Billy Bob (Animatronic)
Manufacturer: Creative Engineering
The Billy Bob Animatronic was one of the main Classic Stage animatronics produced by Creative Engineering Inc. The animatronic would first be developed in April of 1980, before debuting at the Jacksonville, FL (9820 Atlantic Blvd) on August 14th of that year.
History
Billy Bob animatronics would continue to be produced up until 1983. The January batch would be the last used inside ShowBiz Pizza restaurants, and would be kept and stored for future openings, while Creative Engineering would continue to produce bots until June. Now with a surplus of bots, these would need to be sold to other family entertainment centers. Through the Concept Unification process, Billy Bob would be the only character not used during this process, and was ordered to be destroyed for parts.
Design
The bot is a brown bear in yellow and red overalls, holding a guitar whittled out of a log. He has two ears, beige skin, and black claws. A bird nicknamed ‘Birthday Bird’ sits on the end of his guitar.
Mechanical Structure
Movements
The bot features twenty movements in total
| Movement |
|---|
| Mouth |
| Right Eyelid |
| Left Eyelid |
| Eye cross |
| Head Turn Right |
| Head Turn Left |
| Head Tilt |
| Right Arm Raise |
| Right Arm Twist |
| Right twist |
| Left Arm Slide |
| Guitar Raise |
| Left Leg Kick |
| Right Leg Kick |
| Body Lean |
Installations
| Location | Operating Dates | Serial Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston, TX (6760 Antoine Dr) | Jul. 15, 1981 - 1991 | 1-81 6-5 | Unknown |
| St. Louis, MO (2805 Target Dr) | Sep. 30, 1981 - 1991 | 1-81 6-13 | Unknown/Destroyed |
| Sharonville, OH (1429 E Kemper Rd) | Oct. 21, 1981 - Jan. 8, 1984 | 4-81 6-5 | Sent to Miami, FL (19191 S Dixie Hwy) |
| Cincinnati, OH (8801 Colerain Ave) | Nov. 11, 1981 - Apr. 1991 | 4-81 6-8 | Unknown |
| Orlando / Winter Park, FL (1300 Lee Rd) | Apr. 27, 1982 - Jan. 8, 1984 | 7-81 6-17 | Sent to Lafayette, LA (3221 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy) |
| Montgomery, AL (2940 E South Blvd) | Sep. 30, 1982 - 1991 | 1-82 6-18 | Unknown |
| Charlotte, NC (7701 Pineville-Matthews Rd) | Oct. 20, 1982 - 1991 | 1-82 6-23 | Unknown |
| Cincinnati, OH (3365 Highland Ave) | Nov. 11, 1982 - 1985 | 4-82 6-2 | Purchased by Jungle Jim's International Market, used for Nirobi Trio |
| Phoenix, AZ (8039 North 35th Ave) | Oct. 28, 1983 - Oct. 1990 | unknown | dismantled during cleanout |
| Lexington, KY (1555 New Circle Rd) | Dec. 1, 1983 - Nov. 1991 | 1-83 6-1 | Unknown |
| Mesa (West), AZ (856 S Alma School Rd) | Aug. 30, 1984 - Oct. 1990 | unknown | dismantled during cleanout |
| Farmingdale, NY (229 Broadhollow Rd./Rt. 110) | 1993 - 2011 | 1-83 6-47 | Owned by private collector. |
Numbered in the order they appear. Reference in article text with .
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