Bullwinkle's Entertainment, previously known as Huish Family Fun Center & Bullwinkle's Restaurant, and originally known Bullwinkle's Family Food n' Fun is a chain of family entertainment centers. Locations today feature a drinks bar, complemented by arcade games, go-karts, bumper boats, mini golf, laser tag, a ropes course, a zip line, and small rides for children.
History
In 1979, David L. Brown obtained licensing rights to use intellectual properties from the Jay Ward Productions and Total Television catalog. Brown's first project involving IPs from these two studios came in the form of Bullwinkle's Call of the Wild Show, a live stage production featuring the characters of Bullwinkle J. Moose, Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Snidley Whiplash, Underdog, and Moonbeam(an original character created for this production to serve as Bullwinkle's girlfriend). Call of the Wild toured across several venues in North America, including the Lagoon Amusement Park, between 1980 and 1981. Following the success of the live tour, Brown began conceptualizing another endeavor involving the iconic characters(except Moonbeam).
Bullwinkle's Family Food N' Fun Restaurant, meant to capitalize off the success of Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre and ShowBiz Pizza Place, would open its first location in Santa Clara, California on June 14, 1982. Similar to its competition, the restaurant offered a variety of electronic games and rides, food items, merchandise, and an animatronic show as its flagship attraction. The Fantasy Fountain Show, a series of water and lighting effects set to popular music, served as an alternative attraction in the main showroom during intermissions for the animatronics.
Originally in “Call of the Wild” none of the original cartoon voice actors reprised their roles for their respective characters.
Fred Hope, owner of The One and Only Animation Company, requested for the return of the original voice actors from the cartoons. So June Foray and Bill Scott who had provided the voices for the characters in the original cartoons returned to Jennifudy Studios on May 21, 1982 reprised their roles as Rocky, Natasha, Bullwinkle, and Dudley Do-Right respectively. For unknown reasons, Paul Frees did not reprise his role as Boris. The scripts and music for the animatronic segments were produced by composer Bill Broughton.
Following the opening of Santa Clara, some changes were made to streamline the restaurant experience going forward. AVG Technologies would succeed The Only Animated Display & Design Company as the manufacturer for Bullwinkle's animatronic shows from 1983 up through the early 1990's. To cut down on installation costs, several characters oversaw a slight decrease in mechanical movements, with Tennessee Tuxedo and Chumley being phased out from the show entirely. With the two removed, dialogue was changed to certain segments to fit the current cast. Now Corey Burton plays Boris, and UnderDog talks, sadly, Wally Cox passed in February 15th, 1973, so Bill Scott would voice Underdog. Corey Burton provided voice lines for Snidely Whiplash, as Hans Conried died from a heart attack just five months prior to the opening of Bullwinkle's. A majority of aspects present in Santa Clara would be adapted for future locations.
Huish Family Fun Center’s involvement
During the 1980's, the Huish Family Fun Centers would purchase three franchised locations for Bullwinkle's, these being relegated to the restaurant portions of the fun centers instead of stand-alone locations. A condensed animatronic show featuring Rocky, Bullwinkle, Boris, and Natasha (with one location even including Tooter Turtle and Hoppity Hooper as well) was constructed for these smaller integrations by AVG.
Fantasy Fountain Shows were also part of these smaller shows (but were removed in later years). By April 1991, the Huish family would purchase the entirety of Bullwinkle's to merge its operations with their Family Fun Centers. From 1992 to 1999, new Bullwinkle's locations (named Bullwinkle's Family Restaurants after the merger) opened within the Huish Family Fun Centers in California, Oregon, and Washington state.
Some time after 1993, the restaurants introduced the WYME TV broadcasting feed of television screens. These utilized new 2D animated skits and birthday-centric songs in conjunction with showings of original Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons that would screen alongside the animatronic and fountain shows. The project would be spearheaded by Scott Wilson, who had been laid off by Showbiz Pizza Time, Inc. management at that time, ending his tenure with the Chuck E. Cheese's franchise. Wilson, along with fellow CEC voice actors, Annagrey Brooks Wiechman (Helen Henny) and Charles Stewart (Jasper T. Jowls), provided their talent for the new birthday songs. Wilson also took on the voice role for Bullwinkle, as well as Dudley Do-Right, for the animated skits.
Bullwinkle’s Gets Downsized
During 1999 and 2000 Huish Family Fun Center tried to give Bullwinkle’s exposure to the East. Reusing AVG mechs of Dudley, Underdog, and Snidely, Dreamation(who had replaced AVG animatronic faces with new ones since 1988) along with Mozingo + Wallace would create new locations: Raleigh North Carolina, Myrtle Beach SC, and Medford New York. Unfortunately, Disaster Struck on July 2001, when a ride accident occurred, leading to the closure of many locations.
Now there are three locations currently operating today: Tukwila, the newly reopened Upland, and Wilsonville, all which operate as Family Fun Center(no longer featuring animatronics). Tukwila's location, with the Turn Table Stage, is the last location to still operate an animatronic show. However, this show will eventually be removed.
Locations, Stages, and Fate
Independent Bullwinkle’s locations:
Santa Clara California | Prototype Stage eventually replaced with an AVG Stage A - Opened in 1982, Closed in 1996
Edmonton Alberta Canada | AVG Stage A - Opened in 1983, Closed in 1994
Calgary Alberta Canada | AVG Stage A - Opened in 1984, Closed in 1991
Norcross GA | AVG Stage A - Opened in (unknown) Closed in (unknown)
Richmond VA | AVG Stage A - Opened in 1984 Closed in 1985
Irvine California | AVG Stage B - Opened in 1984 Closed in (unknown)
Northridge California | AVG Stage B - Opened in 1986 Closed in (unknown)
Huish Family Fun Center & Bullwinkle’s restaurant locations:
(2 Buildings)Upland California | AVG Stage A - Opened in 1984, Closed in 2001 and Sold to Boomer’s(would close in 2020), reopened in 2021 without a show
(2Buildings)Fountain Valley California | AVG Stage B - Opened in 1984, Closed in 2001
Vista California | AVG Stage B - Opened in 1992, Closed in 2001
El Cajon California | AVG Stage B - Opened in 1994, Closed in 2001
Wilsonville Oregon | AVG Stage B - Opened in 1994, show removed
Escondido California | AVG Stage B - Opened in (unknown), Closed in 2001
Jeddah Saudi Arabia | AVG Stage B - Opened in (unknown), Closed in (unknown)
Tukwila Washington | Turn Table - Opened in 1999, last show in operation
Raleigh North Carolina | Dreamation Stage - Opened in 1999, Closed in 2010
Myrtle Beach, SC | Dreamation Stage - Opened in 1999, Closed in 2007
Medford New York | Dreamation (partial) Stage - Opened in 2000, Closed in 2001
Gallery
An AVG Stage A
An AVG Stage B
Newspaper from May 18, 1984
Myrtle Beach, SC Location
The original Prototype Animatronics at the Santa Clara Location(this would later be replaced by an AVG Stage A)
Bullwinkle with a kid near a school
