Dingo Star
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Dingo Star was a member of the Wolf Pack 5, an animatronic band created by Creative Engineering.(1) He was a parody of real life musician Ringo Starr, who played drums for The Beatles. He was voiced by an unknown member of the band Clutch.(2) Later on, he would become Dook LaRue in the successor animatronic band, The Rock-afire Explosion.
Appearance
Referred to as “A Dog-Gone Good Drummer” by promotional material created for the first Showbiz Pizza Place restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, Dingo Star was a beagle with tan fur and brown hair who played the drums for the Wolf Pack 5. His ears were long and floppy, and were prone to being flung around while he played the drums. His eyes were green. He could occasionally be seen with a hat, without hair, or with a hat and no hair. Though he wore various outfits throughout his career with the Wolf Pack 5, he always wore a turtleneck and some kind of overshirt. Usually, his eyes were half-lidded, giving him a relaxed appearance, though he would widen his eyes occasionally whilst performing. As the drummer for the band, he played a small drum set commonly consisting of one bass drum, two snares, one tom-tom, and one cymbal. However, what drums were present and the amount of drums present differed throughout his career. One constant was his bass drum, which would always exist regardless of which show he played in. His drum set would also change appearance over time and depending on what show he was present in. The most variation could be seen on his bass drum. Sometimes, the bass drum’s appearance was customized for different shows. This meant that there was a large variety of appearances Dingo Star and his drum set could take on.Personality
Dingo Star had little dialogue, leaving his personality to be somewhat of a mystery. What dialogue he did have, however, was very telling. Usually, he spent his speaking parts making jokes. His tendency to make antagonistic sarcastic barbs at the expense of his fellow band mates made him appear to be a bit arrogant, and perhaps even mean-spirited. His flat delivery of these jabs suggested that his style of humor was quite dry. It is unclear as to whether or not these jokes were friendly teasing or truly mean remarks.Biography
According to Wolfman, Dingo Star was a former member of The Beagles, a British band from the town of Liversnaps. The Beagles were an obvious parody of The Beatles, fitting in with the fact that Dingo Star himself was a parody of Ringo Starr. While no further backstory for Dingo Star was given within the showtapes, in-company memos divulge a suggested backstory from President Stan Emerson. It is as follows: “Entering this country as a member of English rock group, The Beagles, Dingo soon left them because he found one-night stands to be a dog’s life. Failing to find work as a Disney star because of his Liverpoodle accent, he returned to music. When ShowBiz Pizza Place offered him a position, he ‘snapped’ at it.” This memo can be viewed here. Whether or not this biography is to be considered canonical is up for debate. It also shows there was some disagreement as to whether or not Dingo Star’s home city was referred to as Liverpoodle or Liversnaps. Considering that Wolfman states within a showtape that Dingo Star and The Beagles are from Liversnaps, this is likely the more canonical choice of the two options.Quotes
- “On behalf of the band and meself, I hope we passed the audition.”(3) (Reference to a line spoken by John Lennon at the end of The Beatles' rooftop concert)
- Star “I know she won’t go out with me.” Wolfman “Why not?” Star “I wouldn’t ask her!”(4) (Spoken in reference to Mini Mozzarella after she performed her song, 'My Boyfriend's Back,' a song about her turning down someone that asked to date her)
- “Hey King Kong, if you’re not careful you’re going to break your piano.”(5) (Spoken to Fats Gorilla after his performance of the song, 'Banana Hill')
Trivia
- Various sources disagree on the spelling of Dingo Star’s name. Some material spells his name as Dingo Starr, while others spell it as Dingo Star. Dingo Star is mostly used by official ShowBiz Pizza Place material, while other sources use the Dingo Starr spelling.