How The Party Got Started
Zany Games, Inc. is the leading high-quality electronic entertainment company in the United States. Our patented Automatronic® systems give an immersive experience for guests unlike anything seen before.
Founded 27 years ago as “JMC Engineering” by Juan and Mary Carter, Zany Games, Inc. got its start designing low-capacity crane arms and construction equipment. Two years later, they turned their attention towards the rapidly growing industry of themed entertainment restaurants, and after many years of development, opened ZG Pizza & Play.
ZG Pizza & Play
Note: some information on this page may be redacted in compliance with an ongoing investigation.
w̷̯͐ḧ̷̢̤͎́̏y̵̻͎̰̏̈ ̸͇̜͇͚͕͕̔̎̂͌͐͘͘̚͜͠ͅd̴̨̺̘̩̪̿̿̿͘͠ḯ̸͍̱͉͎͈̖̀̇̀͜ͅḓ̵̣͕̣̏̽̉͜ ̸̡̛̤̲̗͚̄̄͋̂̿y̵̛͖̝̜̻̻͍̽̍̍̆̓̋̈́͐͜ǫ̸̨͚̳̞͇̱͕̊̿͂͗ù̶͕̖̺̮̳̉̀̾͐̉͘ ̴͚̰̲̤̗͎͑͊̄̽̈́̉̈́͐͜ͅâ̷̛̱̰̱̲̲̈́̈́̕b̸̧̪̭͍̘͆̾̚a̷̦̍̃̔͒̆̄̀͝͠n̷͓̬̤̏d̴̦̙̭͉̻̖̂͂͑̂̅̃̿̀͝o̴̡͉̪̝͚̝̾͆͑̒̉̓̚͠n̵̖̜̞̭͍̠̊̌̏̍̆͒͘͝ ̸̰̽́̎̆͂̐͊̀͘m̷̲̫̭̟͉̌͂͊ͅȩ̵̢̩̤͔̬̟̦͑̍ͅ
Originally opening in ███, ZG Pizza & Play introduced the small town of █████████, ███████, U.S.A., to the world of animatronic entertainment. Their animatronics, dubbed Automatronics®, featured state of the art technology never seen before.
Incorporating high-end pneumatic piston technology from their previous endeavors, JMC Engineering created a lifelike feel to their characters which had simply never been achieved before. Two years later, in the interest of appealing more to mainstream media, JMC Engineering became Zany Games, Incorporated.
Their first animaronic character, Brutus the Beaver™, was met with raving reviews when unveiled, with The Daily Mechanic calling him "unbelievably lifelike."
Two years later, ZG, Inc. would develop the WalkAround system, which used several hydraulic pistons in the legs to allow the Automatronics® to move freely around the dining establishment, effectively eliminating the need for costly and uncomfortable human-wearable suits.
Venture Into Handheld Devices
Zany Games, Inc. is perhaps most well-known for its handheld devices. Starting in 1992 when the Z.G. Pocket was released. This handheld Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) was extremely popular as the internet had begun to sprout into existence. While this first model was met with a lukewarm reception—as many customers bought it expecting it to be a gaming device—it still remained a staple office appliance for many, and has a niche but dedicated following today.
Shortly thereafer, though, ZG, Inc., moved their focus towards handheld gaming devices, introducing the Z.G. Pocket Extreme (oft. shortened to Z.G. Pockex) in 1997. This version of the Z.G. Pocket has many more features, including a full-color screen, 16-bit processor, internet features, and an experimental global positioning system (GPS), though later models have done away with this feature in the interest of reducing consumer cost.
The Z.G. Pockex was astronomically successful, putting ZG, Inc. "on the map" in the world of video games and digital entertainment. Currently, nine games have been released by ZG, Inc. for the Z.G. Pockex. (See "Handheld Games" page for more information.)
Where We Are Today
Just two years ago, Zany Games, Inc. was inherited by the progeny of Juan and Mary, Mimi Carter, and has once again shifted its focus to the animatronic entertainment business with ToonQuest Arcade. ToonQuest Arcade is an authentically vintage diner-meets-museum experience, bringing back the feeling of years past. With three floors of games and entertainment, including live music from the Automatronic characters, the fun is almost endless!
Come, play, make friends, and enjoy the world of ZG, Inc.'s ToonQuest Arcade!