Taking Sides: Showbiz Pizza Place vs. Chuck E. Cheese's

Chuck E. Cheese owns my early eighties memories. We went to the local one last year for a friend's birthday (his choice) -- it wasn't all that, I realized, and my childhood is again destroyed.

but, the important part...they made us all sign agreements not to shop at any of the competitors. then one of the girls i used to work shifts with got caught at her little brother's birthday party in a chuck e. cheese and subsequently was fired.

it's crazy how seriously we were supposed to take the whole schtick.

My Epitaph:
"Dook the space dog drummer is now a pizza cook named Pasqually"

??

http://the-results.com/rocka.jpg

I once saw the Rock-A-Fire Explosion cover Abbey Road one night. The robotic animals sang the chorus to "The End" and the curtains closed. The lights came on, and I started bugging my step-dad for more tokens. Before I knew it, the lights went out again and Billy Bob's curtain opened up. He sang "Her Majesty", the curtains closed, and the lights came on again.

My step-dad just sat there slack-jawed.

http://the-results.com/jcat.jpg

That's not me, by the way. Just some dude who was in my apartment at the time.

I'm not just making them jiggle around.

As a very young man, beating Chucky Cheese was all I lived for.

I had to eat at a Chuck E. Cheese last Christmas - the pepperoni pizza was sweet, which is just wrong on so many levels.

It took that dude forever to put it on youtube

Not sure if the youtube is related to this as I'm getting a "this is a private youtube" blockade.

MOM vs. MOM at a Mass Chuck E. Cheese

Moms allegedly brawl at Chuck E. Cheese
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NATICK, Mass. -- A child's birthday party at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant was cut short after a fight broke out between two mothers. Natick police said the mom of the 9-year-old birthday boy apparently became enraged because the other woman's son was "hogging" an arcade game.

Sgt. Paul Thompson said Catherine Aliaga, 38, and Tarsha Williams, 33, both of Boston, would be summoned into court to answer charges of simple assault and battery stemming from the scuffle.

Thompson told the MetroWest Daily News that police received a number of 911 calls about the fight Saturday night.

He said what started as a birthday celebration turned into a "birthday melee."

It's wrong, but a YouTube of this is U&K

Aaron's been busy:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ur8AwQHusZw

Ever want to see the Showbiz band perform Usher?

let me take credit for finding that on youtube because it was so awesome
You Tube thread chalkfull...

oh my god i am choking

from that aaron fetcher post, havent seen the vid yet

As a very young man, beating Chucky Cheese was all I lived for.

I've only been to Chuck E. Cheese's, but Showbiz is obviously a happenin' place to be.

http://www.lizandlaura.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/jasper-henny-and-mr-munch.gif

Chuck E Cheese's other characters.

I guess you can't go in there if you're over 18.....

holy shit this thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ETK24ax-9A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iJwEbrRzaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iJwEbrRzaA

i found out not too long ago that the woman who owns a caroling company that I gig for each holiday season recorded the vocals for Mitzi Mozzarella in the Rock-a-Fire Explosion at Showbiz. that made my childhood feel retroactively more awesome.

I went to Chuck E Cheese for my niece's birthday a few months ago and they intro'd Chuck E as the "most famous mouse in the world!"

Pssh. Don't kid yourself, Chuckster.

Also I thought he was a rat not a mouse. Some serious rodent-washing going on.

this thread is fucking amazing!

Pop lock it!

wow this thread delivers.

after getting to "I even married Mitzi in the mid-80s in a mock wedding" I had to walk around a bit

Been to Chuck E.'s three times in the past few months (with another appointment in two weeks.)

They don't even have the animatronics anymore! Just a huge screen up in the front playing Pharrell videos.

You should see my daughter wandering through the consoles, clutching her plastic cup of tokens, same blank look I've seen on old ladies at Sam's Town Casino.

http://i.imgur.com/sj1toYH.gif

http://i.imgur.com/TRuoxot.gif

the Key & Peele film Keanu seemed to hint at a possible Rock-afire sub-plot, but it never materialized

Showbiz Pizza Serves Up Fun At A Higher Decibel
October 17, 1986 - By Margaret Sheridan.

To get a kick out of Showbiz Pizza Place, you don`t have to own some munchkins or borrow a few nieces or nephews. But kids do play a big part at this sprawling restaurant and entertainment center.

There are cartoon videos and troupes of animated robots that dance and sing. Games of skill bring the boy out of every dad; freshly made cotton candy brings the kid out of every adult. Imagine Great America under a roof and you`ve got an idea of the intimacy. It`s noisy and overstimulating and a solution for parents with a neighborhood of kids.

Nothing fancy about the menu. It`s finger fuel served in picnic table formality. Nachos, sandwiches with baked fillings and hot dogs better known as torpedoes reign. Hot fudge sundaes (from 99 cents) sport whipped cream and cherries, and there`s ice cream on a stick. Adults are not forgotten. A carefully maintained salad bar with 16 items caters to light appetites. Beer and wine are available to quench grown-up thirst.

Best bet is the pizza, made from fresh dough and good ingredients. It comes in four sizes--from individual ($2.49) to large (price varies with toppings). For extra items, tack on 50 cents. Be sure to take home the leftovers. Even reheated, they pass the good taste test.

Keep your eyes peeled on the video screens. Food orders are placed and paid for at the main food counter. And when your meal is ready, the order number is flashed on video screens positioned all over the various entertainment rooms.

With flashing lights and blinking videos, singing robots and the clang of games, there`s a feast for the eyes and maybe too much din for adult ears. It`s fun but not free. Games cost a token (25 cents each or 24 for $5). Every food purchase worth $2 entitles you to a token.

Need a birthday party? Showbiz Pizza Place hosts them. There`s a six-person minimum at $4.95 per munchkin; the price includes pizza, beverage, birthday cake, party favors, balloons and a gift from robot Billy Bob. Each guest gets five tokens; the celebrant, 10.

Other Showbiz Pizza Place locations are Matteson, Darien, Arlington Heights, Naperville and Joliet.

SHOWBIZ PIZZA PLACE

(STAR)(STAR)

4031 W. 95th St., Oak Lawn. Phone: 425-5800. Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri., Sat.; to 10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.

$4.95 per munchkin; the price includes pizza, beverage, birthday cake, party favors, balloons and a gift from robot Billy Bob. Each guest gets five tokens;

Whoa. For $5?!

I took one of my kids to a Chuck E Cheese a month ago and it was ghastly.

My kid hated too.

They did have animatronics though.

in 1986 xp