Mini Stage

The Mini Rock-afire Explosion Stage was a four character show created for smaller Showbiz Pizza Place restaurants and later other family entertainment centers.

Mini-Stage at Cullman, AL.

History

Five Showbiz Pizza Place locations opened with the Mini Stage band in 1983. Showbiz Pizza proposed that select locations should receive four character shows to Creative Engineering. Aaron Fetcher, owner of Creative Engineering, opposed the idea to install the shows but went through with Showbiz's orders.

In November of 1983 Jim Parrish, the Director of development and Executive Vice President of Showbiz, gave a memo to CEI regarding the shows, stating that Aaron was correct on not wanting to install the shows and that the three stages would be the greater entertainment option. Jim suggested selling the one-stage shows to different customers at an upcoming IAAPA convention. As a result of this exchange, it was planned that Showbiz locations featuring the Mini Stage setup were to convert to the full Rockafire Explosion show. The animatronics used on the stages would be used to help complete new, additional shows. Anderson, IN would be the first to have their show replaced. But, this conversion did not come to fruition, and these stores would all close around the same time with the one-stage band.

After Concept Unification, CEI would sell Mini shows to different customers.

Design

This is one of two Creative Engineering shows to feature the singing flowers. The one-stage show features Mitzi Mozzarella, Fatz, Billy Bob, and Looney Bird. Behind Mitzi and Fatz is a unique backdrop and tree. Behind Billy Bob and Looney Bird is Smitty's Super Service Station with a new "Used and Abused Tars" sign and a new "Goofy Gas" gas pump lamp. The traditional Rockafire Explosion frog was also retrofit into the "bad frog" with a spiked collar and chain. Mini stages installed outside of Showbiz would not use the mountain backdrop or unique stage floor. CEI would however package a center stage Rockafire Explosion tree line with these shows.

Gallery

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  Strike and Spare's Mini-Stage.

Known Installations

Store	Location	Notes	Installation Date
Showbiz Pizza Place	Anderson, IN (845 E 53rd St)	Planned to be the first to be replaced; Later auctioned after closure and could have potentially been reused at a fair in 1986.	1983
Showbiz Pizza Place	Cullman, AL (210 2nd Ave)	????	1983
Showbiz Pizza Place	Logansport, IN (3900 E Market St)	????	1983
Fun Time Pizza	McAllen, TX	Backdrops were reused at the 2nd McAllen location and Lake Jackson location along with Arlington's show. Bots were most likely used for spare parts.	1993?
Tweetsie Railroad	blowing rock. NC	the shows now at the ghost train ride and is at the end of the ride and billy bob and mitzi were used in the 2022 version as for fatz and looney bird along with the rest of the shows now in storage possibly or they were thrown out. rumors say that the shows gonna go to pairs fairgrounds in paris brant ontario.	1994?
Hillwood Strike N' Spare	nashville. TN	the show used to be at funtown mountain and billy bob and mitzi were sold to SPT rpoductions in 2016 and fatz was sold on ebay and the rest of the show including looney bird are still with will russell and billy bob's now at FUN! in texas	2003