Billy Bob's Wonderland

Billy Bob's Wonderland
Map
Restaurant information
Established1989 (1989)
Owner(s)Mark Hoffman[1]
Street address5 Cracker Barrel Dr
CityBarboursville
CountyCabell County
StateWest Virginia
Postal/ZIP Code25701
CountryUSA
Coordinates38°24′55.5156″N 82°15′19.3644″W / 38.415421000°N 82.255379000°W / 38.415421000; -82.255379000
WebsiteOfficial Website
Interior of Billy Bob's Wonderland in 2024.

Billy Bob's Wonderland is a restaurant located in Barboursville, West Virginia, next to the Huntington Mall.

History

In 1989, a ShowBiz Pizza Place arcade and pizza restaurant location opened near the Huntington Mall in West Virginia.[2] Following the merger between ShowBiz Pizza and Chuck E Cheese in the 1980s, ShowBiz continued to struggle financially, and the company made the decision to unify both brands as Chuck E. Cheese's beginning in the early 1990s.[3] The ShowBiz Pizza location near the Huntington Mall severed relations with the parent company and began operating independently as Billy Bob's Wonderland in the early 1990s.[4]

An annual convention called Billy Con debuted in 2020 at Billy Bob's Wonderland. Patrons from around the country attended, as Billy Bob's Wonderland became one of the last public locations to feature the The Rock-afire Explosion.[1] It appealed to the nostalgia of older generations that experienced it as children, while video game franchises like Five Nights at Freddy's attracted interest from younger generations toward animatronics.[5] Three years later in 2023, Billy Bob's Wonderland was bought out by Fun City Arcade.[6]

Rock-afire Explosion Band

As of 2024, Billy Bob's Wonderland holds one of the two last original operating Rock-afire Explosion bands in the United States, the other being at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois.[7][8] This band includes Billy Bob Brockali, a bassist/vocalist, Looney Bird, a vocalist, Dook LaRue, a drummer/vocalist, Fatz Geronimo, a keyboardist/vocalist, Beach Bear, a guitarist/vocalist, Mitzi Mozzarella, a vocalist, and Rolfe DeWolfe and Earl Schmerle, a ventriloquist/comedy duo.[9]

Documentary

The Rock-afire Explosion, a documentary, was partially filmed at Billy Bob's Wonderland. This documentary, about Chris Thrash, Aaron Fechter, and the remaining Rock-afire Explosion fan base, was released at film festivals and special screenings around the United States in the fall of 2008.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Burrough, Shelby (July 15, 2024). "Billy Bob's Wonderland draws crowds from far and wide to celebrate at Billy Con". WCHS. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Rosenberger, Bill (2009-01-15). "Huntington Mall has affected entire region". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  3. ^ "History of Showbiz Pizza". ShowBiz Pizza Place. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  4. ^ "Billy Bob's Wonderland (Barboursville, West Virginia)". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  5. ^ Duncan, Nolan (July 2, 2024). "Billy Bob's Wonderland to host 4th annual Billy Con". Herald Dispatch. Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Pace, Fred (August 3, 2024). "Business Feat: Fun City Arcade acquires Billy Bobs Wonderland". Herald Dispatch. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  7. ^ Sebert, Paul (March 19, 2015). "Rock Afire Explosion gets makeover at Billy Bobs". Herald Dispatch. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  8. ^ https://patch.com/illinois/lakezurich/rock-afire-explosion-re-debut-volo-museum
  9. ^ Skeldon, Katherine (July 29, 2022). "One Tank Trip: Billy Bob's Wonderland". WOAY. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  10. ^ Matheson, Whitney (November 13, 2009). "'Rock-afire Explosion': Best movie I've seen all year. Really". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 16, 2009.
  11. ^ "And The Animatronic Band Played On: The Troubled Afterlife Of The Rock-afire Explosion". dcist. April 22, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2024.


Stub icon

This West Virginia-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.