The Truth About Fnaf's Chuck E. Cheese Inspiration

The popular horror franchise, Five Nights at Freddy's (FNAF), is a video game-turned-movie phenomenon. The story revolves around a security guard, haunted by the disappearance of his brother, who takes a job at a closed-down pizzeria that once featured animatronic characters. The animatronics come to life, and the guard must fight to survive the night and protect his sister. Given the premise, many have drawn comparisons to the Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant chain, known for its animatronic entertainment. While FNAF creator Scott Cawthon has not confirmed a direct inspiration, the parallels are striking, and the theory has gained traction among fans.

The rivalry and merger of two animatronic pizza chains

The video game Five Nights at Freddy's (FNAF) and the pizza chain Chuck E. Cheese have a lot in common. Both are pizzerias with animatronic characters that play music for children. The similarities have led many to believe that the game was inspired by the pizza chain.

The Origins of Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese was founded in 1977 by Nolan Bushnell, the creator of Atari. The pizza chain was originally two separate companies: Pizza Time Theatre and Showbiz Pizza Palace. These two companies were rivals until they eventually merged and became modern-day Chuck E. Cheese.

The Origins of FNAF

FNAF was created by Scott Cawthon and was first released in 2014. The game takes place in Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a fictional animatronic family restaurant. In the game, a nighttime security guard and his little sister must avoid being killed by malevolent animatronic characters.

FNAF's creator, Cawthon, has never confirmed the connection between the game and Chuck E. Cheese. However, there are some striking similarities between the two. For example, in the FNAF novel The Puppet Carver, two rival pizza chains merge to become Fazbear Entertainment Co., similar to the merger of Pizza Time Theatre and Showbiz Pizza Palace to form Chuck E. Cheese. Additionally, both FNAF and Chuck E. Cheese feature animatronic characters that play music for children.

While there may be some parallels between the two, it's important to note that the events in the game are much darker than anything that has occurred in Chuck E. Cheese's history. The game's lore is filled with murder, abduction, and malevolent animatronics. However, there is one theory that connects the game to a specific tragic event in Chuck E. Cheese's past.

The Chuck E. Cheese Tragedy

On December 14, 1993, a former employee of Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, Colorado, shot and killed four employees and injured a fifth. This incident was a real-life shooting that occurred in an old Chuck E. Cheese establishment, and some believe it may have inspired the creation of FNAF. MatPat of The Game Theorists on YouTube was the first to draw this connection, and while it is only a theory, it has gained traction among fans of the game.

In conclusion, while there is no definitive proof that FNAF was based on Chuck E. Cheese, the similarities between the two are hard to ignore. The rivalry and merger of two animatronic pizza chains in the game mirror the real-life history of Chuck E. Cheese. Additionally, the tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado, may have inspired the dark and eerie tone of the game.

The Chuck E. Cheese shooting in Aurora, Colorado

On December 14, 1993, a mass shooting took place at a Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant in Aurora, Colorado. Four employees were killed, and a fifth was seriously injured. The perpetrator, 19-year-old Nathan Dunlap, was a former employee of the restaurant who had been fired five months prior. He entered the restaurant at 9:00 p.m., ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, played arcade games, and hid in the restroom. After closing, Dunlap emerged and shot five employees with a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol. The victims were identified as Sylvia Crowell, 19, Ben Grant, 17, Colleen O'Connor, 17, and Margaret Kohlberg, 50. Bobby Stephens, 20, was the lone survivor.

Dunlap was frustrated about being fired and sought revenge. He fled the scene with stolen money and restaurant items, but was arrested at his mother's apartment twelve hours later. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Dunlap's act was one of revenge, while the defence pointed to Dunlap's undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Dunlap was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and other charges, and was initially sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, in 2020, his sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole after Colorado abolished the death penalty.

The shooting at Chuck E. Cheese's in Aurora, Colorado, has been cited as a possible inspiration for the popular horror game Five Nights at Freddy's (FNAF). The game features a pizzeria with animal animatronics and a similar setting to Chuck E. Cheese's. While some players and fans have drawn connections between the game and the shooting, the game's creator, Scott Cawthon, has denied that Freddy Fazbear's Pizza is a real place. However, he has acknowledged that Chuck E. Cheese's and another animatronic pizza restaurant, Showbiz Pizza, were inspirations for the game's lore.

The history of Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese is an American entertainment restaurant chain founded on 17 May 1977 by Atari, Inc.'s co-founder Nolan Bushnell. The first location, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, opened in San Jose, California, and was the first family restaurant to integrate food with arcade games and animated entertainment. Bushnell had long wanted to start a business of family-friendly restaurants with amusement park midway games, and his experience in the amusement park industry and fondness for the Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland influenced his concept for Pizza Time Theatre.

The name of the restaurant chain comes from its main character and mascot, Chuck E. Cheese, a mouse (formerly a rat) who is the lead singer and guitarist of the band. Other characters include Helen Henny, a female chicken who is into gaming; Mr. Munch, a purple monster-alien keyboardist; Jasper T. Jowls, a bloodhound dog bass guitarist; Pasqually P. Pieplate, a drummer and the only human character; and Bella Bunny, a tambourine player and Hispanic rabbit introduced in 2018.

In 1984, the chain filed for bankruptcy, and the following year, it was acquired by Brock Hotel Corporation, the parent company of competitor ShowBiz Pizza Place. The merger formed a new parent company, ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc., and in 1990, every location was renamed Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza. The name was shortened to Chuck E. Cheese's in 1994 and, again, to Chuck E. Cheese in 2019.

Over the years, the design of Chuck E. Cheese has changed significantly. In the mid-1990s, his vest and derby hat were replaced with a baseball cap, casual shirt, and optional sneakers to appeal to younger audiences. In 2012, he was rebranded as a slimmer rockstar mouse who plays the electric guitar.

As of 2024, CEC Entertainment owns and operates approximately 465 Chuck E. Cheese locations in the US and Canada, with 96 franchised locations in the US, Puerto Rico, and 16 countries worldwide.

The creation of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Co

In the world of Five Nights at Freddy's, two rival pizza chains merged to become Fazbear Entertainment Co., known for its lifelike animatronics. Similarly, Chuck E. Cheese, as we know it today, is also the result of a merger between two competing animatronic-themed pizza restaurants, Pizza-Time Theater and Showbiz Pizza Palace. This connection between the two franchises suggests that Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Co.'s creation may have been influenced by the evolution of Chuck E. Cheese.

The parallels between the two franchises extend beyond their mergers. Both feature animatronic characters that have become iconic and ingrained in popular culture. The animatronics in Five Nights at Freddy's are known for their sinister nature, often posing a threat to the characters in the game. In contrast, the animatronics in Chuck E. Cheese are designed to entertain children and families, although some people find them creepy.

While the specific details of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Co.'s creation are unique to the fictional world of Five Nights at Freddy's, the broader inspiration and parallels with the Chuck E. Cheese franchise are undeniable. The similarities in the mergers, animatronic characters, and the competitive dynamics between the creators of the rival pizza chains all point to Chuck E. Cheese's influence on the creation of Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Co.

The Five Nights at Freddy's novels

The Five Nights at Freddy's novel trilogy is a series of three novels written by Scott Cawthon and Kira Breed-Wrisley. Published by Scholastic Inc., the trilogy ran from 17 December 2015 to 26 June 2018. A box set for all three novels, including a bonus poster, was released on 28 August 2018.

The first book in the series is titled 'The Silver Eyes' and was released on 17 December 2015, with a re-release on 27 September 2016. It starts 10 years after the murders at Freddy Fazbear's when Charlie, the daughter of the restaurant owner, returns to Freddy's on the anniversary of the tragedy with a group of friends, finding a whole new horror ready to unfold.

The second book, 'The Twisted Ones', is the highly anticipated sequel to 'The Silver Eyes'. It was released in 2017.

The trilogy concludes with 'The Fourth Closet', which was released in 2018.

The trilogy takes place in a separate continuity from the games, but is still considered part of the canon. The Ultimate Guide states:

> Many concepts first introduced in the novels later took hold in the games, while concepts in the games were sometimes expanded on in the novels.

Graphic novel adaptations of each of the books have been created, with each adaptation illustrated by different artists.

Frequently asked questions