Forum Thread

Uncle Klunk

Uncle Klunk was the first new character to be introduced to the Rock-afire Explosion by Creative Engineering. His character was strange and described as an "abomination" in shows, although underneath it all he was the most sophisticated animatronic character produced by CEI at the time - with nearly twice the number of movements of any other character, he could actually pick up a telephone or a banana from a conveniently placed fruit basket.

Uncle (Clarence) Klunk was designed to be a wacky talk-show host. Klunk was originally voiced by Jeff "Claude" Howell - a musician, who was very involved with the band behind the Rock-afire Explosion, and previously sang backup vocals. Burt Wilson performed the voice of Klunk's bird "Click", his mother, and a few other voices. Together they recorded the initial Klunk shows which were roughly produced and filled with bad jokes and inside humor.

Jeff Howell's version of Klunk was dimwitted and, well, an abomination - something that was even advertised as such (with a special animated "Abomination" sign that would drop down behind his stage valance). Howell's Klunk had a very genuine feel - he really seemed like he was portraying himself rather than any specific character. With his trademark expression of "Koosh!" he would perform special segments such as "culture corner", "sports time", "the news", and "dear Uncle Klunk".

Uncle Klunk was met with mixed reactions - from both ShowBiz Pizza Place and by the customers. ShowBiz was a bit disappointed with the initial Klunk shows, and asked Creative to hire a "professional" company to write and produce the skits. The end result was a completely different version of Klunk that sounded eerily reminiscent of Disney's Goofy. His bird Click was also renamed to "Murray D. Bird", and given a thuggish Bronx-type personality. This incarnation of Klunk was billed by ShowBiz as the "funniest robot science ever made".

Klunk also appeared in a 3rd showtape titled Country Klunk, which was a variation of the Rock-afire's Country Night II tape. Once again Klunk was featured with a different voice, this time being performed by Shawn Fernandez. This tape variation allowed ShowBiz stores to have new material whether they featured Klunk or whether they still had Rolfe and Earl installed. For this particular tape, Klunk's outfit was updated to include a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and a southern-style string tie.

Ultimately, Uncle Klunk was a commercial failure. Revenues failed to increase in locations where Klunk was installed, and public response was unenthusiastic. The only other character to appear at ShowBiz in the early days was Santa Claus, which was merely a cosmetic change-out for Klunk. However in all fairness it should be noted that during Klunk's tenure at ShowBiz, the restaurant was facing a financially difficult time due in part to the collapse of the arcade industry. This prevented Klunk from being given a real chance, and put an end to any further development of his character - and the tough financial times put a halt on any future characters to come out of CEI's research and development department.

Pasqually

Pasqually was one of the original cast members and part of the original group of "nitwits". He is (and always has been) the only human member of the cast, and when not playing with the band, Pasqually doubles as Chuck E. Cheese's pizza chef. He has a unique sense of humor, and his jokes often come at the chagrin of the other characters.
In the beginning at the original Pizza Time Theatre, Pasqually's main purpose was to announce the pizza orders when they were ready, coming out of the kitchen from behind closed doors and calling out to the crowd1. This function was quickly discontinued however as it was nearly impossible to keep up since pizzas were being sold so fast and continuously2. By the opening of Pizza Time's second store on Kooser Road, Pasqually was still announcing, only this time it was for birthday introductions (and also when the walkaround Chuck E was getting ready to appear)3. In the actual shows Pasqually would periodically come out and attempt to be included in the show, often overstaying his welcome and getting reprimanded by Chuck E. Cheese.

Pasqually was voiced by Joe Spano from 1977 until 1983. Spano portrayed Pasqually in a very straightforward manner, sometimes a little gruff, but with a great sense of humor - he was about the only cast member who would occasionally go toe-to-toe with Chuck E. Cheese and his insults. In 1982, Scott Wilson replaced Spano for the 3rd Madame Oink showtape entitled "Tunnel of Love", and again took the reigns of the character full-time begining in 1984. Wilson continued to voice Pasqually up until the merger with ShowBiz Pizza a few years later. With a slightly different accent than when performed by Spano, Wilson's Pasqually was a little friendlier and paved the way for the more refined character Pasqually was to become in the years that followed.