We told you yesterday afternoon about the explosion in downtown Orlando that happened at the building in which Creative Engineering Inc. – the company owned by Aaron Fechter, who invented the animatronic band the Rock-afire Explosion as well as the arcade game Whac-a-Mole – was housed. The building has been condemned, but there’s no word yet on whether Fechter’s animatronic animal musicians, some of which used to be warehoused in the space, were damaged in the fire. But we thought we’d take a moment to remember some of our favorite Rock-afire Explosion characters, which used to be center stage at the now-defunct ShowBiz Pizza chain, which used to have a location in Orlando.
Rock-afire Explosion was an animatronic band made up of robotic animal characters created by Orlando inventor Aaron Fechter. Photo via YouTubeIt’s main characters included Billy Bob Brockali, a talking bear who worked at a service station called Smitty’s Super Service Station. Billy Bob worked to invent “Goofy Gas,” an alternative to gasoline that could solve the world’s energy problems. Photo via Showbizpizza.comOne of Billy Bob’s sidekicks was Birthday Bird, who perched on his guitar. Photo via Showbizpizza.comA closeup of Birthday Bird.Fatz Geronimo was a gorilla who played a keyboard. Photo via geekologie.comFatz was pretty intense. Here he is posing with Michael Jackson. Photo via Facebook.com/showbiz-pizza-placeHere’s another view of Fatz playing his keyboards. Photo via Showbizpizza.comFatz had a pet – he was called Antioch the birthday spider. Photo via Showbizpizza.comBeach Bear was the group’s guitarist. He also seems to have been something of a beach bum. Photo via Showbizpizza.comEvery good band needs a cheerleader, right? That’s what Mitzi Mozzerela was there for. She was the only female member of the Rock-afire Explosion. Photo via Showbizpizza.comChoo Choo the baby bear sat in a stump on the stage and occasionally popped out to bob around to songs. Photo via Showbizpizza.comDook LaRue played the drums. Photo via Showbizpizza.comAnother view of Dook LaRue. Photo via chicacoreader.comOwl was more of a prop than a character, and he sat onstage next to Dook LaRue’s drum set. Photo via Showbizpizza.comRolfe and Earl were the antagonists of the Rock-afire Explosion. They criticized the band – and each other – during shows, providing comic relief and dramatic tension. Photo via Showbizpizza.comFrog was, essentially, another prop. Photo via Showbizpizza.comLooney Bird lived in a oil barrel and was something of a whacked-out proto-tecchie. Photo via Showbizpizza.comThe explosion also had Sun and Moon characters that contributed to songs and sometimes emceed shows. Photo via Showbizpizza.comUncle Klunk was a human character introduced in later years of ShowBiz Pizza. He did a segment called “Dear Uncle Klunk,” and he commented on news and culture. Photo via Showbizpizza.comThe singing flowers were also part of the show. They weren’t specific characters, but we like them because they remind us of the Chuckle Patch from the Magic Garden. Photo via Showbizpizza.com
