| Billy Bob's Wonderland | |
| Current-Owner: | Mark Hoffman |
| Street-Address: | 5 Cracker Barrel Dr |
| City: | Barboursville |
| County: | Cabell County |
| State: | West Virginia |
| Postcode: | 25701 |
| Country: | USA |
Billy Bob's Wonderland is a restaurant located in Barboursville, West Virginia, next to the Huntington Mall.
In 1989, Billy Bob's Wonderland, known as ShowBiz Pizza, opened due to the area's rapid growth following the launch of the Huntington Mall.[1] Nine years later in 1998, before the ShowBiz Pizza Place and Chuck E Cheese merger,[2] Billy Bob's Wonderland rebranded and became independent from there parent company.[3]
In 2020, Billy Bob's Wonderland started its annual convention Billy Con. For the past four years Billy Con has attracted national recognition with the popularity of the Rock-afire Explosion Band and the recent popularity of animatronics.[4] [5] Three years later in 2023, Billy Bob's Wonderland is bought out by Fun City Arcade.[6]
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]
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]