Creative Engineering

Logo (1983)

Creative Engineering Inc. is an animatronics oriented entertainment and manufacturing company founded by Aaron Fechter in 1975 and stopped its major business ventures and employment in the early 2000’s. It now continues to run solely by its creator as a Creative Engineering Premium Video Service, animatronics / parts reseller, and (formerly) a fandom tourist destination, with most of these current operations inactive as they begin plans to open a Creative Engineering Workshop and Creative Engineering Museum. The company is most well known for its creation of the Rock-afire Explosion for ShowBiz Pizza Place, which has become its frontrunning IP to present day.

General History

(TODO)

Detailed History

Pre-1975

• By Age 11, Aaron Fechter starts a small Tv repair buisness, but quickly ends it.^[4]
• The Jutta is developed and produced by Aaron Fechter in 1973. ^[5]

1975

• At an Unknown Date, Creative Engineering is established as a Car manufaturing and Electronics Company.
• At an Unknown Date, The “Leaf-Eater”, a Multi Use Tool, is Created alongside a promotional pamphlet.^[3]
• At an Unknown Date, Creative Engineering lands a contract with a Shooting Gallery Marketing Firm in Central Florida to produce Equipment and Entertainment Devices for their attractions.{{> cite 4 >}}
• After not being paid by the Central Florida Firm, CEI refuses to send the built equipment and begins developing Entertainment as a ‘Revenge’ move.^[4]

1976

• At an Unknown Date, CEI produces ‘The Scab’, a Head only Audio Animatronic. The bot is later displayed at the 1976 IAAPA Expo.
• At an Unknown Date, CEI produces Willie Wabbit for the Mystery Funhouse in Orlando Florida. Willy Rabbit is installed in the Orlando Airport in a Kiosk.^[6]

1977

• At an Unknown Date, the first Friendly Freddy is produced by CEI.^[8]
• At an Unknown Date, multiple Head only animatronics and a Dracula Animatronic are produced. These Bots and Friendly Freddy would appear at the 1977 IAAPA Expo.^{[9] [10]}
• Creative Engineering is tasked by Santa’s Village in New Hampshire to produce a Show. The show is later called the ‘Santa Clause Revue’.^[8]
• Creative Engineering begins work on the Bear.^[8]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI creates a Promotional Pamphlet to Sell and Showcase Shows produced, featuring the first use of ‘Electronimation’.^[8]
• CEI prepares to Install all shows by or around Spring of 1978.^[8]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI installs or ships The Jingle to Santa’s Village.^{[11] [15]}

1978

• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells a Friendly Freddy to Magic World in Tennessee.^[15]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI builds the First Bear Country Jubilee.
• At an Unknown Date, CEI builds the 78’ Wolf Pack 5.
• At the 1978 IAAPA Expo, CEI showcases the Wolf Pack 5.^[12]

1979

November 1979

• At the November 1979 IAAPA Expo, CEI showcases the 79’ Wolf Pack 5.^{[13] [15]}

Unknown

• At an Unknown Date, CEI builds the First Hard Luck Bears and 79’ Wolf Pack 5.
• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells a Wolf Pack 5 to King’s Dominion in Virginia for their Lost World Area.^{[14] [15]}
• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells a Wolf Pack 5 to La Ronde in Montreal Canada for their ‘Man and His World’ Exhibition.^[15]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells a Custom Show containing The Wolfman, Fats, and Friendly Freddy to Gaslight Village in New York.^[15]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells a Wolf Pack 5 to Italpark in Bueno Aires, Argentina.^[15]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells a Wolf Pack 5 to Pyramid Place in Toronto Canada.^[15]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI begins to Host a Traveling Show in Europe.^[15]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells a Hard Luck Bears to Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina.^[15]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells an Unknown Show to Americana in Middletown Ohio.^[15]

Unknown 1970’s

• At an Unknown Date, CEI produces Lazlo The Great and creates a Promo Pamphlet. ^[7]
• In either the 77 & 78 IAAPA Expos or 78 & 79 IAAPA Expos, Nolan Bushnell attempts to buy Animatronics from CEI but is rejected by Aaron’s fears Atari would reengineer His animatronics.
• At an Unknown Date, CEI retrofits Magic World’s Show into the ‘Confederate Critter Show’.
• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells a Bear Country Jubilee to Morey’s Pier in New Jersey.^[15]
• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells the 78’ Wolf Pack 5 to a Theme Park in Japan.^[15]

1980

• At and Unknown Date, CEI sells a Hard Luck Bears to Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the Lancashire England.
• At and Unknown Date, CEI sells a Hard Luck Bears to Knoebels in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, However this could have been earlier. The show is later opened in late May of that year. ^[17]

1981

• At an Unknown Date, Playcenter in São Paulo Brazil buys a Hard Luck Bears Show, However this could have been earlier.

1982

• At and Unknown Date, Italia in Miniatura in Viserba Italy would Premire Their Hard Luck Bears, Sold by CEI at an Unknown Date before 1982, However this could have been earlier.

1983

• on July 7th 1983, MundoMágico in Santiago Chile Premiers their Hard Luck Bears, sold by CEI at an unknown time.^[16]

Unknown 1980’s

• At an Unknown Date, CEI sells a Wolf Pack 5 to Fame City in Houston Texas.

2023

December 2023

• On December 28th, Burt ‘Bubba’ Wilson, writer for the Rock-afire Explosion and voice of Fatz, passed away in his sleep at age 68. CEI would acknowledge this and pay tribute in multiple video uploads around the same time.^[1]

2024

January 2024

• On January 18th the Moonrockers Showtape plays in public at Gulliver’s Kingdom and is seen online in full for the first time ever. Recordings of the event would go live over the next week until the raw audio would be uploaded for the first time on January 24th.^[2]

February 2024

• The Rock-afire Explosion (Movie) gets a new The Rock-afire Explosion (Movie) in Blu-ray limited edition release that includes the original SD digital video master alongside new commentary from the directors.