Concept Division (Johnsonverse)

Concept Division was a process by ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. that occurred in all Chuck E. Cheese's locations between 2011 and 2013. The goal of the project was to convert many CEC locations to ShowBiz Pizza Place locations and revive The Rock-afire Explosion, including changing all 3-Stage Munch's Make-Believe Band animatronics back to Rock-afire Explosion animatronics, as well as removing all Studio C stages, and the introduction of a new stage called the Redux 3-Stage.
The process was completed on January 29, 2013, when the final Studio C stage at the location in Walker, Michigan was decommissioned and replaced with a 3-Stage Rock-afire Explosion show.
==History==
On May 28, 2010, it was announced that Johnson Industries (which purchased CEC Entertainment a few months prior) would revive ShowBiz Pizza Place and The Rock-afire Explosion the following year. Later that day, the Rock-afire Explosion's creator, Aaron Fechter, revealed on his YouTube channel (therockafire, later The Rock-afire Explosion) that he and fellow Johnson subsidiary Fechter Creative Engineering would be involved in the chain's revival. Many of Chuck E. Cheese's animatronic shows were shut down for what was initially called "refurbishment"; a sign was placed in front of the curtains notifying customers of this. Animatronic shows at all other locations were restored and fumigated, as well as updated to use the characters' outfits introduced in 2010; remaining 3-Stages had their plastic masks replaced with latex ones in the same style. Also, all stages once again had curtain signals programmed. 
53 Chuck E. Cheese's locations were converted into ShowBiz Pizza Place locations throughout the fall of 2011. On November 17, the first revived ShowBiz location opened in San Jose, California. Throughout 2012, more CEC locations were converted to ShowBiz Pizza Place, with the stated goal of having at least one of each brand in each major city to provide options. The direction of the revived ShowBiz is aimed towards teens and adults, while CEC is geared towards kids and families; this was reflected in their respective slogans (ShowBiz revived the slogan "Come for the Pizza, Stay for the Fun", while CEC retained "Where a Kid Can Be a Kid", which both chains used in the mid-1980s). In June 2012, the first Phase V Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant opened, with a completely new look and logo.
The last 3-Stage to finish its conversion back into a Rock-afire Explosion was in Peoria, Illinois; it was finished on November 29, 2013. The last Studio C stage (a Studio C Beta in Walker, Michigan that replaced a 3-Stage show in September 2002) was removed on January 29, 2013 as part of the location's conversion into a ShowBiz Pizza Place. A Studio C Alpha (along with props from other Studio C setups) and 3-Stage from Department 18 are now at museums.
==Changes==
=== All locations ===
All locations feature newly-redesigned exteriors and interiors, including open kitchens, new fixtures, and new booths. All showrooms are once again walled off from the dining rooms, and dance floors are added in front of the animatronic shows (with a shining disco ball above), while two Ticket Blasters are on either side of the stages; cameras are placed around the showroom, filming the animatronics to guests in the play area. The dance floors are programmed in rhythm to the animatronic shows, and are large enough so many guests can dance on them at once. Each table has table tents giving brief descriptions of the characters.
Both restaurants also now feature Photo Cars of different characters other than Chuck E., as well as updated versions of the Chuck E. and Billy Bob merry-go-round rides from the 1980s, and Toddler Zones and ball pits (with much more frequent cleaning) were reinstated. Also added for larger locations are either bumper cars, bowling, or laser tag, depending on what the franchisee chooses.
Finally, special bands called Play Bands were introduced. Children and their parents or guardians are given one each, with parents or guardians using the bands to remind children when their order is ready, or when it's time to leave. They also act as safety bands, each containing a sensor that sounds an alarm if the child wearing it tries to leave the premises without their parents or guardians. The ticket machines are now made so if the payer opts for the Play Pass, tickets are stored on it. However, if the player opts for tokens, the tickets will come out the old-fashioned way; this was done for guests who prefer to carry tickets instead.
===ShowBiz Pizza Place===
The new ShowBiz Pizza Place locations feature newly-redesigned interiors and exteriors, with the appearance of a 1950s diner or malt shop. 
All ShowBiz locations use the 3-Stage setup; many of them had served as Chuck E. Cheese's locations for years prior to the Concept Division remodeling, and were converted back into ShowBiz locations. Japanese States locations feature Ho-kago Tea Time from the K-On! franchise in lieu of the Rock-afire Explosion.
Replacing the SkyTubes in ShowBiz locations is a new section called the Trampoline Zone; a colorful foam pit is placed next to the trampolines, along with basketball goals.
====Table tent character bios====
* Billy Bob Brockali - The banjo player and MC. Billy Bob is a sweet-natured country bear from Tennessee who loves playing his old banjo and leads the band with an eternally positive outlook. He runs Smitty's Super Service Station, where he makes Gasahol.
* Looney Bird - The falsetto vocalist and Billy Bob's right-hand man. Looney is a technology-loving bird who contributes his falsetto voice to the band. His dream is to create a computer language kids can understand.
* Rolfe DeWolfe and Earl Schmerle - The ventriloquist act. Rolfe is a greedy, untalented, clueless jerk and a total geek, while Earl is his straight man who takes advantage of his behavior to manipulate him. In other words, the puppeteer is controlled by his own puppet.
* Fatz Geronimo - The keyboardist. Fatz is an 850-pound, Southern-fried pianist from the bayou with a deep bass voice and the bravado to match.
* Dook LaRue - The drummer. Not known for his wit, Dook more than makes up for his lack of smarts with his mad drumming skills and a voice of gold.
* Mitzi Mozzarella Jr. - The female vocalist. Mitzi Jr. is a perky second-generation cheerleader and singer who inherited her mother's name and immense talent.
* Beach Bear - The guitarist. Beach Bear is cool, carefree and laid-back, with a huge penchant for snark. His guitar-playing is unrivaled by even the best musicians.
* Uncle Klunk - The backup singer. A complete abomination, Klunk is a bizarre and goofy person, but a pretty great singer.
* Fernando Fox - Another backup singer. Fernando is a
====Table tent character bios (Japanese Isles)====
The bios for Billy Bob, Looney Bird, and Rolfe and Earl are the same as in the Mainland US locations.
* Yui Hirasawa - The lead guitarist. Yui may be airheaded and have trouble focusing, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a nicer person, or a better guitarist who can play circles around Slash.
* Mio Akiyama - The bass guitarist. Don't let her looks fool you, Mio is actually very shy and a bit cowardly, but she'll play and sing with all her heart.
* Ritsu Tainaka - The drummer. Founder of Ho-kago Tea Time, Ritsu is the de facto leader of the band, even if she's shoved all the way to the right of Center Stage on drums.
* Tsumugi "Mugi" Kotobuki - Keyboardist and MC. Rich in money and kindness, Mugi not only plays keyboard, but she's also a shrewd businesswoman who runs the bakery at all ShowBiz locations in the Japanese Isles.
* Azusa Nakano - Rhythm guitarist and the Fifth Beatle of Ho-kago Tea Time. After graduating from college, Azusa was contacted by ShowBiz corporate to rejoin her friends following the Magic Night incident.
* Ui Hirasawa and Earl Schmerle - Fed up with Rolfe following the Magic Night incident, Earl found a new, better partner in Yui's more mature younger sister, who can also play rhythm guitar.
===Chuck E. Cheese's===
Remodels for Chuck E. Cheese's locations feature newly-redesigned exteriors and interiors (with many buildings also being expanded), with the appearance of a Broadway theater. 
There is also a new stage known as the Redux 3-Stage, which serves as a replacement for Studio C, featuring new animatronics designed by Garner Holt Productions with minor characters created by Fechter Creative Engineering; said animatronics feature refreshed versions of Chuck E. and the other members of Chuck E.'s Pizza Time Band (which was renamed from Munch's Make-Believe Band due to Chuck E. slowly superseding Munch as the frontman over time) previously introduced in a transitional phase nicknamed "Phase IV.5", along with additional LED lighting effects. Six new stages on walls next to the stage are added to show guest characters, and Crusty (now with the name Crusty T. Cat) and Harmony Howlette were brought back as permanent members of Chuck E.'s Pizza Time Band as their lead guitarist/manager and drummer, respectively. In addition, the Warblettes (who were redesigned to appear as parodies of the Dream Girls, Beyoncé, Queen Latifah, and flapper girls of the 1920s), Pizzacam, Munch Jr., Building, Moon, Reggie Bird (Chuck E.'s pet parrot in the Studio C stage), and the Singing Flowers were reintroduced. Tati Truong and Bella B. Conejita were both introduced in January 2018, playing the tambourine and saxophone, respectively. Jasper and Pasqually were reverted to playing the banjo and accordion, respectively, with Harmony replacing Pasqually as the drummer, and Helen replacing Jasper as the bassist. A Cyberamic variant was created to replace all existing Cyberamic stage setups (with the exception of the Rocker Stage in Rockford, Illinois, which was sent to the ShowBiz Pizza Time Museum and replaced by a Redux 3-Stage); new Cyberamics of Crusty, Harmony, and later Tati and Bella were created. The back of the showroom consists of balcony seating, as well as posters of the characters and eleven (formerly nine) Flag Wavers, with two Chuck E. Cheese flags, and the others representing the characters' places of origin (New Jersey for Chuck E., California for Crusty, New York for Helen, Planet Purple for Munch, Tennessee for Jasper, Italy for Pasqually, Texas for Harmony, Montana for Tati, and Paraguay for Bella).
The arcade section received a lobby-like appearance. A sports lounge-style room in which families can watch sports together was added, along with a new play area connecting to the showroom called "Backstage CEC", which acts as a modernized and expanded version of the original Studio C concept; it includes a blue screen and camera where guests can film themselves on the large screens the blue screen is in between; the interactive consoles from Studio C Alpha are brought back and upgraded, along with a karaoke machine and an interactive DJ turntable. The Cabaret Room was brought back as well, with characters such as the King, Artie Antlers and Dolli Dimples returning along with additional new characters. The SkyTubes were redesigned, and new versions of Chuck E. Cheese's Match Game and Chatty Chuck E. were released, both with the additions of Crusty and Harmony (as well as Tati and Bella in 2018); the latter was redone with puppets rather than animation. Chuck E. Cheese's Sketch Book and Chuck E. Cheese's Cartoon Time Theatre were rereleased as well. 
====Table tent character bios====
* Chuck E. Cheese - The star whose name graces this very building. Chuck E. is a lovable rat from New Jersey who, along with his friends, spares no efforts to entertain his guests with his endearing humor. Don't worry, he's not a dirty rat!
* Crusty T. Cat - The manager, lead guitarist, and Chuck E.'s right hand man, born in California. Crusty is known for his dry wit and laid-back attitude, but is a big softie in heart; just please don't bring this last part up within earshot.
* Helen Henny - The rhythm guitarist. Being a world-famous Broadway actress, singer, and guitarist with a keen eye for fashion, Helen's talent and spunk are impossible to overstate.
* Mr. Munch - The keyboardist. A native of Planet Purple, Mr. Munch is really out of this world! You won't find this monster under your bed - he's busy eating tasty pizza, having fun and causing mischief. Plus singing with his crooner voice.
* Jasper T. Jowls - The banjo player and Chuck E.'s other right-hand man, bred in Tennessee (which is also his middle name). Jasper is a friendly, reliable and witty country hound. With his beloved grand-paw's banjo, he knows how to make quintessentially southern sounds.
* Pasqually P. Pieplate - The accordionist. You can always rely on Pasqually to make delicious pizza pies using authentic Italian recipes, or use his operatic knowledge to sing with a glorious falsetto. Despite his class, though, he doesn't take life seriously; he also tells some jokes on the side, though he makes Rolfe look funny by comparison.
* Harmony Howlette - The drummer. Harmony has a nice mixture of confidence, sass, strength, and the ability to lay down some catchy Texas-style beats.
* Tati Truong - The tambourinist. Don't let Tati's height fool you - she's the kindest monkey you'll ever meet, and her jingles and beats are the best you'll ever hear.
* Bella B. Conejita - The saxophonist and the youngest member of the group. Beneath her warm exterior, Bella's mad sax-playing and genius-level intelligence are sure to get people right on their toes!
==== Guest star descriptions ====
*Foxy Colleen -
*Madame Oink -
==See also==
* List of Concept Division showtapes (Johnsonverse)
* ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. Concept Division Installation videos (Johnsonverse)
Category:Johnsonverse