Rick Rat Walkaround

The Rick Rat walkaround costume was a generic mascot costume purchased by Nolan Bushnell for his 'Coyote Pizza' restaurant concept in November of 1974.

History

TODO: Early History The costume would stay with Pizza Time Theatre and later ShowBiz Pizza Time Inc. in the corporate offices. Some time between 1976 and 2001 the suit would be lost, and only the head would remain. In an early 2000's 4th Quarter Update video, the costume head would be used on Chuck E Cheese as a visual gag for Chuck having just woken up and not taken a shower, with Chuck commenting he currently looks 'like a rat'.⁽¹⁾ The head currently remains on a shelf at the Chuck E Cheese's Corporate Office in the Entertainment Department.

Other Production Costumes

The costume was a generic costume sold by an unknown company, which was distributed to many entertainment centers across the US. The costume would begin as a coyote costume, before slowly changing its features to be like a rat.

1. Casa Bonita - Earliest known use of the costume (February 1975). Costume is notable by its droopy suit, which covers up most of the legs. Its stomach also appears to be woven into the suit itself. The suit is called 'Wylie Coyote'. On May 3, 1978, the costume would be leased to the Rose Park Senior Citizens Center for their Fun Festival⁽²⁾. Notably this exact costume would later appear in a Crystal's Pizza & Spaghetti ad in 1981, as both places were founded by the same person.
2. Hunt's Pier - This costume would appear around 1976, with an unknown name. The costume would now have a yellow snout and a drawn on smile. The sewn-on stomach would be removed entirely for a fully furred body. The mascot would wear a red bandana, a red/white striped shirt, and black boots. The costume still survives in the Wildwood Historical Museum.
3. Crystal's Pizza & Spaghetti - This costume would appear in 1978. The ears would now stand straight up, and the character's teeth would be removed. The yellow snout and drawn smile would also be reverted from the Hunt's Pier design. The stomach would not be woven into the suit, but instead be a piece of fabric overlaying it. Two different cuts of fabric are seen in photos, one larger with a flat bottom, and one in an oval shape. Just like Casa Bonita, Crystal's would also call theirs 'Wylie Coyote'.
4. Busch Gardens: The Old Country - One standard costume would be featured here, alongside 2 others with an alternate design. It is likely most of the other mascots in the park also come from this same manufacturer. The standard suit, named 'Rufus' would have golden fur along the entire suit, alongside brown skin details. Footage of the suit confirms it also has a tail, being the first known version outside of Atari's to possess this trait.⁽³⁾ The second suit is 'Alfie', which brings in a new rat design in the style of the original suits. This suit features shorter black fur, larger ears, a shorter snout, hair, and a black tail. The mascot would wear a red vest and brown shoes. The third suit, 'Robes-Pierre', is a duplicate of the alternate design featuring the original gray fur with pink skin- wearing a feathered cap, pink vest, and boots.

Videos

Link	Location	Description	Date
link	Busch Gardens The Old Country	Alfie & Rufus performing.	1970's
link	Busch Gardens The Old Country	Rufus walking in the backtground.	1970's
link	Busch Gardens The Old Country	Rufus performing.	1970's

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Gallery

References