ShowBiz (Here We Go Again!)

ShowBiz (formerly known as ShowBiz Pizza Place and ShowBiz Pizza) was an American family entertainment center and restaurant pizza chain founded in 1980 by Robert L. Brock and Creative Engineering (CEI). It emerged after a separation between Brock and owners of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, Pizza Time Theatre. ShowBiz restaurants entertained guests through a large selection of arcade games, coin-operated rides, and animatronic stage shows.
The two companies became competitors and found early success, partly due to the rise in popularity of arcade games during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The type of animatronics used in the ShowBiz chain distinguished it from its rival, which offered many of the same services. When Pizza Time Theatre declared bankruptcy in 1984, ShowBiz merged with the struggling franchise to settle a former court settlement mandate, emerging as ShowBiz Pizza Time. In 1998, after a years-long slump, ShowBiz was purchased by Quayle Holdings, and all locations were either shut down or converted into Rock-afire locations, with the ShowBiz brand going defunct in 1999.
== History ==
Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, responsible for creating the first widely recognized video game, Pong, headed a project in the mid-1970s for Atari to launch the first arcade-oriented, family restaurant with computer-programmed animatronics. At a time when arcades were popular in bowling alleys and bars, Bushnell sought to expose younger audiences to arcade games. In 1977, Atari opened the first Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, California. The concept was an immediate success, and after leaving Atari in 1978, Bushnell purchased the Pizza Time restaurant, forming a new company, Pizza Time Theatre Inc.
As Bushnell marketed the franchise, hoping to expand into new markets, the concept attracted high-profile clients such as Robert L. Brock, known for his extensive portfolio of Holiday Inn hotels. In 1979, Brock signed a multi-million-dollar franchising agreement with Pizza Time Theatre Inc., planning to open as many as 280 Chuck E. Cheese's locations across 16 states. Shortly thereafter, Brock noticed that companies such as Creative Engineering, Inc. (CEI) were designing more advanced animatronics, and was concerned that competitors would emerge with better technology. Bushnell had reassured Brock at the signing of the franchising agreement that the company's technology would continue to evolve. However, prior to the opening of his first location, Brock decided to void the agreement with Pizza Time and form a partnership with CEI.
The first ShowBiz Pizza Place opened in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 3, 1980. The Brock Hotel Corporation owned 80% while the other 20% was owned by CEI, which produced the chain's original animatronics show, The Rock-afire Explosion. By September 1981, there were 48 company-owned outlets and 42 franchises. The company moved its headquarters to Irving, Texas in 1982.
=== ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc. ===
In 1984, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and its assets were purchased by ShowBiz parent company Brock Hotel Corp. The two operations merged, and the newly formed company was named ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc., a combination of the names of the previous two companies. However, both restaurant chains continued operating as separate entities.
Richard M. Frank joined the company as president and chief operating officer in 1985. In 1986, he was named chairman and chief executive officer of the restaurant division. Based on customer research, Frank instituted a number of changes to appeal to younger children and parents. Specific measures included increased lighting, a redesigned food menu, table service, self-serve fountain drinks, a revamped ride selection, and distinct toddler areas, but relations between ShowBiz and Creative Engineering began to deteriorate. Aaron Fechter, founder of CEI and creator of The Rock-afire Explosion, claimed in 2008 that the fallout was due to a demand by ShowBiz to own CEI's licensing and copyrights to the animatronics show. Fechter says he refused, since ShowBiz did not offer monetary compensation for the rights. CEI severed all ties with ShowBiz in 1987 after founding competitor Rock-afire the previous year, and ShowBiz replaced The Rock-afire Explosion with a new band, Leo Lyons and the Rockin' Farm, with each animatronic retrofitted into the new characters. Creative Presentations, an animatronic company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, designed the characters and produced cosmetics and showtapes.
In 1989, ShowBiz Pizza Time became a public company with its stock market launch. The following year, it began restructuring the restaurant chains under "Concept Unification". The change consisted of removing the Pizza Time Players animatronic show from Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants and converting it into Leo Lyons and the Rockin' Farm.
=== International expansion ===
Around 1984-85, ShowBiz expanded into Mexico as ShowBiz Pizza Fiesta, which featured both The Rock-afire Explosion and retrofitted Pizza Time Theatre Cyberamics, conceived as a result of closing Pizza Time Theatres in the United States. Assets from several store closures were shipped to the Mexican franchisees, with the intention of retrofitting the Pizza Time Players to better suit the country's market demographic; for example, Chuck E. Cheese was converted into Ratón Chito. Sally Industries of Jacksonville provided the controller equipment for these retrofits, as the animatronics arrived without their original control systems required for operation. The Ratón Chito aspect of ShowBiz Pizza Fiesta was later spun off into Boomis, separating itself from the rest of the company. These stores managed to successfully remain in operation until the 2000's, with one in Aguascalientes auctioning off equipment (including the retrofitted Pizza Time Theatre animatronics) as late as October 2018.
In 1994, nine years after ShowBiz Pizza Time was formed, the first new international location would open in Santiago, Chile.
=== Decline and buyout ===
ShowBiz struggled with decreasing revenue throughout the 1990s with the rise of competitors Rock-afire and Discovery Zone. Attempts at increasing sales included redesigning the Rockin' Farm characters and adding new concepts such as indoor playgrounds named "SkyTubes" and salad bars, as well as rebranding from ShowBiz Pizza Time Inc. to ShowBiz Entertainment Inc. in 1996.
In April 1998, ShowBiz Entertainment declared bankruptcy. Quayle Holdings purchased ShowBiz and auctioned off its assets, with some locations converted into Rock-afire. In October 1999, the ShowBiz name went defunct with its last location closing and later being reopened as a Rock-afire.
== Entertainment ==
Like with Pizza Time Theatre, ShowBiz prominently used animatronics as a major draw. From 1980 to 1988, it used The Rock-afire Explosion, an animatronic band created by Aaron Fechter and his company, Creative Engineering. Unlike the Pizza Time Theatre Cyberamics, which were only half-bodied, had limited movements, and cartoony proportions, The Rock-afire Explosion mechs were full-bodied, more realistic, and had a wider array of motions. After relations between Fechter and ShowBiz broke down and Fechter co-founded the competing Rock-afire, ShowBiz retrofitted The Rock-afire Explosion into Leo Lyons and the Rockin' Farm throughout 1987 and 1988. Beginning in 1989 and continuing through 1992, all Pizza Time Theatre Cyberamics were similarly redressed into the Rockin' Farm characters.
In 1991, the Rockin' Farm characters were redesigned to look softer and friendlier, with their wardrobes adjusted to a sportier look. ShowBiz planned to eventually introduce a new stage with improved animatronics to replace the aging Cyberamics and first-generation Rock-afire Explosion animatronics, which later fell through due to declining revenue.
=== Characters ===
* Leo Lyons was the mascot, a lion who was the lead singer of the band. He was outgoing, energetic, loved entertaining families, and was an avid sports player. He wore a coach outfit. Voiced by: Bob West (1987-1998)
* Carrots T. Rabbitt was Leo's best friend, a rabbit who came out of a top hat. He wore a baseball cap. Voiced by: Frank Gaughan (1987-1989), Scott Wilson (1989-1993), and Earl Fisher (1993-1998)
* Janice Vixen was a female fox who was the other lead singer of the band. She was interested in romance, shopping and fads, and was sometimes shown to have a crush on Leo. She wore a cheerleading uniform. Voiced by: Karlisa Burleson (1987-1993) and Stephanie Nadolny (1993-1998)
* Elmer Beary was a bear and the keyboardist who was very boisterous. He wore a football uniform. Voiced by: Mark Brink (1987-1993) and Duncan Brannan (1993-1998)
* Bobby Kattzon was a bobcat and the laid-back, loyal drummer from Texas. He wore a hockey uniform. Voiced by: Joe Conti (1987-1991), Charles Stewart (1991-1993), and Reggie Smith (1993-1998)
* Marty Cluckhorn was a fast-talking rooster and the lead guitarist. He wore a skateboarding outfit. Voiced by: Lonny Wilder (1987-1993) and Robert Gotcher (1993-1998)
* Pearl Sheepish was a tomboyish sheep and Janice's best friend who was interested in magic tricks. She wore a rollerblading uniform. Voiced by: Carol Farabee (1987-1993) and Annagrey Wiechman (1993-1998)
* Frankie Foxx was Pearl's sour but well-meaning companion. He wore a basketball jersey. Voiced by: Larry Moran (1987-1993) and Duncan Brannan (1993-1998)
Category:Here We Go Again!