Rockstar Stage (Johnsonverse)

The Rockstar Stage (often nicknamed the 4-Stage) is a stage format found at Chuck E. Cheese's locations. It was first introduced in June 2015 as part of the Concept Division process. Most of the animatronics on the stage are manufactured by Garner Holt Productions, with some minor characters manufactured by Creative Engineering.

History
When Johnson Industries was in the process of acquiring CEC Entertainment, Inc. (now ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc.) in February 2014, one of the first ideas to be floated was the introduction of a new stage, as Johnson CEO Tim Johnson greatly disliked the Studio C and Circles of Light stages as, despite featuring a more advanced and friendlier-looking Chuck E. animatronic by Garner Holt Productions, both stages only featured one animatronic, or in most Circles of Light setups, none, with many setups also downgrading the animatronic's movements from 32 to 16. Once the acquisition was completed, the Rockstar Stage was one of the first priorities, alongside a Phase VI remodel with new décor and paint. The stage was announced on April 15, 2014, along with the rest of Phase VI and the reintroduction of Crusty the Cat (a character who was replaced with Mr. Munch in 1978). On August 10, the Rockstar Stage itself was unveiled, and the first showtape to use it was the Summertime 2015 showtape that played in June 2015.

Layout
The stage layout itself is nearly identical to the 3-Stage setup at ShowBiz Pizza Place locations from 1980 to 1992 and since 2015, and Chuck E. Cheese's locations from 1989 to 2021. Center Stage (using a layout inspired by the Concept Unification Prototype) consists of the Munch's Make-Believe Band characters, using their modern appearances in animatronics manufactured by Garner Holt Productions, in front of a sign showing the band's logo; the setting is similar to a recreation room. There are also two Cyberstar monitors above Center Stage used for intermission segments and other purposes, as well as a redesigned Wink with the "Rockstar" incarnation of Chuck E. Cheese between them. Stage Left features Chuck E., Bird and the Warblettes (Daisy is the Warblette in the green dress, Maisy in the red dress, and Irma in the blue dress) in a stage reminiscent of Circles of Light, as well as a smaller curtain to conceal the Chuck E. animatronic when the walkaround character comes out for parties. Stage Right features a rotation of guest characters, as in the Pizza Time Theatre era. To the left of Stage Right is a smaller, isolated fourth stage with Crusty and his DJ stand, with a door next to it for easier maintenance on the animatronic. The Sun and Moon, Munch Jr., Pizzacam (who now has a speaking role), and Singing Flowers are located on Center Stage, while Chuck E.'s pet parrot Bird is on a pole next to Chuck E. along with the Warblettes. The Sun and Moon are the exact same animatronics used on Rock-afire Explosion stages, while Munch Jr. (who was redesigned) and Pizzacam use the same underlying mechanics as Choo-Choo and Looney Bird, respectively; they are all manufactured by Creative Engineering. The Singing Flowers use the same mechanics as the ones used on the Rocker Stage.

Two moving flags (one on either side of the stage) featuring Chuck E.'s face are used as in the Balcony Stage, placed high enough for them to be out of reach for guests. Also used are various props recycled from the Studio C stage including the pizza phone, the apple TV, and the Pizza Time clock, as well as the Bird animatronic; there is also an Atari 2600-style gaming setup as a nod to the chain's founder, Nolan Bushnell.

The animatronics, based on the puppet versions of the characters and change whenever any of the puppets are updated, use a variety of mechanisms for a total of 256 movements; they also feature LED eyes with colors that change depending on the emotion or expression (including displaying "wingding eyes" as part of a wild take, such as Helen's eyes displaying a Pong game or hearts, or Munch's eyes displaying spinning pizzas with slices disappearing one by one), as well as lights through their cheeks to give the illusion of blushing. They are more advanced than the first-generation Rock-afire Explosion animatronics, yet still less advanced than the Ho-kago Tea Time AnimeTronics used at ShowBiz locations in the Japanese States, which can convincingly replicate natural human movement and expressions, as well as walk around unassisted.

The railings for Stages Left and Right are recycled from the Circles of Light stage in many cases, as is Crusty's stage; the railing for Center Stage is new and uses a wider version of the design. Special effects include the "Applause" and "On the Air" signs (also recycled from Studio C), spotlights, strobe lights, warps, gobos with alternating patterns, gemini disco balls, helicopter lights, color flood lights, and a house lights dim effect. There is also a bubble machine that activates during songs.

A variation of the stage features a different design that allows Center Stage to rotate to a different side containing the Rock-afire Explosion in the event of a mechanical problem; the air valves underneath are powered by a custom-made battery mounted to the Rock-afire Explosion side. It has been tested in several large-scale locations and is being rolled out at all Chuck E. Cheese's locations with the stage for the next several years. A later revision added the capacity for Stage Left to rotate to a different side containing Billy Bob, Looney Bird, and the Smitty's Super Service Station backdrop, while Stage Right rotates to a side with Rolfe and Earl, effectively allowing the entire stage to transform into a Rock-afire Explosion stage. Special showtapes have been created using this function beginning in 2019.

Another variation for locations without room for a full-scale Rockstar Stage uses a smaller version called "Rockstar Stage Mini", in which Pasqually and Crusty are moved to Stage Right, with Pasqually reusing his "Pasqually's Amateur Hour" backdrop from the 3-Stage, while Crusty, as with Chuck E., has his own curtain for live shows, and the guest star appears on the left Cyberstar monitor. Center Stage only has Munch, Helen, Jasper, the Sun and Moon, Munch Jr., Pizzacam, and the Singing Flowers. Tapes are specially programmed for this variant.

The first location to have the stage installed was the location in Oceanside, California, which reopened in August 2015 and previously housed a Studio C Beta. Rockstar Stages were installed at locations with a Studio C Alpha, Cappa, and Alpha Beta Mix, as well as 50% of all Circles of Light stages, and the Rockford, Illinois store that previously housed the final Rocker Stage; all locations with Studio C Beta and Beta Cappa Mix stages, and the other 50% of all Circles of Light stages, were replaced by 3-Stages with the Rock-afire Explosion, these locations henceforth being rebranded as ShowBiz Pizza Places. None of the pre-existing 1-Stage, 2-Stage, or Road Stage setups (which were merely retrofitted to resemble the Rockstar Stage) are planned to be replaced, as the Cyberamic animatronics are considered by the company to be too historically significant to be replaced.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Characters

 * Chuck E. Cheese - electric guitar
 * Helen Henny - female vocals and tambourine
 * Mr. Munch - keyboard
 * Jasper T. Jowls - banjo guitar
 * Pasqually P. Pieplate - drums
 * Crusty the Cat - announcer, DJ, and manager
 * Sun, Moon, Singing Flowers, Warblettes (Daisy, Maisy, and Irma), Bird, and Pizzacam - backup singers
 * Munch Jr. - dancing character

Animatronic

 * Steve Waters (September 2015, March 2016,)
 * Justin Beaver (October 2015, June 2017)
 * Harmony Howlette (June 2016, September 2016, March 2017, October 2017, July 2018, November 2018, May 2019, August 2019, February 2020, June 2020, November 2020, March 2021)
 * Madame Oink (August 2016, May 2017, January 2018, August 2018, January 2019, June 2019, September 2019, January 2020, August 2020, April 2021)
 * Foxy Colleen (October 2016
 * Sally Sashay (July 2016,
 * Chuck E. Cheese (PTT) (2017, select locations)
 * Chuck E. Cheese (Tux) (2017, select locations)
 * Chuck E. Cheese (Coach) (2017, select locations)
 * Chuck E. Cheese (Cool) (2017, select locations)
 * Chuck E. Cheese (Avenger) (2017, select locations)
 * Fab Feline (May 2019)
 * Bella B. (June 2019, October 2019, March 2020, September 2020, January 2021)
 * Santa Claus (December 2015, December 2018, December 2020; the Uncle Klunk animatronic from ShowBiz Pizza Place locations is reused)

Backup characters
In the event of a major malfunction, all three stages can rotate to use the Rock-afire Explosion instead.