ShowBiz Pizza Time Character Training videos (Johnsonverse)

This video, produced by ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc., is a series of instructions for cast members on how to dress up as and act as characters from Chuck E. Cheese's and ShowBiz Pizza Place. It is narrated by Aaron Fechter in-character as Billy Bob, and was produced in 2015. A separate video detailing live motion-capture performing for the AnimeTronics at Japanese States locations was released the following year, narrated by Tim Johnson.

Walkarounds
Howdy folks, I'm Billy Bob, and welcome to the walkaround section of the ShowBiz Pizza Time Character Training video. The purpose of this video is to show you, as a costumed character, how to act like the characters from Chuck E. Cheese's and ShowBiz Pizza Place. The first basic instruction is to ensure that, no matter what, your character is always real. Children, in particular, still have memories of seeing the character long after they've left the restaurant. This is why we place an emphasis on "our characters are always real". We want to create a magical experience for our guests, and so our goal for the video is to help you, as your character, make magic at our restaurants.

When you put your character back in the room for the night, be sure to spray the head with a disinfectant and brush the fur every day. It is very important your character has a well-groomed appearance. The rest of your outfit can be machine-washed with cold water and dried on the lowest setting. Your character's clothes should be air-dried. While cleaning, visualize what your performance will consist of. Even the cleanest costumes won't help if you don't prepare your show. Our costumes are very crucial to our image, not to mention expensive. To care for these items, machine-wash separately in cold water on a gentle cycle, tumble dry on low or no heat, iron if necessary but don't iron over any details, and always check to see which items may need to be dry cleaned. Clean these items with a cleaner. Periodically apply vinyl protectant such as Armor-All. Do not dry clean. For the fat suit, remove the fabric cover from the foam. The cover can be machine-washed on gentle in cold water. The foam should be allowed to air out after each use and it should also, at that time, be sprayed with Lysol. Remember, Mitzi and Helen's outfits must always be dry-cleaned. And please be sure to double-check your manual for costume cleaning procedures. To maintain energy, please bring a few items from home such as running shorts, because your costume will get extremely warm, t-shirts, which are comfortable and absorb perspiration, socks, which will prevent your feet from being irritated by the costume, a towel, which is a must; use it to freshen up or tuck it into your t-shirt for comfort during a performance, and a headband will also help cushion your head and keep sweat from running into your eyes.

Here are some handy tips to help you succeed as your character. Number one, drink a lot of water, or at least some other cold liquid such as juice or lemonade. The costume can be hot, and you want to stay hydrated. Number two, do not let any of our guests see you when you're not in the full costume. You're either your character or you, but none in-between. Number three, safety first. The head has limited visibility, so please be extra careful when you're around children. Number four, have an escort when possible. Escorts can help clear your way and keep children from getting hurt. Number five, dress comfortably. And number six, because the costume uses VoxMutatio technology, you can speak inside the costume, as said technology will make you sound just like your character. Just ad-lib your own lines and make sure to stay in-character.

Here are some do's and do not's for being a costumed performer. You can give hugs and high-fives, play games like peek-a-boo and follow the leader, play a game of skeeball or air hockey, and greet kids at kidcheck (especially reserved parties). However, you can not pick up, chase, tickle, or bump into children, pull guests' noses or mess up their hair, approach a frightened child, or touch adults.

Now, let's talk about your mannerisms. If someone says "It's my birthday!", raise your arms in the air and/or clap. It's supposed to be the best thing your character has heard. If someone says "You're my best friend!", raise your arms a couple times to give the illusion of squeeing, and hug when appropriate. If someone says "I don't like you!", hang your head and rub your eyes to give the effect of crying. Most kids will like you then. At no point should you act aggressively towards a kid if they say they don't like you. If someone asks "How old are you?", scratch your head, put your hand on your chin, and have your hands out so the kids can count. Let them decide your age. Once again, ad-lib your lines for these situations.

Now that you got your behavior ready, it's time to show you how to put on your costume. First, put on your fat suit. If you're portraying a bigger character such as Munch, Fatz, or me, Billy Bob, you might have to wear a larger fat suit for this. Next, put on your costume skin. Then your clothes. Finally, put on your mask. It is fitted with a variation of the AnimeTronic technology. Now you're all set. Go entertain the audience in the building when the animatronic show is inactive.

AnimeTronic motion-capture
Hello. I'm your El Presidente Tim Johnson, and welcome to the AnimeTronic motion-capture section of the ShowBiz Pizza Time Character Training video. The purpose of this video is to show you how to perform motion-capture work as the Ho-kago Tea Time characters at ShowBiz locations in the Japanese states. The first thing you want to do is rehearse as your character. This should take approximately one week. After that, put on your mocap suit, and perform in front of the camera. Remember to make sure you perform as you did in your rehearsals, with some ad-libbing when possible. It's a good idea to also binge-watch all available K-On! material to get the mannerisms for each character down just right. It'd be very odd to see the girls acting out-of-character, like Yui being all smart or Mugi acting like a drill sergeant. We'd never hear the end of it from hardcore K-On! fans.

Once you're ready, let's go to the lower floor.