Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus: Difference between revisions

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{{AnimatronicShow|image=Sgt. Striper's Review.png|businessType=Type of Business: Pizza Places, Amusement Parks|status=Closed|numCharacters=3 to 6|manufacturer=Creative Presentations Inc|years=Roughly February 28, 1982 ~ August 7, 1991}}
[[File:348578987 496051229323528 5961769661822251617 n.jpg|alt=Image of the main cast from Sgt. Singer's as Sgt. Striper's Touring Band at The Wild Horse Saloon.|thumb|Image of the main cast from Sgt. Singer's as Sgt. Striper's Touring Band at The Wild Horse Saloon.]]

Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus (styled as "Sgt. Singer's Spectacular Star Studded Circus Pizza Show") was a pizza place with at least 4 locations, a Kiddieland location, and multiple travelling shows. The concept was operated by '''Nickels and Dimes Incorporated''', who also operated ''Tilt'' and ''Gold Mine''. The chain offered pizza, beer, animatronic shows, and arcade games for guests to enjoy. While the exact amount of time the chain was active is unknown, newspaper articles helped to give a rough estimate of March 1, 1982 - August 7, 1991.
'''''Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus''''' (styled as '''''Sgt. Singer's Spectacular Star Studded Circus Pizza Show''''') was a chain of family entertainment centers that were best known for their animatronic bands manufactured by Creative Presentations and their massive arcade selections.


== History ==
== History ==
[[File:Circus Band 2014 Promo.png|thumb|The main cast branded as Circus Band to be sold by Okamoto Amusements.]]
[[File:Circus Band 2014 Promo.png|thumb|Sgt. Striper's Circus Band, as distributed by Okamoto Amusements of Japan.]]
[[Nickels and Dimes Incorporated]] (NDI) is an family entertainment center operator established in 1972 by '''Craig Singer''' in Carrollton, Texas.<ref>https://arcadepreservation.fandom.com/wiki/Nickels_and_Dimes_Incorporated</ref> This company is responsible for many large businesses from the time such as Tilt and Gold Mine. Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus was founded by Craig Singer in Pasadena, TX<ref>http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2013/06/brides-of-chuck-e-pizza-time-theatres.html</ref> sometime around 1982. The animatronic cast for the pizza chain would be made by a company called [[Creative Productions]].


=== ''Nickels and Dimes Incorporated'' ===
Around 1988 the cast would be rebranded to '''Sgt. Striper's Review''' so that it could be sold to other places. It would also take on other names when sold to different places as well such as [[Circus Band]] for Okamoto<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110524063531/http://www.okamotos.co.jp/cotarog/sonota.pdf</ref> in Japan and [[The Sgt. Striper Touring Band]] in the US for a currently unknown company.
''Nickels and Dimes Incorporated'' (NDI) is an entertainment company founded by Craig Singer sometime around 1972 in Carrollton, Texas.<ref>https://arcadepreservation.fandom.com/wiki/Nickels_and_Dimes_Incorporated</ref> NDI was best known as the operator of ''Tilt'' arcades and ''Gold Mine'' arcades throughout the 1970's and 1980's.


=== '''''Sgt. Singer's Spectacular Star Studded Circus Pizza Show''''' ===
== Animatronics ==
Taking a page from the recent successes of ''Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre'' and ''ShowBiz Pizza Place'', Craig Singer established '''''Sgt. Singer's Spectacular Star Studded Circus Pizza Show''''' in Pasadena, Texas by 1982.<ref name=":1">http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2013/06/brides-of-chuck-e-pizza-time-theatres.html</ref> Although unconfirmed, newspapers mark early operations of the chain to be around March 1, 1982. Likewise to competitors, the establishment offered pizza, beer, arcade games, and animatronic shows as the main attraction. Animatronics for ''Sgt. Singer's'' were manufactured by Creative Presentations, Inc. of Schaumburg, Illinois.
The chain's main cast consisted of '''Sgt. Singer''' the tiger, '''P. T. Bearum''' the bear, and '''Pounce D' Lion''' the lion. The chain generally had a 3 stage setup but was also compatible to be a one stage setup. The main cast would be in the center stage and when using the 3 stage setup would use other Creative Presentations animatronics for the other stages, generally '''Patty the Piano-Playing Pachyderm''' and '''Mortimer the Mouse''' on the right stage and '''Dolly Porker''' on the left. Some locations such as the one in Decatur Georgia would also use the '''Ape-Ology's''' in the center stage later in the store's lifespan. The Decatur Georgia location may have also had a fourth stage with Bob Wire but this is not proven as of currently.


=== ''Sgt. Striper's'' and the Closure of ''Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus'' ===
== Trivia ==
Despite its moderate success as a small regional chain, NDI ultimately shifted its focus back to standard arcades. This meant ''Sgt. Singer's'' was now an afterthought to the company, leading to the discontinuation of new locations. Creative Presentations, left with an abundant stock of unused shows, retained all rights to the characters and began selling their stock to other clients. The band, now rebranded as '''''Sgt. Striper's Review''''', was sold to be versatile in theme. These various themes included:


* [[Circus Band|Sgt. Striper's Circus Band]] (Distributed by Okamoto Amusements in Japan<ref name=":0">https://web.archive.org/web/20110524063531/http://www.okamotos.co.jp/cotarog/sonota.pdf</ref>)
* Sgt Singer's Pizza Circus was named after it's founder Craig Singer.
* [[Sgt. Striper's Beach Bums]] (Also distributed by Okamoto Amusements in Japan)
* [[Sgt. Striper's Country Western Show]]


By this point in time, the ''Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus'' chain had officially been defunct, with the final store's speculated closure to be August 7, 1991.
== References ==
https://arcadepreservation.fandom.com/wiki/Sgt._Singer%27s_Pizza_Circus#Creative_Presentations_Inc


== Characters ==
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_L3v3LnhPk


=== Sgt. Singer / Sgt. Striper ===
https://youtu.be/8m4XzRgz71g
(Voiced by Mark Brink) A tiger on acoustic guitar who fearlessly, "leads his troops," in a menagerie of musical entertainment. The character's name was initially named after creator, Craig Singer, before being renamed Sgt. Striper for wide distribution.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_L3v3LnhPk</ref>


=== P.T. Bearum / Libby Beara'ce ===
http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2013/06/brides-of-chuck-e-pizza-time-theatres.html (Not all info on this page is correct)
(Voiced by Lee Pelty) Bearum enjoys "tinkling on his keys" with his western piano. His original name is a pun on that of American showman and politician, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum '''P'''hineas '''T'''aylor Barnum], who was best known for founding the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringling_Bros._and_Barnum_%26_Bailey_Circus Barnum & Bailey Circus]. Similarly to Sgt. Singer and Pounce D'Lion, Bearum was later renamed to Libby Beara'ce (pronounced ''li·behr·'''aa'''·chee)'', a pun on American pianist and actor, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberace Liberace].

=== Pounce D' Lion / Richard D. Lionhearted ===
(Originally voiced by Dennis Kelly, and later by Larry Moran) Pounce is a lion who jams on an electric guitar. Despite the origins behind his original name (a pun on Spanish conquistador, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ponce_de_Le%C3%B3n Juan Ponce de León]) Pounce spoke in a British accent provided by Larry Moran (his second voice). Similarly to Sgt. Singer and P.T. Bearum, Pounce was later renamed to Richard D. Lionhearted, due to Creative Presentations selling Sgt. Striper's shows to other clients.

=== Dolly Porker ===
(Voiced by Martha Webster) Dolly is a picky piggy who can be very particular with her venue of performance. Her name is a pun on [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Parton Dolly Parton], though doesn't resemble her namesake besides that. She has been said to have been placed on Stage Right.

=== Pete and Repete ===
Not to be confused with Creative Engineering's Pete Thornsberry and Repeat Thornsberry of the [[Hard Luck Bears]], Pete (an elephant) and Repete (a mouse) were supposedly a comedic duo on Stage Left. Not much information is known about these two, though it's possible that they were retrofitted versions of Patty the Piano-Playing Pachyderm and Mortimer D. Mouse from CPI's Animal Crackers (which was used in the Decatur, GA store).<ref name=":1" />

== Stage Composition ==
Although stage documentation is obscure, it is confirmed that Sgt. Singer's used at least a 3-Stage configuration (similar to other animatronic shows at the time). Center Stage included [[P. T. Bearum (Animatronic)|P.T. Bearum]], [[Sgt. Singer (Animatronic)|Sgt. Singer]], and [[Pounce D' Lion (Animatronic)|Pounce D' Lion]]. Stage Right allegedly contained [[Dolly Porker (Animatronic)|Dolly Porker]] (though it is currently unconfirmed), while Stage Left supposedly included Pete and Repete.

When Creative Presentations began to sell off the remaining Sgt. Singer's stock, the previous arrangement of characters was reduced to just the aforementioned three characters on Center Stage (Bearum, Singer, and Pounce). One Sgt. Singer figure was paired with Purrscilla Purr and Big Bear from [[Celebration Station's W.O.O.F. Radio]] for a show installation at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirapolis Mirapolis] (a defunct theme park in France).

== Installed Locations ==

=== Courdimanche ===

* Mirapolis - 95800 Courdimanche, France (Sgt. Singer Only)

=== Florida ===

* [[Miami, FL (1601 Biscayne Boulevard)]] as '''Sgt. Singer's Kiddieland'''

=== Georgia ===

* [[Decatur, GA (4649 Memorial Dr)]]

=== Pennsylvania ===

* Idlewild Park - [[Ligonier, PA (2574 Lincoln Hwy)]] as '''Sgt. Striper's Three-Piece Touring Band'''

=== Texas ===

* [[Dallas, TX (11829 Abrams Road)]]
* [[Pasadena, TX (Room 201, 171 Pasadena Town Square Mall)]]
* [[Houston (Galleria), TX (5015 Westheimer Rd)]]

== Current Whereabouts ==
Shortly after Creative Presentations began selling off Sgt. Singer's stock, Japanese-based Okamoto Amusements purchased 3 Sgt. Striper shows (and one [[The Ape-Ology's|Ape-Ology's]] show) to be leased by Japanese theme parks. Okamoto offered the Circus Band, Beach Bums, and Barnyard Band show variants.<ref name=":0" /> At least two of these shows had been rediscovered and were said to have been sold in 2023.<ref>https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy6jXxYJm_c/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:431499568 122141541842144230 8822879044574813025 n.jpg|"Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus is in Town" Advertisement (Decatur, GA)
File:431562369 122142239474144230 527381083644367875 n.jpg|"Three Rings of Fun & Value" Advertisement (Decatur, GA)
File:433971073 122141541698144230 4054573380044951187 n.jpg|Sgt. Singer T-Shirt Offer Advertisement (Decatur, GA)
File:433857570 122141541716144230 3660640525345447482 n.jpg|Sgt. Singer's Kiddieland Advertisement (Miami, FL)
File:Latest.png|"Sgt. Singer's Circus Pizza Band" Advertisement (Pasadena, TX)
File:Screenshot 2024-03-31 004810.png|The Ape-Ology's at the Sgt. Singer's in Decatur, GA
File:Screenshot 2024-03-31 004748.png|Patty Pachyderm and Mortimer D. Mouse at the Sgt. Singer's in Decatur, GA
</gallery>

== Videos ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Link
!Description
!Filming Date
|-
|[https://youtu.be/sGwvdZJCDvY Link]
|The complete, 14 minute performance of Sgt. Striper's Three Piece Touring Band at Idlewild Park.
|July 1, 1988
|-
|[https://youtu.be/MFZUW8F_GHk?t=1663 Link]
|A Sgt. Singer figure performing with Purrscilla Purr and Big Bear at French theme park, Mirapolis.
|July 22, 1990
|}

== Trivia ==

* The ''Sgt. Singer's'' store in Decatur, Georgia actually featured The Animal Crackers (with Sheriff Bob Wire & the B.O.Y.S, Patty Pachyderm & Mortimer D. Mouse, and the Ape-Ology's) instead of the standard show. It's unknown why this was the case, though rumors suggest it was due to the previous figures requiring off-stage maintenance.<ref>https://arcadepreservation.fandom.com/wiki/Sgt._Singer%27s_Pizza_Circus#Creative_Presentations_Inc</ref>
* During [[Concept Unification]], Creative Presentations proposed replacing the Rock-afire Explosion with four retrofit options to Showbiz Pizza Time. Sgt. Singer was one of many CPI characters included in these concepts, along with the Ape-Ologys.<ref>https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/spt/spt_adp-binder.pdf</ref>

== References ==
<references />
<references />

Latest revision as of 06:35, 29 June 2024


Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus

General Info

Type of Business: Pizza Places, Amusement Parks
Years Active: Roughly February 28, 1982 ~ August 7, 1991
Status: Closed
Number of Characters: 3 to 6

Manufacturer Info

Show Manufacturer: Creative Presentations Inc


Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus (styled as Sgt. Singer's Spectacular Star Studded Circus Pizza Show) was a chain of family entertainment centers that were best known for their animatronic bands manufactured by Creative Presentations and their massive arcade selections.

History

Sgt. Striper's Circus Band, as distributed by Okamoto Amusements of Japan.

Nickels and Dimes Incorporated

Nickels and Dimes Incorporated (NDI) is an entertainment company founded by Craig Singer sometime around 1972 in Carrollton, Texas.[1] NDI was best known as the operator of Tilt arcades and Gold Mine arcades throughout the 1970's and 1980's.

Sgt. Singer's Spectacular Star Studded Circus Pizza Show

Taking a page from the recent successes of Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre and ShowBiz Pizza Place, Craig Singer established Sgt. Singer's Spectacular Star Studded Circus Pizza Show in Pasadena, Texas by 1982.[2] Although unconfirmed, newspapers mark early operations of the chain to be around March 1, 1982. Likewise to competitors, the establishment offered pizza, beer, arcade games, and animatronic shows as the main attraction. Animatronics for Sgt. Singer's were manufactured by Creative Presentations, Inc. of Schaumburg, Illinois.

Sgt. Striper's and the Closure of Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus

Despite its moderate success as a small regional chain, NDI ultimately shifted its focus back to standard arcades. This meant Sgt. Singer's was now an afterthought to the company, leading to the discontinuation of new locations. Creative Presentations, left with an abundant stock of unused shows, retained all rights to the characters and began selling their stock to other clients. The band, now rebranded as Sgt. Striper's Review, was sold to be versatile in theme. These various themes included:

By this point in time, the Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus chain had officially been defunct, with the final store's speculated closure to be August 7, 1991.

Characters

Sgt. Singer / Sgt. Striper

(Voiced by Mark Brink) A tiger on acoustic guitar who fearlessly, "leads his troops," in a menagerie of musical entertainment. The character's name was initially named after creator, Craig Singer, before being renamed Sgt. Striper for wide distribution.[4]

P.T. Bearum / Libby Beara'ce

(Voiced by Lee Pelty) Bearum enjoys "tinkling on his keys" with his western piano. His original name is a pun on that of American showman and politician, Phineas Taylor Barnum, who was best known for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Similarly to Sgt. Singer and Pounce D'Lion, Bearum was later renamed to Libby Beara'ce (pronounced li·behr·aa·chee), a pun on American pianist and actor, Liberace.

Pounce D' Lion / Richard D. Lionhearted

(Originally voiced by Dennis Kelly, and later by Larry Moran) Pounce is a lion who jams on an electric guitar. Despite the origins behind his original name (a pun on Spanish conquistador, Juan Ponce de León) Pounce spoke in a British accent provided by Larry Moran (his second voice). Similarly to Sgt. Singer and P.T. Bearum, Pounce was later renamed to Richard D. Lionhearted, due to Creative Presentations selling Sgt. Striper's shows to other clients.

Dolly Porker

(Voiced by Martha Webster) Dolly is a picky piggy who can be very particular with her venue of performance. Her name is a pun on Dolly Parton, though doesn't resemble her namesake besides that. She has been said to have been placed on Stage Right.

Pete and Repete

Not to be confused with Creative Engineering's Pete Thornsberry and Repeat Thornsberry of the Hard Luck Bears, Pete (an elephant) and Repete (a mouse) were supposedly a comedic duo on Stage Left. Not much information is known about these two, though it's possible that they were retrofitted versions of Patty the Piano-Playing Pachyderm and Mortimer D. Mouse from CPI's Animal Crackers (which was used in the Decatur, GA store).[2]

Stage Composition

Although stage documentation is obscure, it is confirmed that Sgt. Singer's used at least a 3-Stage configuration (similar to other animatronic shows at the time). Center Stage included P.T. Bearum, Sgt. Singer, and Pounce D' Lion. Stage Right allegedly contained Dolly Porker (though it is currently unconfirmed), while Stage Left supposedly included Pete and Repete.

When Creative Presentations began to sell off the remaining Sgt. Singer's stock, the previous arrangement of characters was reduced to just the aforementioned three characters on Center Stage (Bearum, Singer, and Pounce). One Sgt. Singer figure was paired with Purrscilla Purr and Big Bear from Celebration Station's W.O.O.F. Radio for a show installation at Mirapolis (a defunct theme park in France).

Installed Locations

Courdimanche

  • Mirapolis - 95800 Courdimanche, France (Sgt. Singer Only)

Florida

Georgia

Pennsylvania

Texas

Current Whereabouts

Shortly after Creative Presentations began selling off Sgt. Singer's stock, Japanese-based Okamoto Amusements purchased 3 Sgt. Striper shows (and one Ape-Ology's show) to be leased by Japanese theme parks. Okamoto offered the Circus Band, Beach Bums, and Barnyard Band show variants.[3] At least two of these shows had been rediscovered and were said to have been sold in 2023.[5]

Gallery

  • "Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus is in Town" Advertisement (Decatur, GA)

    "Sgt. Singer's Pizza Circus is in Town" Advertisement (Decatur, GA)

  • "Three Rings of Fun & Value" Advertisement (Decatur, GA)

    "Three Rings of Fun & Value" Advertisement (Decatur, GA)

  • Sgt. Singer T-Shirt Offer Advertisement (Decatur, GA)

    Sgt. Singer T-Shirt Offer Advertisement (Decatur, GA)

  • Sgt. Singer's Kiddieland Advertisement (Miami, FL)

    Sgt. Singer's Kiddieland Advertisement (Miami, FL)

  • "Sgt. Singer's Circus Pizza Band" Advertisement (Pasadena, TX)

    "Sgt. Singer's Circus Pizza Band" Advertisement (Pasadena, TX)

  • The Ape-Ology's at the Sgt. Singer's in Decatur, GA

    The Ape-Ology's at the Sgt. Singer's in Decatur, GA

  • Patty Pachyderm and Mortimer D. Mouse at the Sgt. Singer's in Decatur, GA

    Patty Pachyderm and Mortimer D. Mouse at the Sgt. Singer's in Decatur, GA

Videos

Link Description Filming Date
Link The complete, 14 minute performance of Sgt. Striper's Three Piece Touring Band at Idlewild Park. July 1, 1988
Link A Sgt. Singer figure performing with Purrscilla Purr and Big Bear at French theme park, Mirapolis. July 22, 1990

Trivia

  • The Sgt. Singer's store in Decatur, Georgia actually featured The Animal Crackers (with Sheriff Bob Wire & the B.O.Y.S, Patty Pachyderm & Mortimer D. Mouse, and the Ape-Ology's) instead of the standard show. It's unknown why this was the case, though rumors suggest it was due to the previous figures requiring off-stage maintenance.[6]
  • During Concept Unification, Creative Presentations proposed replacing the Rock-afire Explosion with four retrofit options to Showbiz Pizza Time. Sgt. Singer was one of many CPI characters included in these concepts, along with the Ape-Ologys.[7]

References

  1. ↑ https://arcadepreservation.fandom.com/wiki/Nickels_and_Dimes_Incorporated
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2013/06/brides-of-chuck-e-pizza-time-theatres.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20110524063531/http://www.okamotos.co.jp/cotarog/sonota.pdf
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_L3v3LnhPk
  5. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy6jXxYJm_c/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
  6. ↑ https://arcadepreservation.fandom.com/wiki/Sgt._Singer%27s_Pizza_Circus#Creative_Presentations_Inc
  7. ↑ https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/spt/spt_adp-binder.pdf
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