Yogi Bear Stage
The Yogi Bear Stage was installed three Showbiz Pizza Place locations (Omaha, NE (225 N 76th St),Colorado Springs, CO (5156 N Academy Blvd), and Augusta, GA (3435 Wrightsboro Rd)). in September 1987 through November 1987. That same month the Yogi Bear stage would be reverted back to the ShowBiz Pizza Campground. This was an effort enhance the appeal of the Rock-afire Explosion with the test marketing of licensed characters. This was done as the newly merged company was regaining its financial foothold.
Stage Features
Yogi Bear used Billy Bob’s stage which was transformed into JellyStone Park and was a modification of the ShowBiz Pizza Campground and would retain Looney Bird’s green barrel and the center stage tree line. The Gas Pump or Showbiz Pizza Campground sign and pole would be removed. Yogi Bear (Animatronic) would be an retrofitted Rolfe Dewolfe & Earl Schmerle (Animatronic) and Boo Boo (Animatronic) would be a retrofitted Looney Bird (Animatronic). The center stage tree line was removed and placed on Billy Bob’s stage giving it a forested appearance. Looney Bird’s barrel was repainted green and occupied by Boo-Boo Bear, and a large ‘JellyStone Park’ sign was hung behind the characters. The other unique props added to the stage was a boulder with a picnic basket placed upon it, and a sign that hung on Boo-Boo’s barrel that read ‘Keep Your Park Clean’. Floor floods, ceiling flood and Billy Bob’s valance were retained.
History
On March 4, 1987 ShowBiz Pizza Time, INC would obtain a quote from Creative Presentation, INC for how much the Yogi Bear stage would cost. The cost would be $2,000 for a single, or $1,000 once production would begin. The props produced would be ‘Jellystone Park Sign’, ‘Picnic table with props’, ‘Repaint barrel’, ‘Stump seat for Boo Boo’[1] By April 2, 1987 an agreement was formed between ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc and Creative Presentations, Inc regarding what would be designed and fabricated. ‘Three kits to transform an existing ShowBiz stage into Yogi’s habitat’. They would include ‘A large ‘Jellystone Park’ rustic sign approximately seven (7) feet in length to hang overhead’. ‘A large picnic basket’. ‘A decal or sign for Boo Boo’s barrel which says ‘KEEP YOUR PARK CLEAN’ ‘. ‘A picnic table (max. size 3’ x 4’), strump or large boulder on which to set the picnic basket’. The cost for the three conversion kits would be $22,500. The date planned for completion of the first set was May 14, 1987 and ‘delivered to locations designated by ShowBiz by June 31, 1987’.[2]. The first location to debute with the Yogi Bear stage was Omaha, NE in September 1987[4] during installation the packing list, instruction manual were not included, and ‘No sign for the barrel. We made our own, and sent C.P.I a copy of it to reproduce and ship ahead to the other locations’, later that month Colorado Springs, CO would begin installation also missing the packing list, ‘The instructions were still incomplete, but included an unsigned apology’[3]. On October 1, 1987 an installation memo would be sent to Paul Linden & Stan Black from Jul Kamen addressing the installation issues faced at both stores and ‘unnecessary delays due to the lack of required cosmetic and mechanical parts which were not furnished by the manufacturer, C.P.I.’ ‘before Thanksgiving’ in 1987 the Yogi Bear stage would be renovated back to the ShowBiz Pizza Campground. While plans existed for a return in January 1988 those plans would never come to light. [3]
