Hi-Fricken-Larious!!!! That’s freakin’ awesome!

This is not cute, it is utterly terrifying. The keyboard playing gorilla looks like something from a horrible nightmare. I still have vivid memories of a friend’s Showbiz Pizza birthday party when I was 4, in which I cowered screaming under the table for the entire “performance”. Not cute. Not.

Awesome! Cracked me up. Of course when I was a kid I thought it would be funny to make Teddy Ruxpin sing Bon Jovi or something.

i loved the banana splits!

remember lidsville? h.r. puffnstuf? new zoo review?

ah, those wacky 70′s.
good times.

Very cool, but also holy crap terrifying. Were I still a kid, I’d be hiding behind my Mum right now…

And here’s… well, see for yourself. Holy *crap*.
http://www.showbizpizza.com/

Holey COW. I loved Showbiz Pizza when I was little. I did pretty well with the animatronics, except the gorilla did completely freak me out. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one!

I am thoroughly amazed by the quality of the programmed puppeteering of these things. Fan-stinking-tastic.

I’m not sure I would call it “cute” either, but I’m super glad to see it, all the same. I’m totally checking out some of their other covers.

@anner
No, you didn’t imagine them. The Banana Splits were real. Na na na nananana, na na na nananana.

@Megan
CEC in Irving, Texas? I grew up in Irving!

Would you believe I have a 45 record “featuring” Fatz (that’s the big gorilla’s name)from Showbiz Pizza…wow those were the days! He could really sing Sixteen Candles and make me tear up!