Aaron Fechter Gives Me A Tour Of Creative Engineering & The Rock-Afire Explosion

This week I meet Aaron Fechter and he takes me on a tour of Creative Engineering and watch the Rock-Afire Explosion perform.
Sets, Streets and Eats: A Travel Vlog. Traveling thru cities in the USA, visiting movie sets and locations and enjoying great food along the way!
I head to Orlando Florida this week and meet Aaron Fechter, CEO of Creative Engineering. Aaron shared the entire history of his deal with Robert Brock and Showbiz Pizza Place. He gives me a tour of his factory and showed me where he and his team created The Rock-Afire Explosion and many other animatronic creations. I felt like a kid sitting in Showbiz Pizza Place again. I hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane as much as I did!
Film Clips Used:
1983 News Story about Creative Engineering
1992 Demo of CEI Animatronics
A Look Back at The Blast Part I
Aaron Fechters Anti Gravity Freedom Machine 1996
FULL FOOTAGE 1978 IAAPA Wolfpack 5 animatronic band
Showbiz Pizza Place 1980's Commercials
Uncle Klunk
Wolfpack 5 (Rock-afier Explosion)
Yesterday - The Beatles (Piano Cover by Riyandi Kusuma)
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69th Vlog. Season 3 Episode 01

[@jenhiggins9703]

What a trip down memory lane! I worked for Creative Engineering in 1979 or 80 building the control boxes (repurposed file cabinets) and the original recording studio was a small room with miles of wires and carboard egg flats on the walls. On Fridays, Aaron would personally pass out paychecks and a baggie with tokens in it for everyone to go to ShowBiz and play. He was so excited and enthusiastic about his "babies" it was hard not to share his vision. I believe the warehouse is off Church Street in Orlando.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Those are awesome memories, thank you so much for sharing!

[@Dunkown]

You kno what’s the song called at 40:49

[@DudleyDoRightsRipsawFallsFan]

@@Dunkown Abbey Road Medley

[@CheesyBeans178]

@@SetsStreetsEats WHERE DO YOU FIND THIS PLEASE TELL ME!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

@CheesyBeans178 Sadly it's gone now 😢

[@thewetlaundrythatsstilliny5031]

man... it's so clear he still loves those animatronics and his work so, so incredibly much still to this day... it's such a shame that barely anyone cares about them anymore :(

[@dannyboystartronicalpizzaw9692]

Actually a lot of RAE fans are still present in 2021 and the Rockafire explosion is still getting love. However the Rockafire sadly isn’t as popular as it was 40 years ago. 🥺

[@spikeworks]

yeah he loves them too much. make a fan game? oh man will he see you in court

[@dannyboystartronicalpizzaw9692]

@@spikeworks sadly, but at least fans of the Rockafire still care. Examples: smittys super service, snaps blast to the past, showbiz pizza zone, etc.

[@BobTheZombieOP]

The weird part about people not really caring about the rockafire explosion i guess is because of chuck e cheese just not giving a fuck about the animatronics which use endoskeletons from rockafire itself

[@EpicFurbynerd76YO]

Bob, they are mechs.

[@elly_angelic]

28:02 his impression of michael jackson was perfect xDDD my friend is a huge fan of showbiz pizza and rock-a-fire explosion, so it was really interesting learning about her special interest ~ it was also great seeing the founder of the whole franchise talk about his art and his work and his passions and reminisce about the golden days of it,, i feel like i learned a lot, and understand what rockafire explosion is now ~ plus i also love how this guy formats and filmed this video, very well made !! and he seems like a pretty fun/cool guy as well :))

[@SetsStreetsEats]

I appreciate your kind words Bethany, thanks for watching!

[@atribecalledjudah5436]

This is how I want my retirement to look like, cold chillin and doing whatever I feel like doing.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Yes I am very fortunate to have a job where I can move around the US at will. I guess that means my retirement will be at home in my lazy boy lol

[@NintegaDario]

I've seen and heard things in this tour alone that I've never seen or heard before, the Nolan Bushnell story especially.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Yeah I was really happy to keep him talking and hear all about it right from the source.

[@guppyclinic6630]

Hi dario, I got banned from the RtR server cause I was too lame

[@jacobpearson3916]

@@SetsStreetsEats have you ever been to Wisconsin

[@nickcolman3599]

This was by far the best tour of the warehouse I've seen and I've seen many. You put a lot of extra effort and details into this video and your personality was easy for Aaron to work with and build off of. Though the best factor for me is that during the tour rather than just having the camera only focused on Aaron you panned around the room quite a bit giving us a full perspective of everything around you. Thanks for the great video!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thank you so much for the compliments I really do try hard to create content that I would want to watch. I really enjoyed my tour and wanted to give a sense of how frozen in time the place is and filled with nostalgia and I hope that translated. It was definitely a childhood dream come true!

[@disneydanny2]

I wonder who owns the building now (Aaron sold in last year)

[@rikspector]

I hope that after so many years of trials and tribulation Aaron has enough left to find some satisfaction in life. He is a creative genius, but time and technology have passed him buy. His creations brought laughs and joy to many children and adult, how many of ud can say that! Cheers, Rik Spector

[@macyplantain6176]

I’m absolutely terrified of these animatronics but maybe learning more about them and the technology around them will make me less scared

[@Idontwantayoutubehandle.]

you will eventually get used to us

[@Bunniieee]

@@Idontwantayoutubehandle.us?

[@FilmmakeroftheFuture]

It’s okay.

[@amandaengelman5168]

I was terrified of them as a child. Then I got a job at CEC as a teenager and was fascinated and wanted to know everything about them.

[@FourtyFiftyEighty]

Dude this honestly is better than the rockafire documentary in my opinion. The extra clips of the wolf pack 5 and moo rockers were really cool! Thanks for making this video!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

I appreciate that huge compliment, I think the doc is tremendous and to be compared with it in any way is really awesome. I appreciate you watching it!

[@andreastitches3139]

Moo rockers lol

[@tianisepic]

WERE THE MOO ROCKERS FROM THE CITY INSIDE THE MOO!

[@ftv2376]

Yeah and this didn’t have a bunch of mafia loosers

[@lord_taco777]

@@ftv2376 what about the almighty thrash

[@jaredwirth3990]

I think that Aaron did most of the vocal and performances on these recordings as well. It must have cost a mint to get Beatles / Beachboys licensing.

[@zippymufo9765]

That Anti-Gravity Machine might have gotten some business in the 80's, but people were already emailing in 1996 and PCs were flying out the doors of stores. He was about 10 years late there.

[@electricwombat5967]

In some other videos, he reveals he was actually using that machine in a slightly less advanced state internally inside Creative Engineering and in ShowBiz Pizza restaurants in the mid-80s. With so many restaurants (~300), it became very difficult to communicate information to all of them without hiring lots of people to make phone calls all day. This, along with needing to communicate with 325 employees, was the real reason the Anti-Gravity Freedom Machine was imagined and invented in the first place.

[@zippymufo9765]

@@electricwombat5967 As a possible replacement for faxing, it definitely could have had potential. People were using faxes internally to pass simple memos and notes, and it was wasteful of paper and toner, not to mention tying up the line and delaying more important documents.

[@Tomatos97]

Hes technically still the inventor of email

[@MystiqEevee]

Theres no denying that it totally sounds like mitzi said the f bomb 😂 but i honestly love it its comical and if the r.a.f.e was to be shown in a adult setting place it wouldve fit right in 😂

[@robertjordan7111]

This makes me happy. We have a billy bobs in Huntington wv and they just rebuilt the show and it’s like my childhood all over again.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Yes, I always love going back to Billy Bob's, it's like walking into a showbiz in the '80s ❤️

[@olliedayze]

This man is a real mad scientist. My god, he's brilliant.

[@Jomit427]

I could listen to this dude go on for hours. Excellent video! Subscribed.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Yeah, Aaron is a character and a fascinating storyteller, thanks for the sub!

[@The-Backpack46]

the documentary was so sad and emotianal,thank you Aron Fechter for what you did you changed my life!

[@zekester3869]

i love rock-afire i really wish there was a big comeback

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Me too!

[@matbr6949]

This video has some of the greatest re-watchability on this platform. I LOVE this channel so much. ❤

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thank you, that's very kind of you to say!

[@AccountIGuess]

I love it how you added the old tapes to everything this is the best tour video for creative engineering

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thank you, I appreciate that!

[@Ishida1694]

Aaron's song on piano was AMAZING!!

[@theripperandco5607]

seeing things like this makes me a little sad i wasn't alive when showbiz pizza type places were a thing just imagine how advanced the animatronics would be if those kinds of places stayed consistently popular throughout the decades

[@jackziemer8538]

Hes right kids like me discovered him now and are appreciating his work

[@taylorp535]

This video is so amazing! My mom grew up with Showbiz, she still says it was SUPERIOR TO CHUCK E. CHEESE!! Since I was born after Showbiz, I’ve always been interested to know what my mom was talking about. This video explains it all! The animatronics are top notch, the guy behind them is amazing, it couldn’t be better!!! My mom remembers Billy Bob and going to Showbiz for birthday parties!!!! I’m definitely going to watch this again with her so she can relive the ShowBiz days! ❤️❤️

[@user-wh4qc2sx5e]

This guy is very nice to his creations ❤

[@foxydrawz.]

That intro though that "happy happy birthday" was so nice and I see excitement in his eyes for the future

[@OscarCruz-ig8yt]

These animatronics are beautiful. I want them to be back all over the world.

[@matt8043]

This man was a genius he almost invented a clean energy source in the 90s invented the computer before the computer and designed these animatronics

[@anthonypompa4641]

He didn't invent a computer. There were computers long before that.

[@sammyjaohnson5631]

What? the first computer was made in the 1940s

[@matt8043]

@@sammyjaohnson5631 i mean more like a home computer with email

[@rachel_espinoza]

I’m only 28 but I have loved learning about the Rockafire Explosion. They are so cool

[@allena7464]

Is he working on anything at the moment? I feel like he's the kind of guy who never stops creating

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Oh I'm sure he is.

[@LAUGHINGRIOT]

This guy is a legend he also invented wack a mole

[@WhoDidWhat17]

*allegedly invented wack a mole

[@hanbear9]

Aaron is so nice to listen to, he’s so charming! It’s a shame the way he behaves nowadays.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Very true!

[@bigzeke7431]

Honestly Aaron could take that anti gravity machine concept and make an instant messaging app for Android and iPhone. It'd be similar to what he had in mind.

[@YB-od5bc]

Wouldn’t be popular way too many competitors

[@Livelaughlimpbizkit]

Yeah bit too late now, WhatsApp has it conquered

[@scubasteve7439]

Idk from what I understans he built an alternative internet to...the internet for them to work and that alternative internet was only meant for anti gravity machines. I dont think hes wrong in his assessment, the internet had already been created by the us millitary decades ago and was public by the time aaron made the gravity machine, so he would've had to compete with dells and iMacs that could do so much more on the mainstream internet in no time

[@DougCraftOfficial]

"here comes santa clause here comes santa clause fucking down santa clause lane" best thing i've herd Aaron say idk why but i like to hear him swear prob becuase when you think of him you don't think of someone swearing

[@chuckyfan1514]

Time mark?

[@tianisepic]

28:54 Made Me Laugh SOOOO HARD I ALMOST LOST ALL MY BREATH

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Aaron definitely knows how to tell a story!

[@tianisepic]

He Does!

[@outinthegaragewithryanwick7164]

Loved every minute of it! Brought back so many memories, couldn’t stop smiling! Keep it up

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thanks man!

[@papapoopas]

since he says his work dont get appreciation anymore, im pretty sure if he were to build fnaf animatronics he would gain so much attraction and love, because scot was inspired by aaron to make it work, and so i think aaron could be inspired by the game that was inspired by him first

[@jfw60]

Aaron Fechter is a genius. He will be remembered long after he’s gone and rediscovered generations later for his brilliance and vision.

[@lysasorrow13]

I'd love to go see these animatronics at any restaurant again. Best memories of my childhood. 😢

[@skippygirl959]

I'm thankful you took the time to get some shots of the vintage computers. I love watching the tours of Aaron's shop and I'm always trying to look in the background for the old computers! I also loved the old clips you put in! I haven't finished the video yet but this is already the best recording of the tour I've seen.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thank you so much!

[@randomcollector2009]

I found out about showbiz pizza place in 2017 and became an instant fan and these animatronics are works of art by a creative master mind Aaron Fechter

[@amandaengelman5168]

Its so sad to see all those broken dreams. I love that he is still so enthusiastic.

[@PrimeStone]

And then Chuck E Cheese Ended Up Trashing All There Animatronic Shows And Aaron Fechter Became Internet Famous. Awsome Video

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Yep, thanks so much for watching!

[@PrimeStone]

Your welcome love your content

[@tamararodriguez6153]

This guy is so talented and his mind is always going .

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Yeah, he's one of a kind for sure.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

@tamararodriguez check out the beginning of this video, I found a new DZ! kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHubf3h-oZxpepY

[@justreallybored6014]

Show Biz was far superior to ChuckECheese. The one we had in Fairview Heights IL was large, and dark, and full of amazement. As a child it was a wonderful place to visit. Now they are big white bright soulless rooms with no magic or wonder about them.

[@jowen7706]

I bet I went to that one! I was so disappointed when they all changed to chuck E cheese. I grew up in Southern Illinois and I remember show biz more fondly.

[@crazy8skml]

Absolutely loved this! I would love to tour that place. That is definitely my childhood right there. Thank you for sharing!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

I definitely recommend it. Thanks for watching!

[@smashley0921]

THIS is how I remember Showbiz...As soon as the lights went down I'd run up to the stage, plant my butt on the carpet and watch in aww....

[@chickenconfetti7123]

The editing and storytelling is so awesome!! Thank you for this! Aaron inspires me to chase my dreams no matter how old i get! He is still SO passionate even after all these years.

[@erikfolsom3081]

I wish those animatronics bring back to the life, and I miss them so much. I was a little boy at the Showbiz pizza. I never forget about those things are awesome memories.

[@SPTT6457]

I just went here, I think Aaron told me about you. Great vid

[@SetsStreetsEats]

That's awesome! I really loved the tour 🙂

[@deoxyss8179]

i absoultely love how you made this video with all of the clips and the hour long tour this is proably my favorite cei tour video keep it up!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Wow thank you so much for saying that, I really tried to make it special. Thanks so much for watching!

[@sazziib.1219]

I wanna thank him for the best childhood memories ever I literally cried to watch Billy Bob and the gang again I had sooo many parties at Billy Bob’s

[@CosmaxMSM]

21:33 OMG AARON STILL HAS THE MOONROCKERS MOLDS!!!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

He still has every mold he's ever made, it's pretty awesome.

[@CosmaxMSM]

@@SetsStreetsEats yea next time you go there can you help fix the moonrockers?

[@TherealRNOwwfpooh]

@@CosmaxMSM The thing is, with the extensive damage from 2013's The Blast (tm), is it even possible when Aaron doesn't have people there all the time assisting him like he had during Showbiz Pizza Place's heyday?

[@cooperhalverson9549]

Wow this really changes my perspective on Chuck E. Cheese as a company and who Nolan Bushnell really was

[@sinnamonntoastcrunch4148]

I love that this video was uploaded on my birthday thank you so so much for this by far the best tour video ever 🥺Aaron is such a kindhearted great person god bless him ♥️✨

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Well happy belated birthday and thanks so much for the compliment and for watching!

[@TherealRNOwwfpooh]

*plays the RAE "Happy Birthday" Show Tape audio*

[@irwinpalestina7205]

1:41 a little trailer 4:32 the start of the tour 5:25 billy bob in a green screen 5:47 the wolf pack 5 6:44 the moon rockers 8:09 melting moose mask 9:04 the hard luck bears 10:10 anti gravity freedom machine 13:05 costume shop 13:55 a story about the blast 16:18 talking about walt Disney dieing 16:59 the haunted elevator and overalls 17:20 uncle klunk 19:03 last created show 19:48 traveling show 20:03 the creepy clown 🤡 20:40 2nd generation mitzi 21:07 the molds 22:02 the studio 22:27 sad song and a shelf full of old stuff and the different albums 7 foot tall Shakespeare gorilla and wizard of oz amintronics 25:35 the program room 26:29 a story idk what it’s about 28:03 the seat where Michael Jackson sat in and the funny impression 30:20 the contact 40:25 the show 50:06 another story idk what it’s about 57:39 the computer the keeps the whole show in tacked 58:17 how the shows were made 1:00:05 a story about wrolf and eral saying something “something family challengeing” 1:02:52 the song where mitzi said the f word 1:06:02 the moment 1:06:54 a photoshoot 1:08:22 billy bobs goodbye 1:08:44 autograph I guess? 1:09:18 the credits

[@kingparker42]

22:27 - 25:24 The greatest piano playing I’ve ever seen. It feels really nostalgic.

[@friedrichfazbear5469]

I can’t tell you how much I want one of those robots! They’re so cool!

[@discontinuedchannel312]

Thank you for making this and going there

[@SetsStreetsEats]

My pleasure, thanks for watching!

[@o-stone8339]

Wait… AARON WAS THE ORIGINAL VOICE OF BILLY BOB. How am I only hearing this now

[@j.a.haunts8819]

The fact Aaron said “Start a company when your like ten” I feel like he’s talking about me I started a company when I was 8 and I made my shrits to the public after having many prototypes and I released them this year when I get older I wanna be like Aaron because I have over 70 retail animatronics and Aaron just inspires me.

[@fishingwithsam7526]

That is so cool I remember that when I was a kid they were so cool to look at I wish it was back

[@GohAhweh]

What an amazing documentary!! 🐻🐻🐻

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thanks, I was definitely going for that feel!

[@tjmbv8680]

Man I took a tour of this place ages ago, it was super fun.

[@41dhos]

Absolutely amazing!!!!!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thanks!

[@Bossk-mt8me]

This has been one of the most enjoyable videos I've watched in a long time! Thank you for uploading this and thank you to Aaron for the tour and the history.

[@squarefever4076]

im re watching this video a year later and its still so good! You did an amazing job filming and showing everything around the building. I cant wait for Aaron to be done moving and set up his new museum and how it turns out. Amazing video Chris!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thank you so much for the compliment, I'm looking forward to that as well!

[@squarefever4076]

@@SetsStreetsEats You are very much welcome.

[@animatronicbuilder6824]

You did a great job man thanks

[@SetsStreetsEats]

I appreciate that, thanks for watching!

[@BenCool2506]

46:06 the moon has a good voice

[@ilovechuckecheese7408]

Amazing!

[@Themeparknerd1993]

You would think he would have a better flashlight if he was giving tours of a dark warehouse lol. Very cool video! 👍🏻

[@anthonymahaffey2358]

I wish a restaurant would come out with these characters again.

[@benjablanxdbutner1746]

I can't believe I saw were my parents saw for there birthdays 😳 so happy 😭 💓

[@someguy9778]

The place to have your birthday party back in the 80's was cec or McDonald's. lol

[@MissingLink8319]

I just want to tell you that your videos are put together very well.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

I really appreciate you saying that, thank you so much for watching!

[@MusicalBulbear]

incredible.

[@benjablanxdbutner1746]

This is so cool 😎 and he should make the wolf pack 5 work again 😀

[@SebastianSteele]

Amazing video, I really enjoyed this!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thanks!

[@thedude2897]

Hearing Aaron say dick and ball sack had me laughing so hard.

[@dopeyanteater117]

Where does it happen at?

[@headsdownharry]

@@dopeyanteater117 later at then end right before he plays disco Christmas

[@dopeyanteater117]

@@headsdownharry thanks bro

[@YejisHoodieInHalazia]

Nice love it!!!!!!

[@Young_CT]

I love the perspective Aaron puts on Bushnell really makes him look bad

[@user_electro]

i never was a fan of rockafire but when i saw rolfe. he became my favorite character.

[@lyrical-psycho23]

i work at BILLY BOB'S WONDERLAND just so i can admire Aaron's work, i love his effort to bringing joy

[@tonywatts2042]

This is freaking awesome, that tour is here in Orlando? No way, I have to go visit, I remember show biz, this is really too Freaking awesome!!!!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Yeah its right downtown Orlando, just look up the Creative Engineering website and click the tour button. :)😀

[@TherealRNOwwfpooh]

Just fair warning: The tour's expensive ($200 [for a single person]-$400 [for a small group]). But, given how much it takes to maintain regular upkeep of the RAE & the revolving door of ideas Aaron Fetcher constantly has (that he says he'll get to, but often can't find the time -- and certainly, money -- to do all the things he clearly wants to do, much like Walt Disney before him prior to dying of lung cancer in 1966 & Jim Henson concurrently alongside him until the Muppet founder's untimely death in 1990), it is understandable, of course.

[@chad5893]

This building is massive

[@kevinrodweller5590]

I got a job with Creative Engineering in 1981 not knowing much about the company or the owner but thank you for the opportunity and cool company logo !

[@SetsStreetsEats]

That is really neat to be a small part of such a niche piece of history, very cool!

[@technerdbird]

what did you do at cei?

[@kevinrodweller5590]

@@technerdbird I worked on the outside of the building with a guy who was training me to paint props for the shows but wasn't there long before deciding to enlist in the U.S.C.G. and left Orlando for 4 years of misery !

[@nedbutler1968]

We were part of “Super Tour 21” too! We were there on July 26 for my son’s Make-A-Wish.

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thats so cool! It was hot in there to be sure but I loved that tour!

[@sethhorst6158]

Very cool video! It's nice getting stay updated with how things are going over at Creative Engineering, though it's a shame that many of the other creations like Bubba the Shakespeare reciting gorilla, The Moonrockers, New Rock Afire Explosion, and some more never really took off

[@cons0me_007]

I wish to go to a place like that with animatronics, the only animatronics I saw in my life were dinosaurs, but that was a long time ago, good video bro

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thanks so much!

[@cons0me_007]

@@SetsStreetsEats 🤘🤘

[@MIKEYPOOHBEARJACKSON]

This isn't my childhood, but everytime I hear the birthday song. I'm in tears.

[@remknock]

wow the story at 29 minutes about how Micheal Jackson bought the beetles albums is pretty amazing. I remember hearing about how Micheal Jackson owned the rights to those.

[@STRIVE_469]

This place would of been better then CEC cuz Aaron Fechter had so many. Good ideas and I bet he would of took care of them one day I will bring this place back for Aaron Fechter

[@SPG69]

Ok but real talk Arron playing the piano was beautiful

[@purple_dragon4895]

Wish I could see this stuff would've been awesome to grow up with this stuff but I still take interest in it

[@user-sx5sr5dr5d]

I would love to see another showbiz pizza place

[@crustysbat]

46:34 seeing them all preform together gives me literal chills. Would give anything to see that in person.

[@terryscheid9224]

There was one in Topeka Kansas back in the day Very happy place

[@tamararodriguez6153]

Ahhhh take me back to the 80s 😩❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@SetsStreetsEats]

I know, right?!

[@reneecarter6702]

I’m actually mad I haven’t seen this earlier. 😠 lol This is beautifully filmed, and I love the drone shots. Totally a piece of our childhood right here, and I’m so jealous 😩🫶🏻 Also I am now subscribed. What a fun channel you have ❤

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thank you, I really appreciate the compliment :)

[@atles_artz1152]

Damn. This hits hard 😔

[@TristenTimberwolf]

That thumbnail killed me

[@victoriashowbizpizzafan1979]

Great video!

[@SetsStreetsEats]

Thanks!