Circus Pizza - MN and WI Locations
Circus Pizza (formerly “The Circus”) was a chain started in Minnesota in 1979. They spread across multiple states, with only the Minnesota locations remaining open throughout the mid 1980s. They had their own custom animatronic band in the beginning, but ultimately decided to take a turn in creative direction as the 1980s approached the decade's end. With only two original Circus stores remaining, the company planned a refresh along with an acquisition of even more locations.
History / Background
In 1988, Circus Circus of Minneapolis, MN would purchase four former rival family entertainment centers in the state and convert them to Circus Pizza stores. The first was West St Paul, which had formerly been a ShowBiz Pizza Place from 1983 to 1985. A new business called “Time Machine Eatery” or Time Machine Arcade had taken up the space since. The other three locations were all former Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre locations. In the early to mid 1980s, an overabundance of Pizza Time Theatres opened throughout the country leading to oversaturation and extreme competition, not to mention the other issues with the video game market. Many PTTs closed in the mid to late 80s, providing opportunities for competitors like Circus to swoop in.
In addition to the four aforementioned locations, two older Circus locations received shows in 1988, replacing Circus’ original animated band. In 1990, Burnsville and Brooklyn Park received the new Show Selector system. The stores that didn’t have the newer tapes would circulate Showbiz-era tapes throughout the district. Circus was successful with its new look and new band, becoming well known throughout the state with its utilization of the more recognizable Rock-afire Explosion characters. A radio spot was even recorded with Shalisa Sloan, singing as Mitzi and advertising Circus Pizza as "number one for food and fun". This show was programmed and played at least a few of the locations. Custom merchandise with the Rock-afire characters was produced as well, something that most Rock-afire Explosion FECs failed to capitalize on.
Maplewood, MN Location
Maplewood was one of the two original Circus locations that opened in the early 80s. They had an original animatronic band prior to the installation of The Rock-afire Explosion. The physical stage from the previous animated band did not change, which forced a unique and bizarre arrangement for the Rock-afire Explosion characters. This resulted in the center stage being cramped with Billy Bob and Looney Bird behind Fatz. Strangely, there was no Rolfe present at this location. They played edited ShowBiz tapes and never received the Show Selector upgrade. By the mid-90s, this location would close.
Blaine, MN Location
Blaine originally opened as a Pizza Time Theatre. In 1988, Circus Pizza would open in its place, although it is unknown if they kept any PTT games or signs like New Hope. The Rock-afire Explosion at this location was similar to others in the chain, with a silver rain curtain behind center stage and light boxes to hide the sun and moon. The silver rain curtain would be changed to rainbow sometime after 1990. Billy Bob’s stage featured a modified Smitty’s backdrop with an added roof and porch-like setup. Some center stage trees were used for the sides of the stage, and Birthday Bird was perched on the roof. Rolfe’s stage was the standard setup found on typical Rock-afire shows. It is also worth mentioning that their sun mask was an earlier 'beta' sun mask. This location is famous for also featuring Uncle Klunk and Santa during the holiday season. Since this store never received Show Selector, it exclusively played edited ShowBiz-era tapes. The show stayed in fairly good condition through the years, although their reels were constantly being played at a slower speed. In early 1999, there were plans for Blaine to remove the show in favor of a large screen TV, however it’s unknown if this ever took place or not. In the 2010s, Beach Bear, Fatz, and Uncle Klunk were sold to Jack Turner and then sold to various collectors.
Brooklyn Park, MN Location
Brooklyn Park’s stage had unique decor. On the center stage, no backdrops could be found, only a giant blue backdrop with a sign that said “Circus”. Speakers and light boxes were behind the characters, making the set seem more like an actual stage than the forest theme. Instead of a treestump, Dook was on a silver platform. The character valences were replaced with a large red valence, and no Rock-afire sign was present. In place of the traditional Rock-afire sign, the large ‘Circus’ sign was connected to the RAE sign bit. Sometime after 1989, a rainbow rain curtain would be placed behind the characters on center stage, perhaps to match the other locations. Despite the lack of show branding Fatz's organ still read “Rock-afire”. Rolfe’s stage still had a rain curtain, but Billy Bob’s stage was given a porch facade. The center stage tree backdrops were seemingly used behind Billy Bob’s porch, and Frog was found up on its roof. Billy Bob was placed on the far left stage, and Rolfe on stage right - because of the swapped side stages, airlines needed to be reconfigured to ensure the characters head and body turns matched this new arrangement. This location was one of the final ones to close, staying open until either 2000 or 2001. The show fell into great disrepair in its final years, and a fan visiting in 2000 noted that the masks had huge tears in them, and that the owners couldn’t afford CEI’s quotes for new ones.
Burnsville, MN Location
Burnsville was originally a Pizza Time Theater location. After the rebranding in 1988, many of the PTT assets were kept, such as the Chuck E. Merry-Go-Round. As for stage design, they had a solid-blue background paired with silver rain curtains for center stage. Choo Choo was moved to stage left. Their Smitty’s Super Service Station prop aligned with the other Circus Pizzas by using a cabin in place of the standard look. Another interesting detail is how the moon is at a 90° angle as it was during the earlier ShowBiz days, which is unlike any other FEC. Burnsville was also one of the few locations to have Uncle Klunk and Santa Claus. Between 1989 and 1991, the manager’s wife made a custom yellow and black Burnsville Braves outfit for Mitzi. They would receive the Show Selector system in 1991 and between 1993 and 1994, many improvements were made to the show. This included mechanical repairs, new masks for Billy Bob and Looney Bird, and a new multi-colored rain curtain backdrop to match Rolfe and Earl’s stage. Burnsville closed in 1999, and it is unknown what happened to their animatronics. Chuck E. Cheese's reopened nearby with a Studio C Alpha stage, which may have caused a drop in Circus' sales.
New Hope, MN Location
New Hope opened in fall of 1988 and was a former Pizza Time Theater. Their Rock-afire Explosion mainly played Showbiz-era compilation tapes as well as the occasional Showbiz Pizza corporate showtape. As for center stage’s design, they originally had a black backdrop, but it was later replaced with rain curtains. They had the cabin design for Smitty’s Super Service Station. The stage was also unique for using the Country Night cosmetics for the Country Night showtape. Eventually, the condition of the animatronics would decline dramatically. In August 1999, New Hope would close and reopen as Carnival Pizza.
West Saint Paul, MN Location
West St. Paul, MN opened in 1988 after Time Machine Arcade closed. Beforehand, it was a Showbiz Pizza that closed in October 1985. The layout and design of the location remained very similar to Showbiz. The stage design looked the most standard out of all of the Circus Pizza stages. The backdrop was solid blue. The Smitty’s prop was missing, but an extra set of all the tree props and an extra stage right rainbow were scattered around stage left. The rainbow would eventually be moved back to stage right. Rolfe had a glittery, gold bowtie. Their show played a variety of Showbiz-era showtapes. In the late 80’s, custom Circus backdrops were added to center stage. Artwork depicting various circus acts were draped over the tree props and center tree line. Some examples of the featured acts were “Sword Swallowing” and “The Magical Wizard”. This location also displayed Country Night cosmetics from the original Country Night showtape for a time. Around 1993, a few of the characters would receive new masks. The location would close in 1999 and the show was trashed. An employee held onto Fatz’s foot in her purse as a good luck charm. Chuck E. Cheese's opened in their place with a Studio C Alpha. The stage was built on the former stage left from the Rock-afire. The curtain valance used was from Edina’s New Rock-afire.
Eau Claire, WI Location
The Eau Claire, Wisconsin location was the first store to open outside of Minnesota. It opened in February 1990, and reused the space of an old Pizza Time Theatre. Despite this, the restaurant would still have all of the fixtures of the Minnesota locations, and opened with a classic 3-stage Rock-afire Explosion. The Rock-afire featured here is notable for having an exceptionally wide stage and having the sign off center (due to a support beam left over from the former CEC Rocker Stage). The stage layout and props were mostly standardized compared to the other locations, with only minor alterations such as Antioch’s cloud appearing on Billy Bob’s stage. The store never received a Show Selector, and was reliant on ShowBiz era reels. This location closed in 1992.
Edina, MN Location
The Edina location opened in November 1993 and featured the only New Rock-afire Explosion show in the chain. This would possibly be the second New Rock-afire ever installed, and one of the first manufactured. Due to its early installment, there were a few quirks such as having an early version of the TV and a lighted blue cable beside it. The show remained in fairly good shape throughout its life, and was featured in a Show Selector skit shortly after opening. This store is interesting due to it also being the only two-story location, with a multi-level play structure and a more modern (at the time) interior design. This would be the final location in the chain to open, and it would last until August 1999.
By the early 2000s, the final Circus Pizza locations had closed. The fate of the majority of the bands is unknown, but it can be assumed many were trashed by when Chuck E. Cheese purchased most of the remaining units in August of 1999 (Edina, Blaine, and West Saint Paul). However, Brooklyn Park and New Hope appeared in a bulk auction in the early 2000s. Most of the cosmetics were missing, with the only exceptions being Dook’s mask and vinyl shirt, Fatz’ hands, and some Billy Bob fur. Three of Blaine’s characters, including Uncle Klunk, surfaced in 2017 and were purchased by Jack Turner. They were later resold, with Hallsofvallhalla now owning Klunk. West St. Paul was trashed.
Information & Details
Circus Pizza - Maplewood
3001 White Bear Ave
Maplewood, MN 55109
Opening Date: 1988
Closing Date: 1995
Fate of the show: Unknown
Circus Pizza - Blaine
8943 University Ave NE
Blaine, MN 55434
Opening Date: 1988
Closing Date: August 1999
Fate of the show: Partially found, now owned by various fans
Circus Pizza - Brooklyn Park
7577 Brooklyn Blvd
Brooklyn Park, MN 55443
Opening Date: 1988
Closing Date: 2000/2001
Fate of the show: Auctioned off in early 2000s
Circus Pizza - Burnsville
14336 Burnhaven Dr
Burnsville, MN 55306
Opening Date: 1988
Closing Date: 1999
Fate of the show: Unknown
Circus Pizza - New Hope
4411 Winnetka Ave
New Hope, MN 55428
Opening Date: 1988
Closing Date: June 2001
Fate of the show: Recycled at Carnival Pizza, then auctioned off in June 2001
Circus Pizza - West Saint Paul
1422 S Robert St
W Saint Paul, MN 55118
Opening Date: 1988
Closing Date: August 1999
Fate of the show: Destroyed
Circus Pizza - Eau Claire
2221 Eastridge Center (Highland Mall)
Eau Claire, WI 54701
Opening Date: Februrary 1990
Closing Date: 1992
Fate of the show: Unknown
Circus Pizza - Edina
7505 France Ave S
Edina, MN 55435
Opening Date: November 1993
Closing Date: August 1999
Fate of the show: Unknown
