Moonrockers
The Moonrockers
The Moonrockers are a Rock-afire Explosion retrofit created by Burt “Sal” Wilson in 1985. Only one set was created and is currently being moved to the new Creative Engineering Museum. They are is a state of disrepair due to the blast of 2013, but are being repaired for use in the museum.
History
The Moonrockers were created in 1985 by Burt Wilson shortly after the SPT merger the same year. It was originally advertised as an upgrade to a Rock-afire center stage, with the title of "The World's Only Convertible, Animated Show." It would cost $15,000 dollars for the Moonrockers upgrade. In the promotional pamphlet[1] for the show, it also advertises a version of the Moonrockers which would utilize all three stages of the original Rock-afire stage. It is unknown what this would look like.
The band consists of six characters on one stage. From left to right, Ozone on drums, Admiral Oort, the leader of the band, on the organ, Quazar on the "lazar" guitar, and Princess Haley, vocalist, on the far right. Reskins of Choo Choo and Anitoch are present, being a volcano creature and a one eyed bat, but are not given any official names. Sun and Moon reskins are not present on the stage.
Prototype Version
The show has a prototype version that was shown in the original pamplet for the show, the most notable differences being the alternative placement of the characters (Princess Haley and Quazar are swapped.) The cosmetic differences are Princess Haley's ears being pink, Quazar having a unibrow and different chains, Ozone having boots that look closer to Dook's boots, Admiral Oort having black cuffs, and the one eyed bat having a green iris.
There are a few notable differences in the instruments as well, such as Oort's piano having clear PVC pipes around it and Ozone's drums being taller and more detailed overall.
The stage itself in the prototype version also had a black trim and unique valence, which were replaced with a red trim and a Beta Rock-Afire Explosion valence in the final version of the show.
Unveiling
Only one showtape was made with the stage, being the Moonrockers Showtape shown at the November 1985 IAPPA event, where Mitzi's voice actor Shalisa Sloan would sing alongside the animatronics. The first two segments were meta references to the stage being swapped out from the Rock-afire Explosion during the event, based on Mitzi being re-costumed and the band tuning up. The third segment consists of 3 songs played by the Moonrockers, being the Moonrockers' Theme, Cyclops Boogie, and a reprise of the Moonrockers' Theme.
Despite the selection of segments, the general public outside of those that attended the event only knew of the initial Moonrockers' Theme due to the limited selection of promotional footage. Creative Engineering would also never acknowledge the existence of any other songs on the showtape until 2022. Currently, only a select portion of this song is available to the public, with the full showtape only watchable for Creative Engineering Premium Video Service members.
Post-IAPPA
Going into the 1990s and 2000s, the show would mostly just sit in the CEI building, with it probably seeing little to no use. Due to The Blast happening at the Jefferson building in 2013, the show was left in very poor condition after feeling the force of the explosion. The show would later be found to still have many parts working, although the show would again sit unused in the CEI building for nearly a decade.
Disassembly
Most recently, as preparations for the move to the Creative Engineering Museum, the official Rock-afire Explosion YouTube channel released a video showcasing the beginning of the stage being packed up for the move. Other footage of the show to recently surface is of the original introduction show being tested after years of the show sitting in the CEI building, showing the condition of the show before it has been fully restored yet for its place in the museum. At this time the showtape would finally be digitized, and fans would learn of the other segments.
Gallery
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Ozone in 2005 -
Admiral Oort in 2005 -
Quazar in 2005 -
Princess Haley in 2005 -
Choo-Choo reskin in 2005 -
Antioch reskin in 2005 -
The current state of the Moonrockers show (2022)
Videos
| Link | Description | Filming Date |
|---|---|---|
| Link | 1992 Demo of CEI Animatronics - Footage from 1992 featuring various animatronics, with Moonrocker footage among it. | 1992 |
| Link | Disassembly of the Moonrockers for preparation for the museum | 2022 |
Trivia
- Princess Haley has a shiny moon, and star on her face. This was presumed to light up in the spotlight.
- Princess Haley is named after Burt "Sal" Wilson's daughter.
- Princess Haley has a new body shell, and is the only Moonrockers character confirmed to have a new shell.
- Quazar reuses Bubba's chest.
- They were showcased at the IAAPA while Mitzi’s voice actor would perform alongside them.
- The Moonrocker's songs were designed with missing lyrics in order to have someone perform alongside them.
- Ozone's boots use the same mold as Dook's