Do Arcade games, lovable characters and pizza sound like a winning combination? Nolan Bushnell,
the founder of Atari thought so. Chuck E. Cheese are known far and wide as a fun place
for kids to hang out so it's time to dive into the secrets surrounding this pizza loving
mouse. Here are the top 10 untold truths about Chuck E. Cheese.
Breaking Records at Chuck E. Cheese
As you probably know Chuck E. Cheese is known for all the fun kids can have as they enjoy
pizza, arcade games and other activities. One of these activities is birthday parties.
Chuck E. Cheese gets a lot of its business from hosting birthday parties for kids of
all ages. Kids like to make noise which means they like to blow as hard as they can on the
noisemakers called party blowers. Since Chuck E. Cheese often has a lot of kids on hand
anyway, the company decided to take things to the next level and go for the world record.
Guinness got involved in 2017 to make sure it would be an officially sanctioned record
attempt. The record breaking party was scheduled to be part of Chuck E. Cheese’s 40th Anniversary
celebration. The event took place at all 550 U.S. and Canadian locations. This event required
some planning because to break they record they needed to get more than 6,000 kids together
at the same time to wail on the party blowers for at least ten seconds all at the same time.
Mission accomplished: Chuck E. Cheese is currently the Guinness Book of Records holder in the
fun-loving category. This recognition hasn't slowed down the partying one bit as a lot
of birthday parties are held at the hundreds of Chuck E. Cheese locations everyday.
Send In The Animatronics
Kids love these animatronic characters because they are fun and larger than life, but the
founders of Chuck E. Cheese had much more practical reasons for championing the robotic
animals. Like most things in business it was the bottom line. These attractions were billed
as free to draw in wary parents concerned that they would have to shell out pockets
of money to have their children entertained. There's no doubt it worked - these animatronic
characters have always been a very popular part of the Chuck E. Cheese experience. These
characters put on different kinds of musical shows at different store locations and do
a pretty good job of entertaining children and parents alike as everyone plays games
and eats too much pizza. The band of characters is known as the Pizza Time Players, and although
they have thrilled children since 1977, the company decided to break up the band in 2017.
A company spokesperson explained that the technology couldn't keep up with today's tech-savvy
children. I suppose in an era of smart phones and drones, the clanking animatronic characters
do seem a little behind the times. However, there was something charming about these classic
characters that microprocessors can't replace. The cartoon versions of these characters live
on, but they can't have nearly the immediacy or effectiveness of characters children can
touch and interact with.
Piñatas and Chuck E. Cheese
Bashing piñatas has long been a favorite party game for children and adults alike.
Seeing children scramble for the candy and prizes as they explode from the bowels of
a colorful paper carcass is the highlight of many children's parties. However, this
is not the case at your local Chuck E. Cheese location. At some point the powers that be
at Chuck E. Cheese decided that swinging a big stick in a group of children is not the
safest or sanest way to celebrate a children's birthday. For this reason traditional piñatas
are not allowed at parties, but Chuck E. Cheese will gladly sell you a "pull-string" variation
of a piñata. It doesn't sound like nearly as much fun as the traditional piñata. It
seems like the company agrees because they tout their arcade games tickets and other
activities very prominently and leave the mention of the "pull-string piñatas” to
the end because let's face it: they're just not as much of a selling point as the classic
piñatas. Although some of the fun is gone, this decision does make sense in the confines
of a loud restaurant filled with excited, screaming children hopped up on pizza and
cake. Does this mean no more pin the tail on the donkey either?
Say Cheese!
This might comes as a surprise to many of you, but for some reason Chuck E. Cheese sell
packages of their cheese for individual sale. Is there something unique about the mozzarella
the company uses to make its pizza? There’s no doubt mozzarella cheese is a popular food
and an essential ingredient of pizza, but it does seem a little bit odd that the company
that sells itself as a gaming and party spot for kids wanted to dive into the retail food
game. Regardless of the reasons, retailers such as Walmart proudly offer several varieties
of Chuck E. Cheese products including packages of mozzarella string cheese. This seems to
be nothing more than an attempt to capitalize on a brand name. I suppose the irony of a
mouse mascot selling cheese to human customers doesn't hurt either. With a lovable mouse
marketing the cheese, the company is probably bringing in a sizeable hunk of cheddar to
enhance its entertainment empire. Chuck E. Cheese must use thousands of pounds of shredded
mozzarella to make its pizzas, so I suppose it makes sense for them to sell the cheese
as well. No word on whether or not the company will expand into other foods such as pizza
sauce or frosting.
The Marvelous Mr. Munch
Despite the strange blonde hairdo that makes him look like a blend of Barney and President
Trump, Mr. Munch has long been a fan favorite. He is a valued member of Chuck E. Cheese’s
band. Later he distinguished himself as the front man for the band "Munch's Make Believe
Band." Not to be confused with Munchies snack chips, from Frito Lay, Mr. Munch is also the
star of an internet show called "Musings With Mr. Munch." He has been associated with Chuck
E. Cheese since he appeared at the opening of the company's second store in November,
1978. Perhaps his purple persona was inspired by the popular McDonaldland character Grimace
(the creators aren't saying.) But whatever the inspiration for him this lovable monster
has become a popular character with children of all ages. Unlike the other animatronic
characters who are animals, Mr. Munch is a fantastical creature. He’s known for scarfing
up generous amounts of pizza when he's not on stage with his band or recording his show.
Unfortunately Mr. Munch was retired a few years ago along with the other animatronic
characters. This was a loss for Chuck E. Cheese and for the many children who visit the stores.
The Evolution of Chuck
The mouse mascot who gives his name to kids pizza and game emporium Chuck E. Cheese started
life as a rat. You might ask: what's the difference between a mouse and a rat anyway? This is
a good question and one not really addressed by the company as Chuck went through his evolution
over the years. The official backstory of the mechanical mouse is quite elaborate. Chuck
doesn't know when his own birthday is, so instead he was inspired to celebrate others
birthdays. He grew up in an orphanage. He started his career singing in pizza restaurants
in New York City after winning an Atari Pong tournament. With his friend Pasqually, Chuck
moved to California where they started a restaurant of their own. Pasqually became a renowned
pizza chef while Chuck formed a band. Along with other band members, the pair performed
a stage act. However, Chuck E. Cheese’s favorite and most important job is to host
childrens birthday parties, which places the mouse in very high demand. Chuck's appearance
has changed over the years. He has morphed from a streetwise rat with a New York accent
into a lovable cartoonish mouse. This friendlier version of a rodent is definitely the right
choice to sell fun and pizza to children of all stripes.
Nick Jonas Loves Pizza
Nick Jonas is a successful singer, songwriter and actor. He has been a key part of the Jonas
Brother musical group with brothers Kevin and Joe. The talented trio released its first
album It's About Time, in 2006. The three brothers gained more fame through their association
with the Disney Channel. There is no doubt Nick Jonas has an impressive resume, but he
did some early work for a mouse not named Mickey. A young and adorable Nick Jonas can
be seen in an old Chuck E. Cheese commercial that can be viewed at your leisure on Youtube.
Young Nick Jonas displays a lot of enthusiasm and energy as he romps around a restaurant
filled with kids seemingly competing to have the most fun they can. The young soon-to-be
star appeared in at least two Chuck E. Cheese commercials along with Chuck. The famous cartoon
mouse is seen extolling all the fun possibilities the kids have to choose from. These commercials
definitely highlight the games and activities over the food items, which can only be glimpsed
at the edge of shots of blinking and whirling arcade games. Do you think Nick has happy
memories of his time as a kid paid to be part of Chuck E. Cheese’s world? Entertainers
have definitely been involved with much more embarrassing projects that helped launch their
entertainment careers. The soon to be star probably had a good time hanging out with
Chuck and eating too much pizza.
The Six Million Ticket Mouse
The tickets are a big deal at Chuck E. Cheese. Kids love them, they are a form of kid friendly
currency that the tykes can accumulate for all kinds of cool prizes. You need to earn
a minimum of 22 tickets to collect any prizes, but to be a success at Chuck's you want to
gather many more than just 22. One of the best way to get some free tickets is to camp
out for the Chuck E. Cheese appearances that happen about every thirty minutes. This mascot
mouse performs his signature dance then throws a pawful of tickets into the air. But beware,
kids will scramble for these tickets with reckless abandon and could cause more mayhem
than when they were swinging sticks at piñatas. With help from their parents, kids can fill
out and submit what's called incentive sheets for things like completing their chores and
reading books. These sheets are easy to complete and worth about ten tickets each. Another
quick trick is to keep your receipts because sometimes you'll be offered as many as 100
tickets just for filling out a survey. Probably the biggest single opportunity kids have for
tickets is at the famous birthday party celebrations. As part of the festivities, kids can experience
what's known as the ticket blaster. Each child goes into this plastic booth where tickets
are floating around inside for the taking - this is a kid's dream come true and would
be a cool highlight to any birthday party!
Pizza: The Logical Choice
Chuck E. Cheese founder Nolan Bushnell was a fairly practical man. As a businessman,
he wanted a surefire way to make both children and adults happy. Naturally the answer was
pizza. As the founder explained, pizza is hard to screw up. Cheese, sauce and bread
are delicious ingredients that most of us like. Even mediocre pizza is usually worth
eating because let's face it: bread, sauce, cheese and toppings are just a winning combination.
The myriad of mom and pop pizza shops as well as international chains are testaments to
the enduring popularity of pizza. Chuck E. Cheese’s site boasts about its pizza and
focuses on the fresh made dough that is made with flour and 80 degree water. Cheese is
important at Chuck E. Cheese so the company only uses fresh mozzarella on all the pizzas.
The ovens are set at 500 degrees - the perfect temperature to bake a delicious golden brown
pizza pie. Not surprisingly, pepperoni pizzas are the fan favorite at Chuck E. Cheese for
both kids and parents, and the classic cheese comes in a close second. Like many restaurants
today, these restaurants offer a gluten free pizza option for customers with this food
sensitivity. For customers looking for healthier fare than pizza, there is the option of an
endless salad bar, but this doesn't seem like a very fun meal to pair with video games does
it?
Pong And Pizza
Even if you are not a fan of Chuck E. Cheese you're likely a fan of video games. If this
is the case then you have Nolan Bushnell to thank for their tremendous popularity. He
is the founder of Atari as well, putting video games into peoples homes. Back in the 1970's,
Bushnell conceived of Chuck E. Cheese restaurants as a way to get kids to play with his Atari
video games. Until he came up with a way to use the games in his own store, he was selling
the arcade games to to other retailers. Mr. Bushnell's move into the market was a smart
model that lured kids in with pizza and fun animatronic characters that sang and danced.
When Chuck E. Cheese needed to file bankruptcy in 1984, the company was snatched up by its
competitor ShowBiz Pizza Place. However, by 1992 ShowBiz had decided to unify the companies
under the Chuck E. Cheese brand. There are now more than 500 locations for kids to enjoy,
so that's a lot of pizza and a lot of tickets. Mr. Bushnell told people that he had always wanted
to work for the Walt Disney Company, but he had been turned down for employment several
times early in his career. With Chuck E. Cheese he delivered his own brand of kid friendly
fun that is still popular with kids and parents alike.
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