Aaron Fechter | |
|---|---|
 Fechter standing in front of his animatronics | |
| Born | December 22, 1953 |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor, engineer, entrepreneur, manufacturer, musician, voice actor |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Known for | creation of the Rock-afire Explosion |
| Website | engineeringcreative |
Aaron Fechter (born December 22, 1953)[1] is an American mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, voice actor, singer, and musician who owns and operates Creative Engineering, Inc. (CEI). He is best known as the creator of The Rock-afire Explosion, an animatronic show featuring a variety of characters created primarily for Showbiz Pizza Place restaurants throughout the 1980s. A fallout between Showbiz and CEI, along with the chain's dwindling revenue, led to the show's decline and eventual removal by the early 1990s.
In CEI's early beginnings, Fechter intended to manufacture fuel-efficient vehicles, but the company's focus soon shifted to the animatronic industry. The company later developed other products and concepts, but they failed to gain commercial interest. Fechter also claims to have been instrumental in the early development of Whac-A-Mole, an arcade game from Bandai that became popular in the late 1970s, but his involvement was never officially recognized.[2] His animatronics gained renewed interest decades later, when fan-made Rock-afire Explosion performances set to modern music began appearing online in the mid-2000s. They also partially inspired the horror video game franchise, Five Nights at Freddy's.
- ^ Fechter, Aaron (November 13, 2023). "My Reaction To A Teen's Video On My Life's Story * Part I". The Rock-afire Explosion. Retrieved November 21, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Rugg, Peter (February 3, 2016). "The Man Who Made the Whac-a-Mole Has One More Chance". Popular Mechanics.