Showbiz Pizza Rock-Afire Explosion was a unique and animatronic musical show that was popular in the 1980s. It was created by Aaron Fechter and was prominently featured at Showbiz Pizza Place locations, a chain of family entertainment centers.
The Rock-Afire Explosion consisted of a group of animatronic characters, each with its own instrument and personality. The main characters included:
Fatz Geronimo: The lead singer and keyboard player, who was a large, friendly gorilla.
Dook LaRue: A dog who played the guitar.
Beach Bear: A bear who played the bass guitar.
Mitzi Mozzarella: A female mouse who played the tambourine and sang backup vocals.
Billy Bob: A bear who played the banjo.
Rolfe and Earl: Two quirky characters who operated the drum kit.
These characters would perform a variety of songs and comedy routines for the entertainment of the patrons. The show combined pre-recorded music and vocals with the animatronics, creating a fun and engaging experience for children and families.
Showbiz Pizza Place was in competition with another popular pizza and entertainment chain called Chuck E. Cheese’s, which also featured animatronic characters and games. In the late 1980s, both Showbiz Pizza and Chuck E. Cheese’s merged, and most Showbiz Pizza locations were rebranded as Chuck E. Cheese’s, with the Rock-Afire Explosion characters replaced by Chuck E. Cheese and his band.
(Video courtesy of The Museum of Classic Chicago Television (www.FuzzyMemories.TV)
Despite the changes over the years, the Rock-Afire Explosion remains a nostalgic and beloved memory for those who visited Showbiz Pizza Place during its heyday. Fans of the animatronic band have even created their own versions and continued to perform shows with the original characters, keeping the spirit of Rock-Afire Explosion alive in various forms of media and live performances.
Coming full circle, Nashville is now one of the last places on earth where you can see a Rock-afire Explosion show. Nashville entrepreneur Larry Schmittou, former president and general manager of the Nashville Sounds, inadvertently kept the Rock-afire legacy alive when he purchased a mini-stage version of the band for the Strike & Spare in 2002. The stage setup — one of a handful of known commercially operating ones left — is sectioned off for small gatherings and birthday parties. It is still functional today.
Hillwood Strike & Spare’s president and co-owner, Larry Schmittou, purchased the Rock-afire stage setup in 2002 to mirror his Hendersonville location, which housed “Circus World,” animatronic characters created by Advanced Animations. For him, purchasing the Rock-afire Explosion wasn’t a nostalgic move, but a strategic one for his business.
