Corporate Origin

Corporate History

There were actually several companies involved in the animatronic business, one of which was Creative Engineering Inc. out of Orlando, FL, headed by Aaron Fechter. Aaron was hailed to be a technical genius, taking apart a radio at age 4, putting it back together at age 5, having a television repair business at age 11, and earning a bachelors degree in finance from the University of South Florida at age 19. Fechter founds Creative Engineering in early 1975 for the purpose of producing a small car called the ‘Jutta’ that got 90 miles on a gallon of gas. While trying to find financial backing to mass produce the Jutta, Fechter begins inventing other items such as the ‘Leaf Eater’ to raise capital. It is during this period that Fechter is commissioned to build an electronic control system to operate the guns and targets of an automatic shooting gallery. He is also commissioned to build a new control system for an animatronic horse. Unfortunately he is never paid for the work completed on the target range and horse controls, so partly out of revenge and also by seeing a potentially vast market; Fechter begins creating animatronics for the amusement park industry. With his father as a financial investor, he enters the market of designing and creating animated characters – some of the first being The Scab, Willie Wabbit, Friendly Freddy, Count Dracula, and Lazlo.

Fechter begins attending the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) conventions starting in 1976. At the 1977 IAAPA show in November, Fechter is introduced to Nolan Bushnell who tells him of a concept that would utilize animated characters in a pizza restaurant operation. Bushnell displays interest in purchasing only characters without a control system, saying that Fechter’s characters were better in an artistic sense, but he could build a superior control system. Knowing that Bushnell was fully capable of taking apart conductors and finding out how a show worked, Fechter was afraid that Bushnell would quickly run him under, and so he politely declines his offer.

Products

The Rock-afire Explosion

Turned into Munch's Make Believe Band.
That is why the Munch's Make Believe Band
robots are by Creative Engineering.

Munch's Make Believe Band===
Robots By Creative Engineering,
Showtapes and masks by CEC Entertainment Inc.
Used to be The Rock Afire Explosion.

=Whac-A-Mole

Jutta

StarLauncher

==See also

The Rock-afire Explosion

Showbiz Pizza Place

Chuck E. Cheese's

References

External links

Official website

Showbiz Pizza.com(Fan Site)