Looney Bird (Animatronic)

The Looney Bird Animatronic (Also the Pizzacam 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

Looney Bird 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. During Concept Unification , Looney Bird would now become Pizzacam, a talking camera who popped up for backing vocals. The only mechanical change was the lowering of air pressure for his movements, and later diagnostic changes to the air flow speed in the cylinders. Another process which some stores would also choose not to go forward with. In April of 2001 a major change would come for all 3-Stage bots in stores. Their previously latex masks would now be changed out for furred plastic ones, to reduce costs for the rapidly deteriorating latex. Around this time stores would also be offered the ability to purchase new eyes for their 3-Stage characters, now with smaller pupils and more detailed irises. Store owners were also encouraged to repaint the eyelids with Rust-Oleum Painters Touch spray paint. Several Pizzacams would either be removed on 3-Stages throughout the 2000s and 2010s, being destroyed or used for parts or have their cosmetics replaced with the 'Retro-Cam' cosmetics in the mid-late 2010s.

Design

The Looney Bird Animatronic is a red bird head with a green plant growing out of a red bump on his head. His skin is usually a dark brown, and his beak is yellow. The feathers around his face are white, he has 4 long purple feathers on the sides of his head, and he has red feathers scattered around his face. He has 3 patches of Green fur, 2 of which are on the sides of his face, and one in front of his bump.

Mechanical Structure

Movements

The bot features 7 movements in total. 6 on the Animatronic's valves, and a hands movement on a separate set of valves. ⁽¹⁾.

Looney Bird Movement	Number
Mouth	1
Left Eyelid	2
Right Eyelid	3
Eyes Cross	4
Head Left	5
Head Raise	6

Props Movement	Number
Looney Bird Hand	6