Related Concepts, Companies & Shows

Hi everyone! My name's Retro, and I'm the generic mascot of a long-forgotten Family Entertainment Center. Remember when you asked your parents to take you to Chuck E. Cheese's, and then got told "we have Chuck E. Cheese at home"? That's me in a nutshell. Many copycat restaurants just like mine, existed during the animatronic craze that was started by Chuck E. Cheese's and ShowBiz Pizza Place. But myself and many of my contemporaries have been long forgotten, lost relics to passing decades. Until now. This section finally gives us a place to live on forever.

First time visiting? There's a lot packed into this section but here's the breakdown. All of the sections described below can be found using the navigational links at the top of every page, so it's easy to not get lost. Like us, who got lost until ShowBizPizza.com found us.

Family Entertainment Centers

The Family Entertainment Centers wing is our main section, which includes all the bigger players such as as Circus Playhouse & Food Emporium, Major Magic's All-Star Pizza Revue, Celebration Station and Bullwinkle's Family Food 'N Fun. But it also contains information on the every obscure FECs like Paul E. Parrott Pizza N Games, Space Gang Pizza Shuttle, and Bubba Bear's Pizza Theatre.

Animatronic Companies

The Animatronic Companies wing contains information about the various companies that designed and built the animatronic shows utilized by these FECs. Here you'll find info about Creative Engineering, Inc, Sally Corp, Advanced Animations, Life Formations, AVG, Garner Holt Productions, and more!.

Creative Engineering Shows

Although they were mainly known for their work with ShowBiz Pizza Place and creating The Rock-afire Explosion, Creative Engineering, Inc. was responsible for the creation of several animatronic shows and animation concepts. Some saw moderate in theme parks and other venues, while some were only prototypes that never sold, displayed publicly only for trade shows through the years. This section is where to find information on all these animatronics.

Off-The-Shelf Shows

This wing is home to various Off-The-Shelf Shows, such as Daniel and the Dixie Diggers and the Electric Mice Orchestra. These shows were unique, in that they were used across various FECs instead of being exclusive to one particular brand or banner.

Amusement Park Shows

This section contains animatronic shows that were on display at various smaller Amusement Parks across the world. Shows like The Great Texas Longhorn Revue, The Hot Air Fantasy, The Saint Louis River Revue will be found here. This list excludes Disney parks and shows of course, because that's a whole subject in and on its own - and lord knows there's enough Disney documentation on the internet already!

Casino Shows

The Casino Shows section showcases various animatronics that were, for whatever reason, housed in gambling casinos. These lesser-known shows such as The Guilded Cage, Cavalcade of Stars, and Fifi La Mue & The Mardi Gras Cats can be discovered here.

Advertising Mascots

The Advertising Mascots category contains information about animatronics that were custom made for existing mascot characters. Characters like McDonald's Mac Tonight & Ronald McDonald, and other brands such as Borden's Elsie the Cow are documented here.

Other Venues

The Other Venues portion of this section is for animatronic shows that don't quite fit into other sections. Think of it as the drain catch. Oddities such as the Dodge Automation Robot Shows, Enterprise USA Founding Fathers, and The Big Yummy wound up here.