Creative Engineering Inc. (partially lost audio of animatronic character's showtapes; 1970s-1980s): Difference between revisions

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{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>Creative Engineering Inc. (animatronic audio)</center>
|title=<center>Creative Engineering Inc. (animatronic audio)</center>
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Mostly Found'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Lost'''</span>
}}
}}
Creative Engineering Inc. is an animatronic company founded in the early 1970's. They are most recognized for producing the Rock-afire Explosion band that operated in Showbiz Pizza Place food chains in the 1980's. Other than the Rock-afire, Creative Engineering manufactured several other animatronic bands/retrofits for their own shows. Many showtapes/segments of showtapes have never surfaced online or have since disappeared.  
Creative Engineering Inc. is an animatronic company founded in the early 1970's. They are most recognized for producing the Rock-afire Explosion band that operated in Showbiz Pizza Place food chains in the 1980's. Other than the Rock-afire, Creative Engineering manufactured several other animatronic bands/retrofits for their own shows. Many showtapes/segments of showtapes have never surfaced online or have since disappeared.  


==The Rock-afire Explosion==
==The Rock-afire Explosion==
Debuted in 1981, the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic show was Showbiz Pizza's primary distinction from other arcades at the time. In 1989, however, Showbiz Pizza made the decision to remove the Rock-afire entertainment from their restaurants via a process known as "Concept Unification". This involved them retrofitting the existing stages with cosmetics to make the show appear as if it were "Munch's Make Believe Band", which was also owned by Showbiz Pizza. Despite being Creative Engineering's most successful product, many Rock-afire showtapes have gone missing.
Debuted in 1981, the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic show was Showbiz Pizza's primary distinction from other arcades at the time. In 1989, however, Showbiz Pizza made the decision to remove the Rock-afire entertainment from their restaurants via a process known as "Concept Unification". This involved them retrofitting the existing stages with cosmetics to make the show appear as if it were "Munch's Make Believe Band", which was also owned by Showbiz Pizza. Despite being Creative Engineering's most successful product, many Rock-afire showtapes have gone missing.


-'''"Classic Collection" (FOUND)''' The fan-compiled showtape collection, the Classic Collection contains most of the Rock-afire's earliest tracks. It is available here.
    {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
    |-
-'''Tribute to Abbey Road (FOUND)''' Released in 1982, the Tribute to Abbey Road Showtape contained many fan-favorite shows. It is available in its entirety here.
    ! style="background-color:green" | Showtape / Showtape Collection
 
    ! style="background-color:green" | Released
-'''New Years '82 (FOUND)''' A promotional showtape released in December of 1982. It is available online.
    ! style="background-color:green" | Status
 
    ! style="background-color:green" | Notes
-'''Tribute to the Beatles' White Album (FOUND)''' This showtape was released in 1983 and is considered to be one of the greatest show collections the Rock-afire ever produced. It is available online.
    |-
 
    |Classic Collection||Various||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''||Fan-compiled showtape collection with most of Rock-afires's earliest tracks
-'''1983 Christmas Album (FOUND)'''
    |-
 
|Tribute to Abbey Road||1982||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''||Contains many fan-favorite shows
-'''Crazy Colander Head Night (FOUND)''' Part of the Rock-afire's "Crazy Colander Head Night" promotion, these showtapes were produced in to coincide with the event. They are available online.
    |-
 
|New Years '82||1982||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''||Promotional showtape released in December 1982
-'''1983 Uncle Klunk Show (FOUND)''' Audio released to accompany the new Uncle Klunk animatronic released by Creative Engineering to Showbiz in 1983. It is available online.
    |-
 
|Tribute to the Beatles' White Album ||1983||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''||Considered one of Rock-afire's greatest show collections
-'''1983 Santa Klunk Show (FOUND)''' Part of the rare "Santa Klunks", this audio is also available online (it should be noted that the "Santa Klunks" are Uncle Klunk's that are outfitted to look like Santa Claus.)
    |-
 
|1983 Christmas Album ||1983||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''||
-'''Country 1 (FOUND)''' A collection of songs released by the Rock-afire that were mostly country themed. It is available online.
    |-
 
|Crazy Colander Head Night ||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Produced as part of Rock-a-Fire's "Crazy Colander Head Night" event  
-'''Country 2 (FOUND)''' Similar to Country 1, Country 2 also contains many country themed songs. It too is available online.
    |-
 
|1983 Uncle Klunk Show ||1983||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Released to accompany the then-new Uncle Klunk animatronic
-'''Country Klunk (FOUND)''' Keeping in style with the other country showtapes, Uncle Klunk was given a country showtape collection of his very own. It too is available online.
    |-
 
|1983 Santa Klunk Show ||1983||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Accompanied a rare variant of Uncle Klunk dressed as Santa Clause 
-'''Magic Night (FOUND)''' This showtape contains many covers, and also includes the sparsely used "Letters to Looney Bird" segments, which were used as precursors to the main song. It is available online.
    |-
 
|Country 1 ||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Album of country-themed Rock-A-Fire songs 
-'''1984 Senior Citizens (FOUND)''' This showtape contains the theme for the 1984 World's Fair, which was written by Fatz Geronimo's voice actor; Burt Wilson. It is also remembered for its creative renditions of modern and classic songs in various styles. It is available online.
    |-
 
|Country 2 ||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Album of country-themed Rock-A-Fire songs
-'''Trivia Night (FOUND)''' This showtape contained primarily covers, but also utilized the aforementioned Letters to Looney Bird skit. It is available online.
    |-
 
|Country Klunk ||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Special album of country-themed songs for the Uncle Klunk animatronic
-'''Homely for Christmas (FOUND)''' Released in 1987, this showtape is remembered best for a wide variety of quality covers. It is available online.
    |-
 
|Magic Night ||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Contains many song covers, as well as rare "Letters to Looney Bird Segments 
-'''New Years '88 (FOUND)''' This was the longest Rock-afire show produced. Released to coincide with New Years of 1988, this show is renowned for the fact that it was recorded in one long continuous take, something in which the characters mention repeatedly.
    |-
 
|1984 Senior Citizens ||1984||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Contains the theme for the 1984 World's Fair, as well as renditions of modern and classic songs
-'''Cyberstar Segments (FOUND)''' These showtapes were unique in that they were the first (and practically only) Rock-afire shows to have video accompanying the animatronic band. Many of the videos that played alongside the animatronics are able to be seen on the showbizpizza.com Youtube Channel, and the clean audio is available online.
    |-
 
|Trivia Night ||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Primary contains covers, but also contains "Letters to Looney Bird" segments
-'''Show Selector Shows/Voice clips (PARTIALLY LOST)''' These particular shows were used alongside the (then) newly introduced "Show Selector", which allowed costumers to select whatever showtape they pleased. Many of these shows are available online, but many of them have yet to surface.
    |-
 
|Homely for Christmas||1987||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| Contains a variety of covers.
-'''Showbiz Corporate Voiced Shows (FOUND)''' In 1986, Showbiz Pizza tried their hand at producing their own showtapes for the entertainment they housed. These showtapes were critically panned for their poor voice acting, seemingly unfinished programming, and overall lack of quality. After numerous poorly received shows, they gave Creative Engineering the rights to producing shows back. These are all available online.
    |-
 
|New Years '88||1988||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| The longest Rock-a-Fire tape. Recorded in one continuous take
-'''Showbiz Pizza Fiesta Shows (PARTIALLY LOST)''' Showbiz Pizza Place also had around two or three stores in Mexico, some kept the "Showbiz Pizza Place" name while some had a new name of "Showbiz Pizza Fiesta" only some low-quality audio recordings of these shows have been found. A clip of the show performing Bazzar from the TV show Los Vips and two recordings uploaded to Youtube of a rare vinyl which contains the shows "Raton vaquero" and "Las mañanitas" however these recordings are of someone pointing their phone at the record while it plays meaning the quality of the audio isn't the best.
    |-
 
|Cyberstar Segments||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| The first Rock-a-Fire shows to feature video playing alongside the animatronics
-'''Talking Billy Bob Walk-Around Shows (LOST)''' One of Creative Engineering's less successful projects, the Talking Billy Bob costumes were unique in that the costume's mouth was synced up with the shows audio, which could allow an entertainer to seemingly "interact" with the characters on stage. A brief example of this product in action is available here, but not much else is known about the other tapes produced for it.
    |-
 
|Show Selector Shows / Voice Clips||Unknown||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Lost</span>'''|| These were used with the "Show Selector" to allow customers to pick from different showtapes. Only some of them have resurfaced
-'''Yogi Bear Showtape (PARTIALLY FOUND)''' Another one of Showbiz Pizza's attempt to seize control of the Rock-afire, these shows were to utilize the new Yogi-Bear and Boo Boo retrofit. Not much is known about the project, but a transcript and instrumental track of the show has surfaced online.
    |-
|Showbiz Corporate Voice Shows||1986||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| These were produced by Showbiz Pizza and are widely considered low quality in audio and programming
    |-
|Showbiz Pizza Fiesta Shows||Unknown||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Lost</span>'''|| Featured at "Showbiz Pizza Place" and "Showbiz Pizza FIesta" in Mexico. Clips of the show performance and a low quality recording of a rare vinyl copy of "Raton vaquero" and "Las mañanitas" exist.
    |-
|Talking Billy Bob Walk-Around Shows||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| Featured the character's mouth syncing with the show's audio. Very little information is known about the showtapes from these shows
    |-
|Yogi Bear Showtape||Unknown||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Found</span>'''|| This show saw animatronics retrofitted as Yogi Bear and Boo Boo. Only the transcript and the instrumental track have resurfaced.
    |-
    |}


=== Looney Bird's and New Rock-afire Explosion Showtapes ===


-'''Looney Bird's Tapes (LOST)''' Some shows were produced specifically for the Looney Bird's chain of restaurants, but have yet to surface online.
== Looney Bird's and New Rock-afire Explosion Showtapes ==
Looney Bird's was a different restaurant to Showbiz Pizza Place. However, they largely featured the same entertainment, and are therefore included in this page.


-'''New Rock-afire Explosion Misc Tapes (LOST)''' It is known that some shows were produced to function with the New Rock-afire Explosion, however, none have surfaced online.
    {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
    |-
    ! style="background-color:green" | Showtape / Showtape Collection
    ! style="background-color:green" | Released
    ! style="background-color:green" | Status
    ! style="background-color:green" | Notes
    |-
    |Looney Bird's Tapes||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| These were produced specifically for the Looney Bird's chain of restaurants
    |-
|New Rock-a-Fire Explosion Misc. Tapes||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| Very little information is known about the showtapes from these shows.
    |-
|Golden Showtape Collection/1990's Show Audio||1990s||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Found</span>'''|| Some shows, such as "Life is Highway" and "Runaround" have resurfaced. However, many others are still missing.
    |-
|International 1990's Rock-afire Explosion Showtapes||1990s||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Found</span>'''|| Many of the 1990s showtapes were programmed in different languages for international audiences. "The Twist" and "Para Madura" have resurfaced in full. A clip from "Que Pasa" has also resurfaced in the 1994 Rock-a-Fire promo video. Many other shows are still missing.
    |-
    |}


-'''Golden Showtape Collection/1990's Show Audio (PARTIALLY FOUND)''' Many of the shows recorded in the 1990's are lost with only a few being found and uploaded to the internet (Examples being Life is a Highway and Runaround) however many of these shows remain lost.
-'''International 1990's Rock-afire Explosion Showtapes (PARTIALLY FOUND)''' While these do fit in with the Golden Showtapes/1990's Audio it deserves its own description. Many shows were programmed in different languages so that international speakers can buy a show and have it in their establishment, Only three of these shows have ever surfaced, two in full and one from a 1994Rock Afire promo video a compilation video on Youtube features "The Twist" and "Para Madura (Pera Matura)" in the 1994 Rock Afire Promo video a short clip of the New Rock-afire Explosion can be seen performing "Que Pasa".
(It should be noted that Looney Bird's was a different restaurant to Showbiz Pizza Place, however, they largely featured the same entertainment, and are therefore included in this category.)


==Wolf Pack 5:==
==Wolf Pack 5:==
Created in 1976, the Wolf Pack 5 was Creative Engineering's first animatronic band. In 1980, Bob Brock approached Creative Engineering about installing their entertainment into the then unnamed Showbiz Pizza Place. Later that year, the Wolf Pack 5 was installed in the first Showbiz Pizza location. Later, in 1981, the Wolf Pack 5 was removed from Showbiz Pizza Place, as the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic band had debuted earlier that year, and took over as the primary entertainment.
Created in 1976, the Wolf Pack 5 was Creative Engineering's first animatronic band. In 1980, Bob Brock approached Creative Engineering about installing their entertainment into the then unnamed Showbiz Pizza Place. Later that year, the Wolf Pack 5 was installed in the first Showbiz Pizza location. Later, in 1981, the Wolf Pack 5 was removed from Showbiz Pizza Place, as the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic band had debuted earlier that year, and took over as the primary entertainment.


-'''1980 IAAPA Showtape (LOST)''' This showtape was used to demonstrate what the Wolf Pack 5 was really capable of. It has been described as having more characters onstage interacting. A small snippet of this show can be found online.
    {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
    |-
    ! style="background-color:green" | Showtape / Showtape Collection
    ! style="background-color:green" | Released
    ! style="background-color:green" | Status
    ! style="background-color:green" | Notes
    |-
|IAAPA Showtape||1980||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Found</span>'''|| This was the demonstration tape for the Wolf Pack 5. When ompared to the other Wolf Pack 5 showtapes, this one is described as having more characters onstage interacting  
    |-
|Showbiz Pizza Segments||1980||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| This was an edited version of the IAAPA Showtapes made for Showbiz Pizza. It was split into six parts, and added an intro and outro jingles, as well as an announcer
    |-
|Misc Wolfpack 5 Shows||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| The Wolfpack 5 is known to have been sold to restaurants other than Showbiz Pizza. Little information exists for the content of the shows.
    |-
|Beto Carrero World Introductions||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| The Wolfpack 5 is known to have been present at the Beto Carrero World theme park in Brazil. They are known to have sung a sped-up version of "Keep That Music Simple Boys" and talked about the stores inside the tent at the park.
    |-
    |}


-'''Showbiz Pizza Segments (FOUND)''' In 1980, at the request of Bob Brock, the IAAPA showtape was edited for usage in Showbiz Pizza restaurants. It was split into 6 parts, contained an intro and an outro jingle, and a new omniscient announcer, who would often poke fun at the characters. These shows are available online.
-'''Misc Shows from other venues (LOST)''' Due to Creative Engineering not having the Wolf Pack 5 directly associated with Showbiz Pizza Place, some bands were sold to outside venues. It's unknown what the content on these tapes would've been, other than Wolfman saying "Oh, Yeah!" at the beginning of Banana Hill.
-'''Beto Carrero World Introductions (Lost)''' After a video had surfaced from Brazil featuring a Wolf Pack 5 performing at the theme park Beto Carrero World a Brazilian fan noticed that before they sung a sped-up version of "Keep That Music Simple Boys" a character in the show mentioned about the multiple stores located inside the tent that the show was hosted in, however, these shows have not appeared online except from that video, and sadly due to the location that this show was in it is unknown if they will ever surface.
It should be noted that the Showbiz Segments are the only clean audio rips to resurface online.


==Hard Luck Bears:==
==Hard Luck Bears:==
Creative Engineering's second animatronic band, these characters were installed in a wide variety of venues, primarily theme parks, but also having permanent residence in other venues.
Creative Engineering's second animatronic band, these characters were installed in a wide variety of venues, primarily theme parks, but also having permanent residence in other venues.


-'''Original Creative Engineering Showtape (FOUND)''' The most widely heard show from this animatronic band, this one contains their most well-remembered personalities. The show audio can be found here.
  {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
    |-
-'''Rockin' Billy and the Bearcats (FOUND)''' This showtape was produced for the Knoebel's Theme Park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. While the animatronic band there has since long been removed, the showtape audio surfaced recently and can be found here.  
    ! style="background-color:green" | Showtape / Showtape Collection
 
    ! style="background-color:green" | Released
-'''Show De Osos (SEMI-FOUND)''' One of the few foreign Creative Engineering shows, this band was shipped off to Chile, along with a custom set of Spanish showtapes. Footage of the band has surfaced online, and very little clean audio has surfaced. The footage can be found online.
    ! style="background-color:green" | Status
 
    ! style="background-color:green" | Notes
-'''Blackpool Beach Park Tape (LOST)''' Blackpool Pleasure Beach had a Hard Luck Bears show installed for a short period of time, and a single showtape was produced for it. Not much is known about the contents of the tape, and little speculation has occurred.
    |-
|Original Creative Engineering Showtape||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| This was the most widely heard show from this animatronic band. The tape contains their most well-remembered personalities.
    |-
|Rockin' Billy and the Bearcats||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| This showtape was produced for the Knoebel's Theme Park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania.
    |-
|Show De Osos||Unknown||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Found</span>'''|| This was a custom set of Spanish showtapes used at locations in Chile. Some footage exists online, but very little clean audio has surfaced.
    |-
|Blackpool Beach Park Tape||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| The Hard Luck Bears were briefly installed at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. A single showtape was produced.


UPDATE 2/25/17: A worker at the Blackpool theme park has been stated to have the show in its original quality. He said it included a quick and rushed character introduction, but with deeper voices than the CEI original promo tape. They sang a song called "Feet Nailed to the Floor" and included the same Pete/Repete gag from the promo tape, many other songs from the CEI show were featured in this tape as well. It is known they would sing "Mama don't allow no guitar playing in here" and another song called "The Blackpool Belle" Thanks to Lukas for this new information!
UPDATE 2/25/17: A worker at the Blackpool theme park has been stated to have the show in its original quality. He said it included a quick and rushed character introduction, but with deeper voices than the CEI original promo tape. They sang a song called "Feet Nailed to the Floor" and included the same Pete/Repete gag from the promo tape, many other songs from the CEI show were featured in this tape as well. It is known they would sing "Mama don't allow no guitar playing in here" and another song called "The Blackpool Belle" Thanks to Lukas for this new information!
    |-
|Honey's Bear Show||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| This was a retrofit of the Hard Luck Bears into a fully female band with lipstick and new outfits. The contents of the show are largely unknown
    |-
    |}


-'''Honey's Bear Show (LOST)''' Undoubtedly the strangest showtape to have ever been produced, the Honey's Bear Show was notorious for retrofitting the Hard Luck Bears into a fully-female band, complete with lipstick and brand new outfits. Footage supposedly containing the clean audio had surfaced online, but has since disappeared. It is unknown what the contents of the show were. All that is known for certain is that Billy Wilbur's retrofit had a high-pitched voice.


==Hard Luck Bears (Rock-afire Retrofit):==
==Hard Luck Bears (Rock-afire Retrofit):==
This was one of the many Rock-afire retrofits to have been produced over the years and was installed in the 3 Gulliver's themed parks. The characters in this show have all been retrofitted to appear more country-esque, and very little of the show remains unchanged.
This was one of the many Rock-afire retrofits to have been produced over the years and was installed in the 3 Gulliver's themed parks. The characters in this show have all been retrofitted to appear more country-esque, and very little of the show remains unchanged.


-'''Show 1 (LOST)''' This show contains primarily country covers, as well as some character dialogue. This show is notorious for it's sluggish and lazy programming. No known clean audio has ever surfaced.
  {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
 
    |-
-'''Show 2 (FOUND)''' Much like Show 1, this show is also composed primarily of country covers. It is also known for its poor programming and lazy voice acting. Clean audio has been found online.
    ! style="background-color:green" | Showtape / Showtape Collection
    ! style="background-color:green" | Released
    ! style="background-color:green" | Status
    ! style="background-color:green" | Notes
    |-
|Show 1||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''||This show contains primarily country covers with some character dialogue. It is known for sluggish and lazy programming
    |-
|Show 2||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| This show primarily contains country covers. It is considered to have poor programming and lazy voice acting.
    |-
    |}


Only the low-quality version has been released.


==Misc. Creative Engineering Shows:==
==Misc. Creative Engineering Shows:==
-'''The Moon Rockers (PARTIALLY FOUND)''' One of Creative Engineering's many other side projects, very little audio from this show has surfaced. Most of it can be found in this clip of the band performing in a CEI Demo tape. It is unknown if the master tapes still exist, or if there were any more shows produced for the Moon Rockers.
-'''"Creepy Clown" Animatronic (COMPLETELY LOST?)''' Seen only for a fraction of a second in one of the 90's Creative Engineering demos, the "Creepy Clown" animatronic was well known for its unsettling appearance and ambiguity. Not much is known about the animatronic itself, and even less is known about the showtape that runs it. It is reported to exist, but since it was unable to be played, it is likely to be completely lost, as once the tape was discovered no audio could be recovered. At first, it was thought to be the tape player, but after playing another CEI Tape, it worked. The existence of other copies of this tape is unknown and likely will never surface online as this Creepy Clown was not even remembered by its creator/CEI founder, Aaron Fechter until it was rediscovered in 2015. (Needs Citation)
-'''Reginald J. Flootsnoot (EXISTENCE UNCONFIRMED)''' Another one of Creative Engineering's singular animatronics, this character is best known for the fact that he is a common landmark in CEI tours. Not much is known about him, other than that he is a complete character, and was seen once in a Creative Engineering demo tape. It is unknown whether or not this character was ever programmed.
-'''Castle Dracula Dark Ride Audio (FOUND)''' One of Creative Engineering's first animatronic show and their first Dark Ride Castle Dracula is only known from pictures and memories of people who went to ride it, the website "darkinthepark.com" is where most of the information and images from Castle Dracula ride can be found, this website has the Audio as well, this is authorized by Creative Engenering Inc as the audio was given to the website by Aaron Fechter who is the owner of the company.
-'''Wizard of Oz Show (PARTIALLY FOUND)''' Creative Engineering's second dark ride, the Wizard of Oz show is remembered for it's brief (yet prominent) appearance in the 1992 Creative Engineering demo tape. In it, the Scarecrow sings a small portion of "If I Only Had A Brain". Later in the demo, Tin Man sings a snippet of "You've Gotta Have Heart". It's unknown whether or not the rest of the dark ride was ever produced, as Tin Man, Scarecrow, and a few Talking Trees are the only two remaining animatronics from the ride still in Creative Engineering. The clean audio of this show has yet to surface online a promo from Creative Engineering has a small section about the dark ride but except from that and the small concept art in that promo nothing is known about how the dark ride looked (It should also be noticed that there is a rumor that for a short time the Wizard of Oz show was in one of the Looney Birds locations before being taken out and possibly replaced with something unknown.
-'''Bubba the Shakespearean Gorilla (PARTIALLY LOST)''' One of Creative Engineering's singular animatronics, Bubba was praised for his variety of sophisticated movements, and charming concept. Only 2 pieces of footage and 2 official photos of him have ever surfaced online. It is unknown whether or not Bubba had a full showtape, or was merely a demonstration of Creative Engineering's design capabilities.
-'''Dook and Mitzi 2.0 Prototype shows (EXISTENCE UNCONFIRMED)''' In 1983, Creative Engineering produced 2 of what would've become mass-produced "2.0" animatronic characters. The Dook 2.0 animatronic was never officially given press, but he has alluded to a numerous amount of times in a numerous amount of media. Mitzi 2.0, on the other hand, was officially announced at the 1983 "Save the Colander" Telethon, in which a demo reel was shown of Mitzi 2.0 actuating her various movements, and performing a very rudimentary dance. However, that was the last we ever saw (officially) of these characters. Their showtape programs (which likely only held very basic programming and diagnostic information) have yet to be confirmed to exist, let alone be online.
-'''Talking Head Shows (EXISTENCE UNCONFIRMED)''' One of Creative Engineering's earliest products, the "Talking Heads" were just that; talking heads. But that's just about all that's known about them. It's unknown what they said, who was built, when they started making them, and whether or not any shows from them still exist.
-'''Lazlo the Fortune Teller (LOST)''' Another one of Creative Engineering's earlier works, Lazlo was a fortune teller. It's unknown how he worked, but it's safe to assume he also ran off of a showtape. The whereabouts of this show, however, are not known, and it is unlikely it will ever be available online.
-'''The Mijjins IAAPA Tape (LOST)''' In 1992, a demo tape was released showing the Mijjin animatronics, Creative Engineering's newest creation, performing at the IAAPA. However, the contents of the show are largely unknown (there were many covers, though), and it is unknown what the purpose of the display was. No further assets of the showtape have ever surfaced or have even been mentioned, which makes it unlikely that it will ever surface online.
-'''The Jungle Juke Band (EXISTENCE UNCONFIRMED)''' One of a few "mystery" shows Creative Engineering advertised about, yet never actually produced fully, the Jungle Juke Band was "unveiled" in the 1983 Promo Brochure CEI produced. The band is advertised as having 3 members; a monkey, a tiger, and a hippopotamus. It is likely that all of these characters were simply retrofits of the preexisting Rock-afire Explosion characters, but not much information has surfaced about the band. It's unknown whether or not the band ever had a showtape produced for it.
-'''The Cosmic Combo (EXISTENCE UNCONFIRMED)''' Another "mystery" show, this show was advertised as having 5 alien characters, 3 of which have been speculated to be Rock-afire retrofits. The remaining two were likely to be original character mechanisms. It's unknown whether or not anything materialized from this concept, or whether or not a showtape was produced for the band.
-'''Hannah Banana Shows (PARTIALLY FOUND)''' Sometime in the late 2000's, Creative Engineering produced a retrofit animatronic for the "Hannah Banana" chain of restaurants in the UK. Footage of these shows has surfaced, but not with the actual retrofit performing. The clean audio has been spotted on Radio Showbiz and has been made available online, however, one video shows a Christmas show which has never been released with clean audio online.
-'''Mini-Billy Bob Showtapes (LOST/EXISTENCE UNCONFIRMED)''' In the early 1980's, Creative Engineering had the intention of creating a mini Rock-afire Explosion. It's unknown whether or not any of the other characters were produced, but it was known that a mini Billy Bob was produced. The character was able to use the same program signals the standard size Billy Bob used, but it was also advertised as being able to tell stories. It's unknown whether or not any stories were actually recorded, as Billy was never sold, as the final products reportedly all had bad motors that burnt out extremely quickly.
-'''Confederate Critter Show (LOST)''' This show is an early CEI show from the 1970s with 3 characters. Not much is known about this show besides its strange concept and a few pictures and one video of the show practically on its last legs has surfaced online. No audio of this show exists except from that one video and is likely to be completely lost due to the band not being in CEI.
-'''Willy Wabbit (LOST)''' This character stood for many years at the airport in Orlando, Florida where it would perform many different songs for the visitors. This was CEI's second character and not much info about the character is available online. These showtapes are likely to be lost forever as the character is nowhere to be found in CEI.
-'''Friendly Freddy (LOST)''' The first character built by CEI in the 1970's was Friendly Freddy, a guitar-playing bear. Not much is really known about the character. In 2008 his last known location was in New York. No audio of his has surfaced online and may never, but the current owner of the character may have the show/shows along with the character, although this is unknown.


-'''Gaslight Jamboree (LOST)''' Not much is known about this show, other than it had the Wolfman and Fats Geronimo from the Wolfpack 5 and Friendly Freddy in a 3 character band. Only a few photos of this show exists online and no videos or audio has yet to be recovered.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
    |-
    ! style="background-color:green" | Showtape / Showtape Collection
    ! style="background-color:green" | Released
    ! style="background-color:green" | Status
    ! style="background-color:green" | Notes
    |-
|The Moon Rockers||Unknown||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Found</span>'''|| It is unknown how many tapes were produced for this project. A small amount of video and audio can be found in a CEI Demo tape.
    |-
|"Creepy Clown" Animatronic||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| This obscure animatronic was only seen for a fraction of a second in a 1990s Creative Engineering demo tape. A showtape for the Creepy Clown was discovered in 2015, but the audio was not recoverable. It is unknown if any other showtapes exist.
    |-
|Reginald J. Flootsnoot||Unknown||'''<span style="color:grey">Existence Unconfirmed</span>'''|| This character was completed and featured in at least one Creative Engineering demo tape, but it is unknown whether he was ever given a showtape.
    |-
|Castle Dracula Dark Ride Audio||Unknown||'''<span style="color:green">Found</span>'''|| This was one of CEI's first animatronic shows, as well as their first Dark Ride. The audio was freely released online by CEI.
    |-
|Wizard of Oz Show||Unknown||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Found</span>'''|| This was Creative Engineering's second dark ride. It was featured in the 1992 Creative Engineering demo tape. The Scarecrow is know to sing part of "If I Only Had a Brain", and the Tin Man is known to sing part of "You Gotta Have Heart". It is not known how many characters were programmed, although CEI still holds animatronics for Scarecrow, Tin Man, and a few Talking Trees. It is rumored that this show was featured at one of the Looney Birds locations, but this is unconfirmed.
    |-
|Bubba the Shakespearean Gorilla||Unknown||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Lost</span>'''|| This animatronic was praised for his variety of sophisticated movements, as well as a charming concept. Two pieces of footage have surfaced online. However, it is unknown whether a full showtape was produced.
    |-
|Dook and Mitzi 2.0 Prototype Shows||Unknown||'''<span style="color:grey">Existence Unconfirmed</span>'''|| Prototypes of these characters were produced. It is not known whether Dook 2.0 was ever programmed. Mitzi 2.0 appeared in a demo reel. However, it is unknown whether either character ever had proper showtapes.
    |-
|Talking Head Shows||Unknown||'''<span style="color:grey">Existence Unconfirmed</span>'''|| These were one of Creative Engineering's earliest projects, featuring talking heads. Virtually no information exists, and it is unknown whether any showtapes were produced.
    |-
|Lazlo the Fortune Teller||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| Lazlo the Fortune Teller was one of Creative ENgineering's earlier works. It is believed to have used a showtape, but it has not resurfaced.
    |-
|The Mijjins IAAPA Tape||1992||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| The Mijjins animatronics were briefly seen in a demo tape performing at the IAAPA. Very little information exists about the contents of this show.
    |-
|The Jungle Juke Band||1983||'''<span style="color:grey">Existence Unconfirmed</span>'''|| Pictures of the Jungle Juke Band, which contained a monkey, tiger, and hippopotamus were featured in a 1983 CEI Promo brochure. It is unknown whether a showtape was produced for this band.
    |-
|The Cosmic Combo||Unknown||'''<span style="color:grey">Existence Unconfirmed</span>'''|| This show was advertised as having five alien creatures. However, it is unknown whether the band was completed, or whether or not a showtape was produced.
    |-
|The Hannah Banana Shows||late 2000s||'''<span style="color:orange">Partially Found</span>'''|| This was a retrofit animatronic produced in the late 2000s for the "Hannah Banana" chain of restaurants in the UK. Only some of the shows, including a Christmas show, have resurfaced.
    |-
|Mini-Billy Bob Showtapes||early 1980s||'''<span style="color:grey">Existence Unconfirmed</span>'''|| This animatronic was advertised in the early 1980s, but was never sold. It was able to use the existing Billy Bob showtapes, but was also advertised as able to tell stories. It is unknown whether any new showtapes, such as the intended story-telling showtapes, were ever produced. Additionally, Mini-Billy Bob was intended to be part of an entire Mini Rock-A-Fire line. It is unknown if any other mini animatronics were produced or if any showtapes were produced for them
    |-
|The Confederate Critter Show||1970s||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| The Confederate Critter show was produced by CEI in the 1970s. Not much information is known about the content of this show, save for one video clip and a few photos.
    |-
|Willy Wabbit||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| Willy Wabbit was the second character produced by CEI. It is known to have stood at the Orlando airport singing songs for the visitors. Very little information exists on the show content.
    |-
|Friendly Freddy||1970s||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| This guitar-playing bear was the very first character that CEI built in the 1970s. He was last seen in New York in 2008, but has not resurfaced since. The content of his show is unknown.
    |-
|Gaslight Jamboree||Unknown||'''<span style="color:red">Lost</span>'''|| This show features Wolfman and Fats Geronimo from the Wolfpack 5 and Friendly Freddy in a 3 character band. Only a few photos of the show exist, with no video or audio resurfacing.
    |-
    |}


[[Category:Lost audio]]
[[Category:Lost audio]]

Revision as of 05:17, 14 November 2018

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This article has been tagged as Needing work due to its lack of proper structure, clarity and references .



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Status: Partially Lost

Creative Engineering Inc. is an animatronic company founded in the early 1970's. They are most recognized for producing the Rock-afire Explosion band that operated in Showbiz Pizza Place food chains in the 1980's. Other than the Rock-afire, Creative Engineering manufactured several other animatronic bands/retrofits for their own shows. Many showtapes/segments of showtapes have never surfaced online or have since disappeared.


The Rock-afire Explosion

Debuted in 1981, the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic show was Showbiz Pizza's primary distinction from other arcades at the time. In 1989, however, Showbiz Pizza made the decision to remove the Rock-afire entertainment from their restaurants via a process known as "Concept Unification". This involved them retrofitting the existing stages with cosmetics to make the show appear as if it were "Munch's Make Believe Band", which was also owned by Showbiz Pizza. Despite being Creative Engineering's most successful product, many Rock-afire showtapes have gone missing.

Showtape / Showtape Collection Released Status Notes
Classic Collection Various Found Fan-compiled showtape collection with most of Rock-afires's earliest tracks
Tribute to Abbey Road 1982 Found Contains many fan-favorite shows
New Years '82 1982 Found Promotional showtape released in December 1982
Tribute to the Beatles' White Album 1983 Found Considered one of Rock-afire's greatest show collections
1983 Christmas Album 1983 Found
Crazy Colander Head Night Unknown Found Produced as part of Rock-a-Fire's "Crazy Colander Head Night" event
1983 Uncle Klunk Show 1983 Found Released to accompany the then-new Uncle Klunk animatronic
1983 Santa Klunk Show 1983 Found Accompanied a rare variant of Uncle Klunk dressed as Santa Clause
Country 1 Unknown Found Album of country-themed Rock-A-Fire songs
Country 2 Unknown Found Album of country-themed Rock-A-Fire songs
Country Klunk Unknown Found Special album of country-themed songs for the Uncle Klunk animatronic
Magic Night Unknown Found Contains many song covers, as well as rare "Letters to Looney Bird Segments
1984 Senior Citizens 1984 Found Contains the theme for the 1984 World's Fair, as well as renditions of modern and classic songs
Trivia Night Unknown Found Primary contains covers, but also contains "Letters to Looney Bird" segments
Homely for Christmas 1987 Found Contains a variety of covers.
New Years '88 1988 Found The longest Rock-a-Fire tape. Recorded in one continuous take
Cyberstar Segments Unknown Found The first Rock-a-Fire shows to feature video playing alongside the animatronics
Show Selector Shows / Voice Clips Unknown Partially Lost These were used with the "Show Selector" to allow customers to pick from different showtapes. Only some of them have resurfaced
Showbiz Corporate Voice Shows 1986 Found These were produced by Showbiz Pizza and are widely considered low quality in audio and programming
Showbiz Pizza Fiesta Shows Unknown Partially Lost Featured at "Showbiz Pizza Place" and "Showbiz Pizza FIesta" in Mexico. Clips of the show performance and a low quality recording of a rare vinyl copy of "Raton vaquero" and "Las mañanitas" exist.
Talking Billy Bob Walk-Around Shows Unknown Lost Featured the character's mouth syncing with the show's audio. Very little information is known about the showtapes from these shows
Yogi Bear Showtape Unknown Partially Found This show saw animatronics retrofitted as Yogi Bear and Boo Boo. Only the transcript and the instrumental track have resurfaced.


Looney Bird's and New Rock-afire Explosion Showtapes

Looney Bird's was a different restaurant to Showbiz Pizza Place. However, they largely featured the same entertainment, and are therefore included in this page.

Showtape / Showtape Collection Released Status Notes
Looney Bird's Tapes Unknown Lost These were produced specifically for the Looney Bird's chain of restaurants
New Rock-a-Fire Explosion Misc. Tapes Unknown Lost Very little information is known about the showtapes from these shows.
Golden Showtape Collection/1990's Show Audio 1990s Partially Found Some shows, such as "Life is Highway" and "Runaround" have resurfaced. However, many others are still missing.
International 1990's Rock-afire Explosion Showtapes 1990s Partially Found Many of the 1990s showtapes were programmed in different languages for international audiences. "The Twist" and "Para Madura" have resurfaced in full. A clip from "Que Pasa" has also resurfaced in the 1994 Rock-a-Fire promo video. Many other shows are still missing.


Wolf Pack 5:

Created in 1976, the Wolf Pack 5 was Creative Engineering's first animatronic band. In 1980, Bob Brock approached Creative Engineering about installing their entertainment into the then unnamed Showbiz Pizza Place. Later that year, the Wolf Pack 5 was installed in the first Showbiz Pizza location. Later, in 1981, the Wolf Pack 5 was removed from Showbiz Pizza Place, as the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic band had debuted earlier that year, and took over as the primary entertainment.

Showtape / Showtape Collection Released Status Notes
IAAPA Showtape 1980 Partially Found This was the demonstration tape for the Wolf Pack 5. When ompared to the other Wolf Pack 5 showtapes, this one is described as having more characters onstage interacting
Showbiz Pizza Segments 1980 Found This was an edited version of the IAAPA Showtapes made for Showbiz Pizza. It was split into six parts, and added an intro and outro jingles, as well as an announcer
Misc Wolfpack 5 Shows Unknown Lost The Wolfpack 5 is known to have been sold to restaurants other than Showbiz Pizza. Little information exists for the content of the shows.
Beto Carrero World Introductions Unknown Lost The Wolfpack 5 is known to have been present at the Beto Carrero World theme park in Brazil. They are known to have sung a sped-up version of "Keep That Music Simple Boys" and talked about the stores inside the tent at the park.


Hard Luck Bears:

Creative Engineering's second animatronic band, these characters were installed in a wide variety of venues, primarily theme parks, but also having permanent residence in other venues.

Showtape / Showtape Collection Released Status Notes
Original Creative Engineering Showtape Unknown Found This was the most widely heard show from this animatronic band. The tape contains their most well-remembered personalities.
Rockin' Billy and the Bearcats Unknown Found This showtape was produced for the Knoebel's Theme Park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania.
Show De Osos Unknown Partially Found This was a custom set of Spanish showtapes used at locations in Chile. Some footage exists online, but very little clean audio has surfaced.
Blackpool Beach Park Tape Unknown Lost The Hard Luck Bears were briefly installed at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. A single showtape was produced.

UPDATE 2/25/17: A worker at the Blackpool theme park has been stated to have the show in its original quality. He said it included a quick and rushed character introduction, but with deeper voices than the CEI original promo tape. They sang a song called "Feet Nailed to the Floor" and included the same Pete/Repete gag from the promo tape, many other songs from the CEI show were featured in this tape as well. It is known they would sing "Mama don't allow no guitar playing in here" and another song called "The Blackpool Belle" Thanks to Lukas for this new information!

Honey's Bear Show Unknown Lost This was a retrofit of the Hard Luck Bears into a fully female band with lipstick and new outfits. The contents of the show are largely unknown


Hard Luck Bears (Rock-afire Retrofit):

This was one of the many Rock-afire retrofits to have been produced over the years and was installed in the 3 Gulliver's themed parks. The characters in this show have all been retrofitted to appear more country-esque, and very little of the show remains unchanged.

Showtape / Showtape Collection Released Status Notes
Show 1 Unknown Lost This show contains primarily country covers with some character dialogue. It is known for sluggish and lazy programming
Show 2 Unknown Found This show primarily contains country covers. It is considered to have poor programming and lazy voice acting.


Misc. Creative Engineering Shows:

Showtape / Showtape Collection Released Status Notes
The Moon Rockers Unknown Partially Found It is unknown how many tapes were produced for this project. A small amount of video and audio can be found in a CEI Demo tape.
"Creepy Clown" Animatronic Unknown Lost This obscure animatronic was only seen for a fraction of a second in a 1990s Creative Engineering demo tape. A showtape for the Creepy Clown was discovered in 2015, but the audio was not recoverable. It is unknown if any other showtapes exist.
Reginald J. Flootsnoot Unknown Existence Unconfirmed This character was completed and featured in at least one Creative Engineering demo tape, but it is unknown whether he was ever given a showtape.
Castle Dracula Dark Ride Audio Unknown Found This was one of CEI's first animatronic shows, as well as their first Dark Ride. The audio was freely released online by CEI.
Wizard of Oz Show Unknown Partially Found This was Creative Engineering's second dark ride. It was featured in the 1992 Creative Engineering demo tape. The Scarecrow is know to sing part of "If I Only Had a Brain", and the Tin Man is known to sing part of "You Gotta Have Heart". It is not known how many characters were programmed, although CEI still holds animatronics for Scarecrow, Tin Man, and a few Talking Trees. It is rumored that this show was featured at one of the Looney Birds locations, but this is unconfirmed.
Bubba the Shakespearean Gorilla Unknown Partially Lost This animatronic was praised for his variety of sophisticated movements, as well as a charming concept. Two pieces of footage have surfaced online. However, it is unknown whether a full showtape was produced.
Dook and Mitzi 2.0 Prototype Shows Unknown Existence Unconfirmed Prototypes of these characters were produced. It is not known whether Dook 2.0 was ever programmed. Mitzi 2.0 appeared in a demo reel. However, it is unknown whether either character ever had proper showtapes.
Talking Head Shows Unknown Existence Unconfirmed These were one of Creative Engineering's earliest projects, featuring talking heads. Virtually no information exists, and it is unknown whether any showtapes were produced.
Lazlo the Fortune Teller Unknown Lost Lazlo the Fortune Teller was one of Creative ENgineering's earlier works. It is believed to have used a showtape, but it has not resurfaced.
The Mijjins IAAPA Tape 1992 Lost The Mijjins animatronics were briefly seen in a demo tape performing at the IAAPA. Very little information exists about the contents of this show.
The Jungle Juke Band 1983 Existence Unconfirmed Pictures of the Jungle Juke Band, which contained a monkey, tiger, and hippopotamus were featured in a 1983 CEI Promo brochure. It is unknown whether a showtape was produced for this band.
The Cosmic Combo Unknown Existence Unconfirmed This show was advertised as having five alien creatures. However, it is unknown whether the band was completed, or whether or not a showtape was produced.
The Hannah Banana Shows late 2000s Partially Found This was a retrofit animatronic produced in the late 2000s for the "Hannah Banana" chain of restaurants in the UK. Only some of the shows, including a Christmas show, have resurfaced.
Mini-Billy Bob Showtapes early 1980s Existence Unconfirmed This animatronic was advertised in the early 1980s, but was never sold. It was able to use the existing Billy Bob showtapes, but was also advertised as able to tell stories. It is unknown whether any new showtapes, such as the intended story-telling showtapes, were ever produced. Additionally, Mini-Billy Bob was intended to be part of an entire Mini Rock-A-Fire line. It is unknown if any other mini animatronics were produced or if any showtapes were produced for them
The Confederate Critter Show 1970s Lost The Confederate Critter show was produced by CEI in the 1970s. Not much information is known about the content of this show, save for one video clip and a few photos.
Willy Wabbit Unknown Lost Willy Wabbit was the second character produced by CEI. It is known to have stood at the Orlando airport singing songs for the visitors. Very little information exists on the show content.
Friendly Freddy 1970s Lost This guitar-playing bear was the very first character that CEI built in the 1970s. He was last seen in New York in 2008, but has not resurfaced since. The content of his show is unknown.
Gaslight Jamboree Unknown Lost This show features Wolfman and Fats Geronimo from the Wolfpack 5 and Friendly Freddy in a 3 character band. Only a few photos of the show exist, with no video or audio resurfacing.