Hannah Banana: All new CEI Show Project [Archive] - Page 2

Shiney Happy Jenn

04-03-2008, 07:54 PM

Here is another direct link to the Show Photo Gallery on the Hannah Banana website:

Check it out!
http://hannah-banana.com/Pages/ImageGalleryShows.aspx

But other than that, Nice find Jenn!! I really like that they got some of the Rock Afire Explosion back in shape!! do you know where it is Jenn? I'm thinking it's in NYC Am I right?

It is located overseas , just outside of London, England.

If you go back and read the first few pages of this thread, you can learn all about the creation of this resturant that opened last summer and how i had a a hand ( or two) helping out in the creation of the Show.

Happy reading!!

:)

CECGirl365

04-03-2008, 07:57 PM

Dude, it's not supposed to be Ms. Montana! This is a totally different character! Hannah Montana is not even that big overseas in the UK....that's a US thang....

:rolfe:

Actually, She's Pretty big over in the UK. she just did a concert over there last year for disney

Also That's a place I really want to visit!! but i'm gonna have to wait a few more years for me to go!

Shiney Happy Jenn

04-03-2008, 08:01 PM

Cool...well i had heard from my UK friends that she is not nearly as huge there as in the US.....but then again, that could just be THEIR opinion!

:p

Rockerchick

04-03-2008, 08:27 PM

thats cool i went their a few yrs ago ...and didn't even think that they would have the rafe guys over ther

lildook

06-02-2008, 06:43 AM

Dude, it's not supposed to be Ms. Montana! This is a totally different character! Hannah Montana is not even that big overseas in the UK....that's a US thang....

:rolfe:

I was making fun of the fact that you said Hannah Montana in your post,, :)) Go look <--

:-P

I assume it was accidental....

Shiney Happy Jenn

06-02-2008, 02:03 PM

Did i?

Whoa....!

Well if i did, it is probably because i hear the name on an almost daily basis where i work ( groans....) ....Oh the humanity....lol!

Originally the plan was to open one Hannah's location and see how the public would react and respond to it. Since CEC has absolutely no presence whatsoever overseas in the UK and Europe, this concept is ALL NEW to them ( pizza place with games and a show...). I have not been able to get any official confirmation as to how they are doing...wether it be fantastic or slow. If they were to open another location, i am sure we would hear about it as more robotics would need to be produced.

It would be NICE to see it go somewhere....i cannot see why it would'nt as again, it is ALL NEW over there. I DO feel however that it would be way cooler if they had a FULL Rock-aFire Stage in the building. The owner probably would not be able to afford one in the first few years of business, but if a full show was availble for purchase it would be a wise investment i think. There is NOTHING more compelling then a full RAE in action that is properly maintained ( that is the key of course...properly maintained animation!). It would be a challange they may not be ready or willing to take on ( it can get pricey..) but man, i know it would drive people in the place to see the show. It would be sensational.

Beach Bear

08-28-2008, 08:49 AM

I know this topic is probably as old as Malthusian but, I just have to say that Hannah Banana looks weird. I'm not saying you crafted her mask or something bad but something about her just looks weird and kinda rushed. But if I knew exactly what it was, I'd tell you. Once again, not trying to insult you or anything.

I think the fur is too loose. And it makes the shirt look weird. But, I know you can't have it really tight because of the movement but I think that's the problem.

junebug09az

08-28-2008, 09:49 AM

raebigc

08-28-2008, 12:02 PM

I wish there were some Hannah Banana locations in the U.S.

Charon the Sabercat

08-28-2008, 12:44 PM

I know this topic is probably as old as Malthusian...

You mean Methuselah?

ANYway, the little bit of Hannah Banana footage I've seen looked pretty cool. She's a good animatronic. Her whole face stretches when she talks, though, and THAT looks a little weird.

Beach Bear

08-28-2008, 03:57 PM

You mean Methuselah?

ANYway, the little bit of Hannah Banana footage I've seen looked pretty cool. She's a good animatronic. Her whole face stretches when she talks, though, and THAT looks a little weird.

It does look very weird. And I was trying to say (Ma-Thu-Zum) I didn't know how to spell it so I let the firefox spell thingy do it.

PaulKTF

02-09-2009, 08:58 PM

For anyone who cares; Hannah Banana is now closed and has been (apparently) bought out by some other comapny:

http://www.hannah-banana.com

For anyone who cares; Hannah Banana is now closed and has been (apparently) bought out by some other comapny:

http://www.hannah-banana.com (http://www.hannah-banana.com)

Er; I meant "company". I wonder what has happened/will happen to the Billy Bob, Looney, and Hannah bots? I hope they find a new "home" where they'll be taken good care of...

Harmony Howlette

02-09-2009, 09:48 PM

Good lord...they have their own mascot and everything :(

lildook

02-09-2009, 10:26 PM

Wooooooow that is terrible :(

RAFE CEC Guy

02-10-2009, 09:50 AM

Hannah Banana's is in a shopping center in London. Partyman World is in a large warehouse in Basildon. The only explanation would be the closing of Hannah Banana's due to being bought out, or the domain simply expired. I take the closing with a LARGE grain of salt. If it did close, I'd be willing to get my hands on a certain monkey....

Uh oh. They just updated the website now. Here's the link...
http://www.partymanworld.co.uk/lakeside/

Well, there goes all that hard work....

EDIT: A few minutes ago, they only had Basildon and Wembley listed, now they have Lakeside listed as well.

PaulKTF

02-10-2009, 10:40 AM

Hannah Banana's is in a shopping center in London. Partyman World is in a large warehouse in Basildon. The only explanation would be the closing of Hannah Banana's due to being bought out, or the domain simply expired. I take the closing with a LARGE grain of salt. If it did close, I'd be willing to get my hands on a certain monkey....

Yup; it's closed. I did a quick Google search; and someone on an (unrelated) message board confirms that it's closed and being renovated into a Partyman store; which is apparently a chain over there. I have no other details as to why it closed.

triplehpotter7

02-11-2009, 12:36 AM

That's sad Hannah Banana closed. =( Why does it seem like a lot of these post-Showbiz CEI-involved restaurant endeavors keep failing? =(

This is why I hope and I pray that the Showbiz Pizza Zone takes off HUGE and becomes successful beyond belief. When I keep talking to my friends and co-workers, mentioning the Showbiz Pizza Place, EVERYONE always has good memories about the place. Everyone always says how much they miss Showbiz, how much Showbiz blew Chuck E. Cheese out of the water. Showbiz and the Rock-afire Explosion should be back on top, I say. *^^*;;;

RAFE CEC Guy

02-11-2009, 10:12 AM

Now I'm worried about the Hannah bot. I hope she doesn't get redone to become Partman's mascot. :l I'm going to start searching ebay and see if they're selling her. (Hopefully)

Shiney Happy Jenn

02-14-2009, 09:56 AM

Oh sure...i go off for 3 days and come back to this! Ha ha....

Yes, i can confirm that Hannah's is officially closed ( just received the official notice privately). They are having a 'going away party' for Hannah however for all her Guests and friends on March 22nd- ironically my birthday!

Invitations were sent out to select Guests for a special party to say 'goodbye' to Hannah before she 'goes to join Billy Bob and Looney Bird in the USA'. Party attendees will enjoy a free buffet and other refreshments. They will also be able to check out the newly 'refurbed' building.

Yes, it is a shame to hear of the end of this particular concept, but let's not kid ourselves: I think we all saw this coming eventually. NO Showbiz/CEC knockoff lasts long..it is far too difficult to keep it going. I REALLy thought however this THIS time it would work and actually branch out because of the fact there is nothing like Showbiz/CEC in the UK ( never has been in the scale of the States). Thus, they had a truly 'new' concept that was completely unique to that area, and things started off promising.

Oh well.....i enjoyed the experience of creating the AA with Air and Steve, and i will always appreciate the fact that i was able to take part in that whole scene. Programming the early shows was the fullfilment of a lifelong dream, so this was in no way a wasted effort. Quite the contrary!

My assumption is the Bots' will be sold as there are several amusement areas/seasdide arcades in the UK. A easy sale for anyone wanting to make the investment.

triplehpotter7

02-14-2009, 10:10 AM

Invitations were sent out to select Guests for a special party to say 'goodbye' to Hannah before she 'goes to join Billy Bob and Looney Bird in the USA'.

Hmm. With a statement like that, it makes me wonder if they're gonna send the bots back to the US.

Yes, it is a shame to hear of the end of this particular concept, but let's not kid ourselves: I think we all saw this coming eventually. NO Showbiz/CEC knockoff lasts long..it is far too difficult to keep it going. I REALLy thought however this THIS time it would work and actually branch out because of the fact there is nothing like Showbiz/CEC in the UK ( never has been in the scale of the States). Thus, they had a truly 'new' concept that was completely unique to that area, and things started off promising.

I didn't see this coming with Hannah Banana. For a unique concept in the UK, I figured it had a chance of working, even if it wasn't a full-on recreation of Showbiz. Seeing this go by the wayside... is discouraging.

That's why I really feel like Chris's Showbiz Pizza Zone is truly the final hope in all this, trying to re-create that lost Showbiz magic. I believe the desire for a Showbiz revival is out there; more than enough people always speak good about the Showbiz days. More than enough people seem to be displeased with some angle of CEC. If CEC made it this far, then another company should be able to match speed with them and provide ample competition. Doing so would only help both businesses.

RAFE CEC Guy

02-20-2009, 06:11 AM

I have to agree with Jenn. I too thought that this concept would last. After all, NOTHING like this has ever been in the UK, so I had my hopes extremely high. It's really sad to see this happen after all of that hard work you had done on Hannah. I've now resorted to checking both eBay.com and eBay.co.uk for the Hannah bot, just to be safe.

Shiney Happy Jenn

02-27-2009, 07:06 PM

I was thinking about this recently..again....the Bots' and what may become of them. My thinking is this: It would be a hard sell as the show material was CUSTOM DONE for Hannah's place and would not at all fit into another concept/show hall. The scripted dialog is mainly what i am talking about, as the characters related to Hannah's story of finding Billy Bob and Looney in the US and bringing them over to the UK to perform in 'her place'. It would be weird to see these dozen or so shows play somewhere other then Hannah's. It would not be as easy a fit to pass off as , say, a Classic RAE Show saying 'Welcome to Showbiz Pizza Place...'.

So while my first assumption is the Bots' will be a easy sale in the UK for the owner due to the multiple amusement parks/ seaside arcades, etc...now i am thinking differently. Unless someone could re-program these the 12 shows or so would be a tough fit into anything other then Hannah's concept.

Just some thoughts. It will be interesting if we ever do find out what becomes of the Show.

NickRyder

02-28-2009, 12:52 AM

Well if the programmer is fairly similar to the RAE/CEC bots then it shouldn't be too difficult to program up a new show or two.

Shiney Happy Jenn

03-02-2009, 06:53 PM

For us here in the Fan Communtiy, and in the States...yes, probably.

For a 'beginner' to such concepts and for someone out in the UK...maybe more difficult to do so. The potential buyer would need the know-how of where to go to get a custom show made...and most importantly, have the fore-knowledge to know HOW to get the Bots' re-programmed!

Not a easy task Joe Buyer would probably want to invest such time ( and eventual Money) in.....just a hunch....

Rockafirecheese

07-31-2009, 01:39 AM

So Jenn,

Do you know officially where Hanna Banana is right now or has someone bought her yet?

terry67401

12-17-2009, 09:07 AM

I posted in another thread earlier this morning on this subject and I see that it has been more than four months since anyone has here...Jenn, or for that matter, anyone else know what has become of this show?? The other thread that I found said something about the show being in storage, a thought that makes me cringe. Simply because I feel like a hardcore collector could breath life into this show. What a unique grab it would be!!

Shiney Happy Jenn

01-04-2010, 02:05 PM

Hey there guys..

Sorry for the delay in responding. I am not on here as much as i used to be, and sometimes miss things. Saw this today, as someone sent me a note asking about the pix in this thread ( or now the LACK of them..)

There is NO news regarding the whereabout of the Hannah Show. I wish i had some insight into what has become of it, but to date there is no info. I was no longer in contact with the owner once i finished the art graphic job for him post- animatronic work. I know as much as you guys do at this point...and all i can theorize is stated earlier in this thread. We may never learn what becomes of this show...but my guess is it will be sold to another UK arcade or seaside resort/attraction ( the UK has MANY such places.)

I have not gone back to see if i explained this earlier, but all the photos that used to be a part of this thread were hosted on a friends webpage/account. They were deleted or moved, thus why a lot of the photos and links originally posted in this thread are now missing.

I only have TWO photos myself that are hosted on my own photo account, which if i have not posted before i will now ( people were asking for them...so i am assuming i have not added these) I thought for sure i already posted these, but will post again now.

Here they are- grabbed from the now defunct 'Hannah Banana' resturant website.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/deacy1/Photos%20on%20Forums%20Album/HannahBananaAAfigure.jpg

Finished 'Hannah' Bot' on stage...doing her trademark end-of-show 'wink' that i incorporated into the programming.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/deacy1/Photos%20on%20Forums%20Album/HannahBananastage.jpg

The Show Stage at 'Hannah Bananas' with Billy Bob and Looney Bird, her 'American' friends.

Rockafirecheese

01-04-2010, 10:20 PM

I'm sure in the coming years she (or they) will suddenly surface on the internet somewhere, possibly in someones garage or up for sale on ebay or something....

mitzirocks

01-04-2010, 11:16 PM

Agreed!=((/:)

Shiney Happy Jenn

01-15-2010, 05:11 PM

PaulKTF

01-15-2010, 05:22 PM

I came across this graphic art i did back in the day for Hannah's place....and i don't think i have shared it until now. If i did back then, apologies...

This was drawn for fun, but the owner of Hannah Bananas liked it so much he purchased it for use as a t-shirt graphic. I never learned if it was actually used or not..would be cool to come across a shirt someday.

Here is the image, done in my traditional style ( hand drawn and colored..no comps!). Billy Bob and Looney look like they are having a good time!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/deacy1/Photos%20on%20Forums%20Album/HannahBanana-BananasArtworksm.jpg

Very nicely done! Love the colors! I like all the artwork you did for their website, too.

Too bad the place didn't last. What I feel worst about is that a Mitzi and Billy Bob/Looney went from having a safe home in the warehouse and now they're who knows where, probably destined to fall into disrepair like so many other surviving RAE figgures. :( Sigh.

Shiney Happy Jenn

01-17-2010, 08:29 PM

Well you never can tell where you will find such animatronics. Who really can say WHERE they may be these days.? No one currently has any clue.

Maurice, if you still read this forum perhaps you could share some light on what became of this show?

It is possible that this Show was simply put into storage. Like i said earlier, the owner invested heavily in this, and i cannot see it just being 'wasted'. Surely it is being stored for future use...or possibly being considered to be sold (or already sold!). Again, there is no real way of knowing for sure. All that can be done is make educated guesses.

This was a completely 'Custom Show' job...and thus would make it very difficult to reuse for another location. All the skits specifically mention Hannah by name, and she almost always introduced the skit by welcoming Guests to 'her place'. It was very tightly themed and fit like a tight glove to the Hannah Banana concept. It was not like a RAE Show, where one could technically stick it into any entertainment place and be good ( theme/subject matter wise..). No, with the Hannah Show, it was VERY specific. It will be very difficult to reuse this show for anything outside of the original resturant UNLESS it can be re-progammed.

Still, there is always the chance it can be re-sold to a UK amusement park or arcade complex. They might not be bothered by the monkey talking about 'her place' and such, but i doubt the orignal owner who invested in this Custom Show is going to want to sell his own original character ( as he owns Ms. Banana).

My gut feeling tells me that the Hannah Show may well be in storage. Perhaps he is holding onto it as he DID enjoy the Show quite a bit. He may just hold onto it and contemplate what to DO with it...

Or...

It has ( or will be ) sold to another entertainment complex.

Your guess is as good as mine at this point, folks.

dook97

01-17-2010, 11:54 PM

Nice work Jenn! I REALLY Like how the bananas are under all the hats. I thought Billy and Looney Bird had a new hair style for a couple seconds!

Shiney Happy Jenn

01-18-2010, 04:07 PM

Thanks Dook. The 'bananas under the hats' are actually based off of Hannah. The 'bananas for hair' is kind of her trademark look...and Billy Bob and Looney Bird are shown imitating her.

Think of it as them pretending to be a member of the 'Hannah Banana Fan Club'....and they are all wearing their club hats! Ha ha..!

dook97

01-18-2010, 04:58 PM

So I guess if the show was based on Billy bob, Hannah and Looney Bird would be wearing red/yellow striped overallls and be holding a banjo? My jokes arent funny but they make me laugh. Ha Ha...

PaulKTF

11-23-2010, 05:32 AM

http://www.propertyweek.com/lakeside-to-launch-hannah-banana-concept-for-children/3064733.article

"‘It has taken a long time to set up this concept but now we have secured this first site. We think the UK could support up to 50 units in total."

Well, I guess they over-estimated that by quite a bit considering their one location didn't even last a year. I wonder where the Mitzi, Billy Bob, and Looney are now? Probably junked or rotting away somewhere never to be used again. :(

rafire

11-23-2010, 10:36 AM

by reading the first post i started to get really excited! but when i saw the date of this thread, my mouth dropped! anything for the band to return. i guess i'll go through the rest of the forum to find the details of everything but mannnnn talk about being let down lol.

captslappy

11-23-2010, 10:50 AM

rafire

11-23-2010, 02:36 PM

i have skimmed through most of this thread and i was able to see the only two pictures of what the show looked like. but does anyone have any videos of ths how in action?

PaulKTF

11-23-2010, 03:02 PM

It didn't go out of business. They changed the concept and Hannah didn't fit in with the new direction. I don't know if it is still in business or not but it didn't close when they got rid of the show.

The location was bought by another company alltogether, no? I don't think it's the same people running it now as were running it when it was Hannah's. THe new peple simply bought the leased space. I don't think it's the same games and rides in the place as were there before (?).

Any way; It's been years since it changed over and as far as I know we've seen nothing of the Hannah/Billy Bob/Looney mechs since then. All that money they spent on the custom work (not to mention getting it shipped over there), and all for nothing it seems. I just hate it when entire shows go missing in action.

They obviously couldn't keep it going if they closed (or sold it, if that's what happened) and that's unfortunate considering all the work Aaaron, Jenn, and Steve put into converting Mitzi, and programing the new material and hiring the new talent to voice Hannah.

captslappy

11-23-2010, 03:46 PM

It did get sold to new owners. I don't know about the games and rides but my understanding is that yes, it did continue to operate as a FEC with a new theme and they just took the show down. Maybe the old owners kept the costume and robots. No one knows what happened to it after that and I have no idea if it is still in business or not.

PaulKTF

11-23-2010, 03:48 PM

rolfedewolfe

11-23-2010, 03:49 PM

PaulKTF

11-23-2010, 03:58 PM

Just my opinion, but I think it would make more sense to use the floorspace that would be occupied by a stage of animatronics for a small bowling alley for kids/teens. We have a FEC with this setup and it's very popular. Oh yeah - and it actually generates revenue.

However, I agree with the group. As a fan of the Rockafire who grew up in the 80's, I hate to see these characters disappear.

Bowling is great but a bowling alley (even a small one) would take considerably more space than any stage for a show. Plus; if people want to bowl and have a party; there are plenty of existing bowling alleys.

rolfedewolfe

11-23-2010, 04:04 PM

Bowling is great but a bowling alley (even a small one) would take considerably more space than any stage for a show. Plus; if people want to bowl and have a party; there are plenty of existing bowling alleys.

I disagree. The bowling alley concept that I'm referring to takes potentially less space than a show with mechs, and the younger kids absolutely love it, as it is catered to their bowling abilities. Check out the pic below. I'm telling you, these things are a hit!

1435

circuspizzafan

11-23-2010, 04:19 PM

To me that looks like way more room than a show and deff bigger then the stage setup at hannah bananas

PaulKTF

11-23-2010, 04:22 PM

I disagree. The bowling alley concept that I'm referring to takes potentially less space than a show with mechs, and the younger kids absolutely love it, as it is catered to their bowling abilities. Check out the pic below. I'm telling you, these things are a hit!

1435

Ah! I had no idea anything like that existed. I thought you were talking about the standard-length traditional bowling lane. That little thing doesn't look like it would be as much fun as "real" bowling (to me, anyway).

rolfedewolfe

11-23-2010, 04:41 PM

Ah! I had no idea anything like that existed. I thought you were talking about the standard-length traditional bowling lane. That little thing doesn't look like it would be as much fun as "real" bowling (to me, anyway).

Agreed, it would not be as much fun as "real" bowling for you and me. But remember the target demographic. Kids under 12 love these bowling lanes. This place is not far from my house, and it's an absolute hit when it comes to FEC. They also have arcade games, mini golf, and go carts.

andy91

11-26-2010, 05:12 AM

mini bowling is actually kinda a cool concept but weve done it and id expect itd be cool for probably more the elementry school ages 1st thru 5th grades my 3 year old didnt like it but it required some reading and concentration because their is strategy involved

rafire

12-01-2010, 10:26 PM

i have skimmed through most of this thread and i was able to see the only two pictures of what the show looked like. but does anyone have any videos of ths how in action?

this is the only video i can find of the show in action. the place looked pretty good, i'm just wondering why it didn't last.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMPGNGvycn0

PaulKTF

07-14-2011, 11:45 AM

I know this is an old thread but...

Did we ever find out what happened to the Billy Bob and Mitzi (Hannah) that were shipped over for this FEC?

The people invovled spent god knows how much on the mechs, the custom retrofiting of Mitzi, and the new programing, only for the place to close less than a year later (!).

What a waste of time and effort that turned out to be. Plus; now there are one less Billy Bob and Mitzi out "in the wild" or in private collectors' hands.

I wonder where they ended up? I have a feeling they'll collect dust somewhere before being junked. I sort of doubt the place will re-open in a new location and it's not like they're very easy to re-sell... At some point; someone's going to say "These things are taking up a lot of space, and aren't doing me any good, so to the dump they go!". :(

----------

Did the place even last 9 months? I remember being shocked at just how fast they closed. I know if I'd put the effort that Jenn and Aaron did into it; I'd be sort of mad that the show's been in storage for 3 years or so now (and sure; they got paid for the work but I mean aside from that).

If the show hasn't been placed elsewhere by now (and as far as we know; it hasn't); what are the odds it will ever be re-sold? That's the problem with having a show customized like this- it's unsellable elsewhere because nobody else is going to use the Hannah's character ever again (it's a pretty ugly character design; IMHO and I think that was part of the problem with trying to re-sell it).

So now; someone is stuck with Billy Bob and Hannah mechs; the props, the show material, and the speakers all taking up space in a storage room somewhere that hasn't been run in 3 years... I wonder if the whole show has already been junked? If we're lucky; maybe it would be sold to a fan who can re-convert her back to Mitzi? I think it's far more likely that the whole setup will be sent to the dump. :(

----------

I bet the project spent more time in development at CEI than it did as a usable stage show at Hannah's when you consider all the man-hours of work that went into it.

Does anyone have a list of show material that was created for this? I know there was a "new" version of Sal's Birthday...

CECFizzeh

07-14-2011, 11:52 PM

Very cool, Did Aaron create Hannah Banana? if I spelt that right. xD

PaulKTF

07-14-2011, 11:56 PM

Very cool, Did Aaron create Hannah Banana? if I spelt that right. xD

No; he and Jenn simply took a Mitzi and made new cosmetics and a new mask to make the Mitzi mech look like Hannah. Hannah was created by a couple of people in the U.K several years ago.

CECFizzeh

07-14-2011, 11:58 PM

Oh, I've only seen one video. It's looks okay but their costume looks completely bonkers!

PaulKTF

07-15-2011, 12:41 AM

Not that it matters anymore but I think the design of the face (on the character; not just the mask on the mech) is ugly; and I think the outfit tries too hard to be "hip". I'm not saying the place would have survived with a better mascot, but maybe...

I can imagine some kids were scared by the character because of the design- sort of like those early CEC walkarounds.

----------

P.S- I think the mask on the mech is a great representation of the character CEI was given to work with- from a technical standpoint it (and the new cosmetics) look really great and Jenn did fantastic work.

It's just the overall character design that I just don't like. The walkaround in particular looked pretty creepy (you can see it in the video on YouTube). The color scheme (purple and red?) for the clothes was weird; and the banana hat (?) is just odd.

Again; I'm not saying a better character design would have saved thie place; but the design they went with might have contributed to kids and parents staying away.