatronic is a mechatronic puppet controlled by a machine to move in a fluent way. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films, video games and in theme park attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rock-afire Explosion</span> Musical artist

The Rock-afire Explosion (RAE) is an animatronic character band designed and manufactured by Creative Engineering, Inc. (CEI) for use in ShowBiz Pizza Place restaurants in the 1980s and early 1990s. The band's characters were various anthropomorphized animals, including a brown bear, a grey wolf and a silverback gorilla. They performed medleys of classic rock, pop, and country music, as well as original compositions and comedic skits.

Robert Lee Brock was an American businessman. He was born in Pawnee Rock, Kansas, and graduated from Sterling High School and the University of Kansas, where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullwinkle's Restaurant</span> American family entertainment center chain

Bullwinkle's Entertainment, previously known as Family Fun Centers & Bullwinkle's Restaurant and formerly Bullwinkle's Family Food n' Fun is a chain of family entertainment centers. Locations feature a sit-down restaurant, complemented by arcade games, go-karts, bumper boats, mini golf, laser tag, a ropes course, a zip line, and small rides for children. Games and activities are generally themed around the company's namesake, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.

<i>Keys to Imagination</i> 1986 studio album by Yanni

Keys to Imagination is the second studio album by Greek keyboardist and composer Yanni, released on the Private Music label in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mystery Fun House</span> Attraction complex in Orlando, Florida, United States

Mystery Fun House was an attraction complex in Orlando, Florida, United States. It was founded with the help of David A. Siegel on March 27, 1976, and operated through February 18, 2001. Located near International Drive on Major Boulevard across from Universal Orlando Resort, the fun house expanded over time to include a laser-tag facility, an arcade, a dinosaur-themed mini golf course, and other attractions.

"Gitarzan" is a novelty song released by Ray Stevens in 1969 about a character who lives in a jungle and forms a musical band with his female partner, Jane, and their pet monkey. The song features Tarzan's jungle calls, scat singing, and a funky boogie-woogie, a quote from the song "Swinging on a Star", with the line "Carrying moonbeams home in a jar" superimposed over an insistent G Major ostinato, and a melody from Martha and the Vandellas' "Honey Chile" in its chorus. The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 31 May 1969 and #10 in Canada in May 1969. It did best in New Zealand, where it reached #2. The music and lyrics were written by Stevens with a title supplied by Bill Justis. Justis is officially credited as Bill Everette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ShowBiz Pizza Place</span> Defunct arcade/restaurant pizza chain

ShowBiz Pizza Place, or simply ShowBiz Pizza, was an American family entertainment center and restaurant pizza chain founded in 1980 by Robert L. Brock and Creative Engineering (CEI). It emerged after a separation between Brock and owners of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, Pizza Time Theatre. ShowBiz Pizza restaurants entertained guests through a large selection of arcade games, coin-operated rides, and animatronic stage shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck E. Cheese (character)</span> Restaurant chain mascot

Charles Entertainment Cheese, or Chuck E. Cheese for short, is the mascot of CEC Entertainment Concepts L.P.'s Chuck E. Cheese chain of family entertainment centers (FECs) From 1977 to 1992 he was an anthropomorphic rat, changing to a mouse in 1993. In 2012, he was rebranded into a slimmer, Rockstar-themed version as a response to a decrease in sales during 2011.

Pizza Showtime was a family restaurant and entertainment centre operating in Perth, Western Australia from 1980 to 1984. Similar to the American Chuck E. Cheese chain it was a sit down pizza restaurant complemented by arcade games, and animatronic characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Bob's Wonderland</span> Restaurant located in Barboursville, West Virginia

Billy Bob's Wonderland is a restaurant located in Barboursville, West Virginia, next to the Huntington Mall.

Mitzi or Mitzy is a feminine given name of German origin. Originally a nickname for girls named Maria in German-speaking populations, Mitzi became a given name in its own right, even outside of Germany. Several early-20th-century American actresses chose it as part of their stage name, for example Mitzi Green and Mitzi Gaynor, increasing its popularity. In the United States, Mitzi first appeared on the Social Security Administration's list of the top 1,000 most popular names for baby girls in 1930, peaked in 1955, and has since fallen out of favor, dropping off the list entirely after 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Hook, Mississippi</span> Unincorporated community in Mississippi, United States

Sandy Hook is an unincorporated community in Marion County, Mississippi, United States.

<i>Five Nights at Freddys</i> Media franchise created by Scott Cawthon

Five Nights at Freddy's (FNaF) is a video game series and media franchise created by indie game developer Scott Cawthon. The franchise features ten main video games, several spin-off games, novels, and a film adaptation.

References

  1. ↑ Fechter, Aaron (November 13, 2023). "My Reaction To A Teen's Video On My Life's Story * Part I". The Rock-afire Explosion. Retrieved November 21, 2023– via YouTube.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Rugg, Peter (February 3, 2016). "The Man Who Made the Whac-a-Mole Has One More Chance". Popular Mechanics.
  3. ↑ "Early 1980s Evening News spot". March 17, 2016 – via YouTube.
  4. ↑ Moxley, Michael A. (September 1981). "Aaron's Amazing Animation" (PDF). The Teke. Vol. 74, no. 1. Tau Kappa Epsilon. pp. 6–7. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "The Rock-afire Explosion". Window Pictures, LLC. 2008. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "History of Chuck E. Cheese's Overview". ShowbizPizza.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020. Creative Engineering had been operating since 1975 ...
  7. ↑ SPP Kansas City, MO (1980)"SPP 1st Loacation"
  8. ↑ Mitzi Mozzarella - Showbizpzza.com “Mitzi Mozzarella”
  9. ↑ Concept Unification Removal tape (1990)"RAE Removal Tape"
  10. ↑ Mini BB Documentation "Foldout"
  11. ↑ Bashy Bug at IAAPA 2015 "Bashy Bug at IAAPA 2015"
  12. ↑ CEI Timeline "CEI's Official Web description"
  13. ↑ Carbohydrillium Website Archive (before Southern Breeze Menu redesign)
  14. ↑ Stilp, Richard; Bevelacqua, Armando (December 1, 2014). "The Dangers of Hydrogen-Based Experimental Fuels". Fire Engineering. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016.
  15. ↑ Brassfield, Mike (May 23, 2001). "Blast at plant breaks windows in Largo homes". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2002.
  16. ↑ Matheson, Whitney (November 13, 2009). "'Rock-afire Explosion': Best movie I've seen all year. Really". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 16, 2009.
  17. 1 2 Shaurya, Thapa (November 10, 2020). "Five Nights At Freddy's: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Freddy Fazbear's Pizza". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Keanu - Official Trailer". YouTube.com. Warner Bros.Pictures. February 7, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.