Billy Bob (full name: Billy Bob Brockali) was the main character/mascot of the ShowBiz Pizza Place chain and company. He was also the bassist, and one of the singing bears in The Rock-afire Explosion.
History[]
Billy Wilbur & The Hard Luck Bears (1979-1983)[]
Billy Bob first debuted in 1979 as a character called Billy Wilbur in The Hard Luck Bears. The Hard Luck Bears were a group of singing bears, and the successor to the Bear Country Jubilee. Their stage was divided into three sections, with Billy Wilbur placed in center stage.
Billy Wilbur had a similar design to Billy Bob, but had black (later light brown) fur, light blue overalls, and a different bird. Billy Wilbur played a wooden bass guitar, and was voiced by Aaron Fechter.
The Hard Luck Bears was produced from 1979 till 1983, when it was discontinued.
The Rock-afire Explosion & ShowBiz Pizza Place (1980-1993)[]
In 1980, Billy Wilbur would be renamed to Billy Bob and would join The Rock-afire Explosion, along with other Creative Engineering characters like Rolfe DeWolfe. Billy Bob and the rest of The Rock-afire Explosion would perform at ShowBiz Pizza Place, an arcade pizza restaurant created to compete with Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre. The Rock-afire Explosion stage that the characters would stand on was divided into 3 sections, similarly to The Hard Luck Bears' stage. Billy Bob would be put on stage right at Smitty's Super Service Station with Birthday Bird and Looney Bird. Billy Bob, just like Billy Wilbur, would play a wooden bass guitar and be voiced by Aaron Fechter.
Billy Bob would become ShowBiz Pizza Place's mascot, making him the main character on merchandise, the walkaround at ShowBiz locations, and the main competitor to Pizza Time Theatre's Chuck E. Cheese. In 1984, the battle between Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre and ShowBiz Pizza Place would end with Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre going bankrupt. ShowBiz Pizza Place would then acquire Pizza Time Theatre in 1985, settling the beef between the two rival chains. After Pizza Time Theatre was acquired by ShowBiz, Chuck E. Cheese would start to make appearances alongside Billy Bob in publicity material and at ShowBiz locations throughout the rest of the mid-to-late 80s.
During the mid-to-late 80s trouble would brew between Aaron Fechter and ShowBiz Pizza Place. ShowBiz wanted Aaron to do jobs he didn't want to do like produce parts for Pizza Time Theatre, and went behind Aaron's back by programming their own showtapes with imitation voice actors. Aaron Fechter and Creative Engineering were given one last shot to program shows with the Liberty Showtape; however, once the showtape was complete Creative Engineering hosted a big party that caused all the programming to get deleted right before the deadline. ShowBiz was not happy about this and offered to buy the full rights to Billy Bob and The Rock-afire Explosion, but Aaron refused. Due to these complications, in 1990 ShowBiz Pizza Place locations would start to receive Concept Unification.
Concept Unification was a process in which all Rock-afire characters would be converted into Chuck E. Cheese characters. Billy Bob would be the only main character not to be converted, being removed off the stage entirely. By 1993 all previous ShowBiz Pizza Places would receive Concept Unification, leaving Billy Bob and The Rock-afire Explosion behind.
The Mijjins & The New Rock-afire Explosion (1992-1998)[]
In 1991, Creative Engineering would start working on a new set of animatronics called Mijjins. These animatronics were smaller and more advanced versions of the CEI animatronics used for The Rock-afire Explosion. They would officially debut on their own stage, known as The Mijjins, in 1992 at the IAAPA Convention. During this original debut, Billy Bob would be featured on the stage in his new Mijjin design, along with Fatz Geronimo, six nameless humanoid Mijjins, and the Mijjinator, a bare Mijjin animatronic.
After the debut of The Mijjins in 1992, a Rock-afire Explosion revival show would begin the concept stages. During this time, new Mijjin designs for the rest of the Rock-afire Explosion characters would be created based on the designs of Billy Bob and Fatz Geronimo. This, alongside a brand new stage design, would be finished around 1994/1995, known as The New Rock-afire Explosion.
The New Rock-afire Stage consisted of 3 sections, with Billy Bob being placed in center stage alongside Mitzi Mozzarella and Fatz Geronimo. In center stage, Billy Bob could use “Danceatronic” technology, as he was able to be rotated with Mitzi and Fatz around center stage while continuing to dance.
While The New Rock-afire Explosion was very innovative, the show never got the exposure it needed to take off, resulting in very few shows being sold. By 1998, The New Rock-afire Explosion would be discontinued, once again leaving Billy Bob and The Rock-afire Explosion behind.
Independent Shows & Stores[]
Billy Bob, along with The Rock-afire Explosion, have been kept alive through independent shows and stores.
While most independent stores and shows would be removed or closed by the mid-2000s, there currently 8 Rock-afire Explosion shows still in operation. At all of these Rock-afire Explosion shows, Billy Bob retains his classic Rock-afire Explosion design, though in varying conditions.
Physical Description[]
Billy Wilbur[]
Billy Wilbur had a rounded head, a round tan face with thick, defined brows, blue eyes, a round black nose, rosy cheeks, a red tongue, and a single tooth, short, black (later light brown) fur, small, rounded ears, black claws on his hands and feet, light blue overalls, and a brown, wooden base guitar with a black bird sitting on it.
Billy Bob (Early RAE)[]
Billy Bob (Early RAE) had a rounded head, a round tan face with thick, defined brows, blue eyes, a round black nose, rosy cheeks, a red tongue, and a single tooth, fluffy, dark brown fur, small, rounded ears, black claws on his hands and feet, red and yellow striped overalls, and a brown, wooden base guitar with Birthday Bird sitting on it.
Billy Bob (RAE)[]
Billy Bob (RAE) had a rounded head, a round tan face with defined brows, blue eyes, a round black nose, rosy cheeks, a red tongue, and a single tooth, short, brown fur, small, rounded ears, black claws on his hands and feet, red and yellow striped overalls, and a brown, wooden base guitar with Birthday Bird sitting on it.
Billy Bob (NRAE)[]
Billy Bob (NRAE) had a small, rounded head, a round tan face with defined brows, brown eyes, a round black nose, rosy cheeks, and a single tooth, short, brown fur, small, rounded ears, black claws on his hands and feet, a red and white polka-dotted shirt, and red and yellow striped overalls.
Portrayal[]
Voice Actors[]
- Aaron Fechter (1980-1986, 1987-Present)
- Bob West (1987)
Trivia[]
- In his first appearance, Billy Bob was named Billy Wilbur.
Gallery[]
For a bigger gallery of Billy Bob's animatronics, artwork, and walkarounds, click here.
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| Main Characters |
 Billy Bob  Looney Bird  Fatz Geronimo  Beach Bear  Dook LaRue  Mitzi Mozzarella  Rolfe DeWolfe  Earl Schmerle |
| Prop Characters |
 Birthday Bird  Choo-Choo  Sun  Moon  Antioch  Frog  Bad Frog  Singing Flowers |
| Guest Characters |
 Uncle Klunk  Murray D. Bird  Santa Claus  Statue of Liberty  Yogi Bear  Boo Boo |
| Retired Characters |
 Owl |