Rolfe DeWolfe & Earl Schmerle
Rolfe and Earl were the Rock-afire Explosions comedic duo. Using a combination of wit, arrogance, and self-deprecating humor, it was often uncertain which one was the puppet and which one was the puppeteer.
Rolfe's origins begin with The Wolf Pack 5. Rolfe was the evolution of the Wolf Pack 5's emcee known as The Wolfman. Rolfe's voice was a derivation of the offstage announcer from ShowBiz's Wolf Pack 5 showtape, while Earl's voice was very similar to the original Wolfman's voice, which was of course a gravely Wolfman Jack parody. Aaron Fechter provided the voices for both Rolfe and Earl.
Rolfe DeWolfe was briefly called "Rolfe Vander Wolf" during the development of the Rock-afire Explosion1, and the character was named after Rolfe Kennard (ShowBiz's Vice President of Operations). According to early documentation2 Mr. Kennard was sometimes antagonistic toward CEI, pressing for equipment upgrades, and critical of the structural reliability of CEI's animation. Naming Rolfe DeWolfe after Mr. Kennard was done in good fun, but ultimately he was less than flattered by it.3
Rolfe DeWolfe was, at best, an arrogant jerk. He seemed to appreciate honesty over "being nice", and was the only character who refused to take part in the Rock-afire's famous Colander Movement4. Often times, he criticized the Rock-afire's choice in music, and also their ability to competently perform at all. Rolfe was notorious for insulting the other characters onstage - becoming the only character Fatz ever threatened to break the neck of5.
Beneath the arrogance however, Rolfe was your classic dork. He had a fondness for Disco music, and often times fumbled over his lines - attempting to be knowledgeable about things he obviously had no clue about. His ignorance was usually his undoing, and no character proved this better than his hand puppet, Earl Schmerle.
Earl was the hot-tempered antithesis to Rolfe. Earl was always Rolfe's biggest critic, usually getting laughs at Rolfe's expense. He was always embarrassed by him, and would often shut his eyes in disgust, uttering "I can't even stand to look at you!" while turning away from him. Earl did however get lead vocals in songs quite often, whereas Rolfe was used mostly for backup vocals, and mostly speaking bits.
Rolfe and Earl occupied stage right for the majority of the ShowBiz era, however they were replaced periodically for special guests including Uncle Klunk, Santa Claus, and the Statue of Liberty. When the mijjin-sized New Rock-afire Explosion was developed in the early 1990s, Rolfe and Earl were left out completely, existing only in video segments when their parts played during shows. Creative Engineering made some upgrades to the classic show in the 1990s, creating an option of having a large TV on Rolfe's stage (removing the old cymbal) which could be used for video additions to the show, as well as karaoke.
In the 2000s the characters of Rolfe and Earl were revived for use in the online 'Billy Bob's Newsblast' (2005-2006), and private recordings made for fans. The duo has actually seen a more prominent role in newer material, since they're voiced by Aaron Fechter and therefore doesn't require the need to pay for other vocal talent.
References
1 - SPP/CEI Manufacturing, Sales and License Agreement, May 1980
2 - 1980 ShowBiz Pizza Place, Inc. Company Memos
3 - ShowBizPizza.com Correspondence with Aaron Fechter
4 - Pizza Time: The History of Crazy Colander-Head Night
5 - ShowBizPizza.com Showtape Review - Country Night
