Ushering In A New Animatronic Age

If you think back to long ago, when the only thing sweeter than a cherry Icee was an afternoon of Rampage and ski-ball, you’ll probably find some memories forged in the hellish din of a Chuck E. Cheese or Showbiz Pizza Place.

While you may not have known it then, your parents were suffering; SUFFERING, for most of that time. It was not just the rubbery pie and the chaotic frenzy of children hepped up on sugar and video games that tortured them. There was also the cloying animatronic stage show that probably stood neck hairs on end and drove pupils unnaturally large with budding insanity. You didn’t know, though, you were, what, 6? You probably liked that stupid furry robot band.

And you know what? You still can. Because some brilliant nut-job (actually a group of nut-jobs, it seems) has bought up a whole band’s worth of the old Rock-afire Explosion animatronics and reprogrammed them to sing a bunch of not-for-kids tunes, including Usher’s Love In This Club and Crash Test Dummies’ Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (worst. title. EVER, btw, but a pretty good cover).

Seems there’s actually going to be a documentary about this phenomenon airing soon, so we’ll think about keeping you posted. In the meantime, the Program Blue videos are great, especially Love in This Club. Check this out:

Program Blue [Official Site]
Chuck E. Cheese [Official Site]
Showbiz Pizza Place [Official Site]

Ushering In A New Animatronic Age