I always wanted to assist Jasper, although Chuck is pretty fun to chill with
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Disney and Chuck E Cheese
- Thread starter englanddg
- Start date
When he left our store he gave me his overalls.
For anyone who's curious...Here's how the new CEC Live stage looks that is being rolled out.
In some stories I am writing with my friend Elizabeth, Mickey and Chuck are very good friends as well as entertainment rivals/partners. This is based on the fact that back in 1994, the showtapes were (initially) being made by The Walt Disney Company.
Here's our latest story, Sailing the Seas of Love.
Sailing the Seas of Love
Synopsis: After the birth of Paprika Talia Reubens, Mr. and Mrs. Mouse invite the Rangers, Warriors, robots and fellow theme park characters...
elizabethberndt.blogspot.com
They even spoofed Mickey's sorcerer outfit from Fantasia.
And Mickey was even asked to do Chuck E.'s dance steps once.
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Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
There is a hilarious video clip from the late 1990s that was sent to Chuck E. Cheese's locations from Home Office on the end of one of the Live Showtapes.
Back then, the Company would often squeeze a 'message from Home Office' video onto the very end of a ten minute VHS Showtape for employees to watch.
I discovered this gem while working for CEC back in the early 2000's as i collected the older VHS Shows and training materials.
The video featured a costumed Chuck E. using a plush Mickey Mouse and trying to imitate his voice, talking to the viewers.
As the camera pulled back, you could see the plush was being animated by Chuck himself, who then stops the hyperactive Mickey banter and directs his attention to the plush, scolding it, saying -
"This town ain'nt big enough for the two of us!"
Total smackdown...it was very funny.
I still have that tape.
Here is a quick clip of said video someone else uploaded onto YouTube.
Unfortunately, the picture quality is bad and this is not the entire clip...it is missing the entire beginning where Chuck E. is performing with the plush in his funny vocal impersonation of Mickey -
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Back then, the Company would often squeeze a 'message from Home Office' video onto the very end of a ten minute VHS Showtape for employees to watch.
I discovered this gem while working for CEC back in the early 2000's as i collected the older VHS Shows and training materials.
The video featured a costumed Chuck E. using a plush Mickey Mouse and trying to imitate his voice, talking to the viewers.
As the camera pulled back, you could see the plush was being animated by Chuck himself, who then stops the hyperactive Mickey banter and directs his attention to the plush, scolding it, saying -
"This town ain'nt big enough for the two of us!"
Total smackdown...it was very funny.
I still have that tape.
Here is a quick clip of said video someone else uploaded onto YouTube.
Unfortunately, the picture quality is bad and this is not the entire clip...it is missing the entire beginning where Chuck E. is performing with the plush in his funny vocal impersonation of Mickey -
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VJ
Well-Known Member
Count me in as another "veteran" (though not from inside the company) of the fandom; been following the company since I was around 10 in 2005 (mostly through the aforementioned ShowBizPizza.com and the message boards on that site). It always amuses me when Disney and CEC cross paths in discussions because my life was surrounded by both of them as a child.
I was following everything back in 2012 during the "New Chuck" rollout (and the scandal we called "Funnergate"); Duncan Brannan was let go by CEC and he only found out after reading the news article on SP.com.. "good" times.
I was following everything back in 2012 during the "New Chuck" rollout (and the scandal we called "Funnergate"); Duncan Brannan was let go by CEC and he only found out after reading the news article on SP.com.. "good" times.
FettFan
Well-Known Member
That doesn't compare to the Grossness that was Mickey's Kitchen..I remember the Test Kitchen at Woodfield Mall in Schamburg IL..
If you had thought you were going to get food that they Served in the Theme Parks out of state...Well, Be Prepared to be Dissapointed..
That honestly looks like it belongs at the Land Pavilion.
Magenta Panther
Well-Known Member
Well, since it's CEC confession time...
Actually, I'm not connected with CEC at all. BUT I have a relative who knew the guy who helped design the characters for CEC. This was some time ago, when I was a kid. And I remember seeing some of the character sketches. Here's what I remember of them:
Chuck was actually going to be paired with a cat. The cat was a baseball fan, I believe, and wore a baseball hat.
There were girl singers who were birds. Crows, I think.
And there was a pig singer. Blonde hair. Miss Piggy without the ears. The cat and the crows and the pig didn't make the final cut for the AAs, apparently. I don't know why.
Years later when I saw the Rockafire explosion in person at a CEC, I thought they were disturbing. Especially the girl mouse. Too big, and moved like she had palsy. Ick.
Actually, I'm not connected with CEC at all. BUT I have a relative who knew the guy who helped design the characters for CEC. This was some time ago, when I was a kid. And I remember seeing some of the character sketches. Here's what I remember of them:
Chuck was actually going to be paired with a cat. The cat was a baseball fan, I believe, and wore a baseball hat.
There were girl singers who were birds. Crows, I think.
And there was a pig singer. Blonde hair. Miss Piggy without the ears. The cat and the crows and the pig didn't make the final cut for the AAs, apparently. I don't know why.
Years later when I saw the Rockafire explosion in person at a CEC, I thought they were disturbing. Especially the girl mouse. Too big, and moved like she had palsy. Ick.
TwilightZone
Well-Known Member
I'm the kind of fan who doesn't have much memories of the place, but the history of it fascinates (and somewhat depresses) me. I love learning something new about the animatronics and the chuck e cheese/rock a fire characters.
The most interesting to me is still the awesome adventure machine. It looks amazing! But I can see why it didn't happen.
Though, concept unification comes really close.
The most interesting to me is still the awesome adventure machine. It looks amazing! But I can see why it didn't happen.
Though, concept unification comes really close.
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
A few characters you mention are here...
But, thanks to a recent game and it's Horror plotline...Many find them even more creepy due to it's popularity ..
Magenta Panther
Well-Known Member
A few characters you mention are here...
But, thanks to a recent game and it's Horror plotline...Many find them even more creepy due to it's popularity ..
Gaahhh. The drawings actually looked better than this...I guess some art just doesn't translate well when built in three dimensions.
The pig looks a lot different in that picture than in the art I saw. That pig had long blonde hair and no ears. As for the cat, it was gray, not black and white. The bird ladies were indeed called The Warblettes, now that I recall. Looked a lot more feminine in the art.
Those things are awful, aren't they? Almost as bad as their punny names. Were all of them actual AAs, displayed in a pizza joint? Or were at least some of them just prototypes? I can't believe anyone would want to watch those things in action. Especially while eating...
TwilightZone
Well-Known Member
That series isn't so recent anymore.
It's still ongoing...just the initial game isn't recent anymore...just for clarification
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
Well, they do what most popular IP's do.....Butcher it to the ground....That series isn't so recent anymore.
It's still ongoing...just the initial game isn't recent anymore...just for clarification
Cmdr_Crimson
Well-Known Member
I agree it's difficult to make 2D to 3D AA's with actual dimensions..
That's how Five Nights was created since they gave off a creepy vibe...
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Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
Very cool.
Harold Goldbrandsen, by chance?
Jack Black?
Mike Hatcher..?
I'd like to hear more about your relative if you fancy a private chat about it.
The era the characters you mention are from the original early Pizza Time Theater era ( 1977-1979 period ).
The 'baseball hat wearing cat' you mention became 'Crusty the Cat', who was Chuck E.s original sidekick who appeared alongside him at the first two PTTs in CA in 1977 and 1978.
Two versions of his portrait frame encased animatronic were made, and one of them still exists in a private collection.
This character was phased out in 1979 with the introduction of Mr. Munch, who replaced Crusty in his absence.
A creative dispute between the two primary folks handling the characters ( Harold G / designer - Mike Hatcher / animation programmer ) led to Crusty getting the boot in favor of Munch.
Mike wanted a 'Cookie Monster' character, but Harold fought to keep Crusty.
The original Munch concept drawings were done by the teenage daughter of one of the designers working for the Company at the time.
The 'girl singers' were The Warblettes, the 'soul singing Magpies' who were the animatronic characters' official backup singers.
They appeared at all PTTs from 1977 until the mid-1980s, swaying side to side and singing offstage above one of the side doors that typically flanked the stage setup used at that time.
Two primarily looks existed, the original black and white version of the Birds and also a 'Rainbow' version which was also produced starting in 1982.
'Madame Oink' is the other character you mentioned, who in the early 70s looked very similar to Miss Piggy of Muppets fame.
She was a 'Guest' character, who was designed to be interchangeable with the exsiting mechanical figures already installed in Stores.
PTTs would switch out the female stage character every year or so to keep the show fresh, and this involved just switching out the cosmetic outer pieces of the figure and sending a new Show reel.
Madame Oink was the 'Romantic piggy from Paree' and had three design variations over the years, the best being her 1982 version which was rolled out nationally to all exsisting PTTs open at the time.
Here is a short video showing a 1982 skit featuring her as the Guest character at a Pizza Time Theater back in the day.
It also features The Warblettes in their original black and white incarnation -
Figments Friend
Well-Known Member
And now for something completely different :
Here is fun video for anyone who is not a fan of today's version of CEC -
Watch the original early incarnation of the character ( Classic Rat, the wise-cracking 'Big C' ) take down his annoying, hyperactive current self ( Today's modern 'Rockstar Chuck' ) during a live skit performance at a fan convention back in 2013.
Classic Chuck E. does what EVERY long term fan of the concept wanted to do back in 2012/2013 when the horrendous 'modern' character redesign happened.
Watch and enjoy the laugh -
Here is fun video for anyone who is not a fan of today's version of CEC -
Watch the original early incarnation of the character ( Classic Rat, the wise-cracking 'Big C' ) take down his annoying, hyperactive current self ( Today's modern 'Rockstar Chuck' ) during a live skit performance at a fan convention back in 2013.
Classic Chuck E. does what EVERY long term fan of the concept wanted to do back in 2012/2013 when the horrendous 'modern' character redesign happened.
Watch and enjoy the laugh -
brb1006
Well-Known Member
I miss when Chuck E Cheese used to be charming and genuine in both their Animatronic shows and food offerings. Especially during the 1980's and early to mid 1990's.It is indeed.
Culturally inportant.
Everyone knows this character and almost everyone has been there either as a kid themselves or bringing their own.
Several generations have grown up having parties here and just having fun.
The focus was theatrical ambiance, animatronic entertainment, classic REAL arcade games, and something for the whole family.
Now , it's very narrowly focused and has no ambiance whatsoever.
The entertainment aspects ( exspecially the animatronic show ) is reduced to a forgotten diversion.
Games are primarily ticket redemption or skill games that last all of 10 seconds, if that.
Nothing for the parents to enjoy...or very little depending on the location.
A sad shadow of its former success.
It is indeed the 'poor mans Disney' and it was understood as such many eons ago by leaders who 'got it'.
Creatives and entertainers at heart ran the company back then, not businessmen and profit obsessed pencil pushers.
But somewhere along the line, during the transition between 'creatives' and 'businessmen', the company forgot their roots and are now desperately trying to recapture a audience they lost some time ago.
Drastically redesigning the character, drawing focus away from their unique entertainment offerings, targeting a specific audience, downgrading the quality of their food significantly, and cheapening their product to the point where there is little left to draw appeal.....
It's no wonder they are in a tailspin.
It's not that hard to figure out for someone who has a idea of their past history.
They need showman at the helm to steer this once truly fun concept back on course .....but alas, it is likely too late to save the ship at this point
It has been sinking slowly over the last several years....
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Just look at this commercial from the 1980s when Chuck E Cheese was at it's prime.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
Looks like the only time guests would be able to see the other characters besides Chuck would be on showtapes both in puppet and costume forum. Especially in the 1990s.
brb1006
Well-Known Member
Very cool.
Harold Goldbrandsen, by chance?
Jack Black?
Mike Hatcher..?
I'd like to hear more about your relative if you fancy a private chat about it.
The era the characters you mention are from the original early Pizza Time Theater era ( 1977-1979 period ).
The 'baseball hat wearing cat' you mention became 'Crusty the Cat', who was Chuck E.s original sidekick who appeared alongside him at the first two PTTs in CA in 1977 and 1978.
Two versions of his portrait frame encased animatronic were made, and one of them still exists in a private collection.
This character was phased out in 1979 with the introduction of Mr. Munch, who replaced Crusty in his absence.
A creative dispute between the two primary folks handling the characters ( Harold G / designer - Mike Hatcher / animation programmer ) led to Crusty getting the boot in favor of Munch.
Mike wanted a 'Cookie Monster' character, but Harold fought to keep Crusty.
The original Munch concept drawings were done by the teenage daughter of one of the designers working for the Company at the time.
The 'girl singers' were The Warblettes, the 'soul singing Magpies' who were the animatronic characters' official backup singers.
They appeared at all PTTs from 1977 until the mid-1980s, swaying side to side and singing offstage above one of the side doors that typically flanked the stage setup used at that time.
Two primarily looks existed, the original black and white version of the Birds and also a 'Rainbow' version which was also produced starting in 1982.
'Madame Oink' is the other character you mentioned, who in the early 70s looked very similar to Miss Piggy of Muppets fame.
She was a 'Guest' character, who was designed to be interchangeable with the exsiting mechanical figures already installed in Stores.
PTTs would switch out the female stage character every year or so to keep the show fresh, and this involved just switching out the cosmetic outer pieces of the figure and sending a new Show reel.
Madame Oink was the 'Romantic piggy from Paree' and had three design variations over the years, the best being her 1982 version which was rolled out nationally to all exsisting PTTs open at the time.
Here is a short video showing a 1982 skit featuring her as the Guest character at a Pizza Time Theater back in the day.
It also features The Warblettes in their original black and white incarnation -
Speaking of the early years of Chuck E Cheese, here's footage of the original "Portrait show" format from 1979.
This is from 'Real People' Season 3 Episode 13.
More footage of the Portrait Show form from 1980.
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Magenta Panther
Well-Known Member
Very cool.
Harold Goldbrandsen, by chance?
Jack Black?
Mike Hatcher..?
I'd like to hear more about your relative if you fancy a private chat about it.
The era the characters you mention are from the original early Pizza Time Theater era ( 1977-1979 period ).
The 'baseball hat wearing cat' you mention became 'Crusty the Cat', who was Chuck E.s original sidekick who appeared alongside him at the first two PTTs in CA in 1977 and 1978.
Two versions of his portrait frame encased animatronic were made, and one of them still exists in a private collection.
This character was phased out in 1979 with the introduction of Mr. Munch, who replaced Crusty in his absence.
A creative dispute between the two primary folks handling the characters ( Harold G / designer - Mike Hatcher / animation programmer ) led to Crusty getting the boot in favor of Munch.
Mike wanted a 'Cookie Monster' character, but Harold fought to keep Crusty.
The original Munch concept drawings were done by the teenage daughter of one of the designers working for the Company at the time.
The 'girl singers' were The Warblettes, the 'soul singing Magpies' who were the animatronic characters' official backup singers.
They appeared at all PTTs from 1977 until the mid-1980s, swaying side to side and singing offstage above one of the side doors that typically flanked the stage setup used at that time.
Two primarily looks existed, the original black and white version of the Birds and also a 'Rainbow' version which was also produced starting in 1982.
'Madame Oink' is the other character you mentioned, who in the early 70s looked very similar to Miss Piggy of Muppets fame.
She was a 'Guest' character, who was designed to be interchangeable with the exsiting mechanical figures already installed in Stores.
PTTs would switch out the female stage character every year or so to keep the show fresh, and this involved just switching out the cosmetic outer pieces of the figure and sending a new Show reel.
Madame Oink was the 'Romantic piggy from Paree' and had three design variations over the years, the best being her 1982 version which was rolled out nationally to all exsisting PTTs open at the time.
Here is a short video showing a 1982 skit featuring her as the Guest character at a Pizza Time Theater back in the day.
It also features The Warblettes in their original black and white incarnation -
The relative was my late uncle, who was a machinist in the military. How he knew the designer (whose name I don't remember, if I ever knew it) I have no idea. I just remember being with my uncle on a visit someplace, and seeing those sketches. I was very young. BTW, the cat drawing, I think, showed the cat catching a baseball. FWIW.
Edited to add: I remember now that some of the sketches were later printed in a publication called The Comics Journal. I remember that because my uncle was sent a copy of it (I assume from the designer?) and he showed it to me. FWIW.
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