Showbiz Pizza Place Transforms Into Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese, the American family entertainment chain, was founded in 1977 by Nolan Bushnell, the co-founder of Atari, Inc. The first location, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, opened in San Jose, California, and was the first family restaurant to integrate food, arcade games, and animated entertainment. After filing for bankruptcy in 1984, the chain was acquired by Brock Hotel Corporation, the parent company of competitor ShowBiz Pizza Place, in 1985. The merger formed a new parent company, ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc., which began unifying the two brands in 1990, renaming every location Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza. It was later shortened to Chuck E. Cheese's in 1994 and Chuck E. Cheese in 2019.

The merger of ShowBiz Pizza and Chuck E. Cheese

ShowBiz Pizza Time Inc. began unifying the two brands in 1990, converting ShowBiz restaurants into Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza. This process, known as "Concept Unification", involved removing the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic show from ShowBiz restaurants and replacing it with a new show called "Chuck E. Cheese & Munch's Make Believe Band", featuring characters from Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre. By 1994, all ShowBiz restaurants had been rebranded as Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants, and the name was shortened to Chuck E. Cheese's the following year.

In 1998, ShowBiz Pizza Time Inc. was renamed CEC Entertainment, Inc. to reflect the remaining chain brand.

The animatronic shows

The original show featured characters such as Crusty the Cat (later replaced by Mr. Munch in 1978), Pasqually the Singing Chef, Jasper T. Jowls, and the star of the show, Chuck E. Cheese. In 1979, "cabaret" shows were introduced, featuring separate rooms with additional characters like Dolli Dimples, a piano-playing hippopotamus. The shows were controlled by an in-house system called "Cyberamics," which consisted of a 6502-based controller in a card cage with various driver boards.

As the company expanded and faced competition from ShowBiz Pizza Place, which offered more advanced animatronics, Chuck E. Cheese introduced the "Balcony Stage" format, placing all the characters together on a single stage to improve the focus of the show. This new setup featured redesigned half-bodied animatronics with standardised mechanics and cosmetics made of wood, foam, and cloth, making them more cost-effective to produce.

In the late 1980s, after the merger with ShowBiz Pizza Place, the company introduced the "Concept Unification" process, which involved removing the Rock-afire Explosion animatronics from ShowBiz locations and replacing them with Chuck E. Cheese characters. This resulted in the creation of "Munch's Make Believe Band," with new costumes and personalities in a band format.

In the 1990s, the company introduced new stage formats, such as the Road Stage, which featured a full-bodied Chuck E. Cheese animatronic, and the 1-Stage and 2-Stage formats, which had the band performing on one or two separate stages, respectively.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Chuck E. Cheese experimented with new concepts, such as the Awesome Adventure Machine and Studio C, which featured a single animatronic character with large television monitors, lighting effects, and interactive elements. The Star Stage in 2010 was a test stage that combined elements of previous formats but was short-lived.

In the 2010s, the company began phasing out animatronics in favour of costumed characters and modern entertainment features. The "Chuck E. Live Stage," introduced in 2015, completely omitted animatronics and featured a modern dance floor and performances by costumed characters. Despite some backlash from fans, the company continued to remove animatronics from most locations, preserving them only in a handful of "Legacy Locations."

The Rock-afire Explosion

In 1979, Robert L. Brock, the founder of ShowBiz Pizza Place, signed a multi-million-dollar franchising agreement with Pizza Time Theatre Inc. to open Chuck E. Cheese's locations. However, Brock became concerned that competitors would emerge with better animatronic technology and formed a partnership with CEI, resulting in the creation of ShowBiz Pizza Place, Inc. in December 1979. The first ShowBiz Pizza Place location opened to the public in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 3, 1980, featuring The Rock-afire Explosion as its animatronic show.

As ShowBiz Pizza Place and Pizza Time Theatre became competitors, both companies continued to innovate and enhance their entertainment offerings. While Pizza Time Theatre quickly moved away from its original animatronic show format and focused on cost-effective production, ShowBiz Pizza Place prioritized having a sophisticated animatronic show, even if it came at a higher cost. The Rock-afire Explosion underwent refinements and updates, including updated character cosmetics, new costume changes, and the addition of a new character named Uncle Klunk.

In 1982, a lawsuit between the two companies was settled out of court, with ShowBiz agreeing to pay Pizza Time a portion of its profits for 14 years. Despite the settlement, heavy competition continued between the two chains, and both companies experienced financial troubles. In 1984, Pizza Time Theatre filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and ShowBiz Pizza Place began purchasing its assets and franchise rights. The merger between the two companies formed ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc., and in 1989, the process of "Concept Unification" began, which involved removing The Rock-afire Explosion from ShowBiz locations and replacing it with a new show called "Chuck E. Cheese & Munch's Make Believe Band", featuring characters from Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre. This marked the end of The Rock-afire Explosion's run as the main animatronic show at ShowBiz Pizza Place locations.

The Rock-afire Explosion vs. Chuck E. Cheese characters

The Rock-afire Explosion was an animatronic band created by Creative Engineering, Inc. (CEI) in 1980. The band was primarily seen at ShowBiz Pizza Place from 1980 to 1993. The Rock-afire Explosion was phased out of ShowBiz Pizza Places during the late '80s and early '90s due to Concept Unification, which was the result of a falling out between ShowBiz Pizza Time and CEI. The Rock-afire Explosion was replaced by Chuck E. Cheese characters and renamed Munch's Make Believe Band.

The Rock-afire Explosion was comprised of various anthropomorphized animals, including a brown bear, a grey wolf, and a silverback gorilla. They performed medleys of classic rock, pop, and country music, as well as original compositions and comedic skits. The band was life-sized, with most of the performers being about the same size as an average adult human. CEI founder Aaron Fechter oversaw production and provided several of the characters' voices.

Chuck E. Cheese, on the other hand, is the main character and mascot of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise. The franchise was founded by Atari, Inc.'s co-founder Nolan Bushnell in 1977. Chuck E. Cheese is an anthropomorphic mouse who is the lead singer and guitarist of the band. He is outgoing, friendly, and loves to sing and entertain families.

In addition to Chuck E. Cheese, other characters in the Munch's Make Believe Band include Helen Henny, a female chicken who is into gaming and vocals; Mr. Munch, a purple monster-alien who plays the keyboard and has a habit of eating anything, including pizza; Jasper T. Jowls, a bloodhound dog from Tennessee who plays the bass guitar; and Pasqually P. Pieplate, a human chef from southern Italy who plays the drums and tells jokes.

While the Rock-afire Explosion was known for its advanced animatronics and life-sized characters, Chuck E. Cheese and his band initially started as busts in framed portraits hanging on the walls of the main dining area. Over the years, the Chuck E. Cheese characters evolved and were featured in different formats, including full-bodied animatronics and costumed characters.

The decline of ShowBiz Pizza

ShowBiz Pizza Place, or simply ShowBiz Pizza, was an American family entertainment centre and restaurant pizza chain founded in 1980 by Robert L. Brock and Creative Engineering (CEI). It emerged after a separation between Brock and the owners of the Chuck E. Cheese franchise, Pizza Time Theatre.

ShowBiz Pizza restaurants entertained guests through a large selection of arcade games, coin-operated rides, and animatronic stage shows. The type of animatronics used in the ShowBiz Pizza chain distinguished it from its rival, which offered many of the same services.

In 1984, Pizza Time Theatre declared bankruptcy. ShowBiz Pizza merged with the struggling franchise to settle a former court settlement mandate, forming ShowBiz Pizza Time. However, this merger also marked the beginning of the end for ShowBiz Pizza as a brand.

In 1989, ShowBiz Pizza Time became a public company, and the following year, it severed all ties with CEI. The company began restructuring the restaurant chains under "Concept Unification", which consisted of removing the Rock-afire Explosion animatronic show from their restaurants and converting it into a new show called "Chuck E. Cheese & Munch's Make Believe Band", featuring characters from Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre.

Over the course of several years, ShowBiz Pizza locations were rebranded as Chuck E. Cheese's, effectively ending the "ShowBiz Pizza" brand within the restaurant storefront. This process of rebranding took several years, and by 1994, all ShowBiz restaurants had become Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants.

While the name "ShowBiz Pizza" may have disappeared, the management of the "Chuck E. Cheese's" concept is a direct line from the "ShowBiz Pizza Time, Inc." era, with little connection to the original "Pizza Time Theatre" ownership.

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