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

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I loved both of them. Many fond memories. Overall, I prefered Showbiz's Rock-a-Fire Explosion and but I had the most fun at a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party.

http://home.att.net/~veganova/images/jointlogo.jpg

I would have to go with Showbiz. But, the games were pretty much the same as far as I remember.

― bryan, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

http://farrellsicecreamparlour.com/images/big-farrells.gif

― chaki, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Farrell's freaking scared me as a kid. All those horns and things, ack!

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.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i had my 21st at chuck e. cheese. yes, they serve alcohol.

― jess, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have never been in or even seen any of these places ever. Really!

― Sean, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think one of these places must be buying up the other like crazy, 'cause I swear the last few times I went to either of them (about a decade ago...), like, the place would be named "Showbiz" but they would have all the creepy robots (including Chuck E.) on the stage; or it would be named Chuck E Cheese's but would have the name Showbiz on the napkins.

― Dan I., Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i used to work at a knockoff. (and yes, my job did entail dressing up as an oversized and silent dog more than once.)

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.

― nancy b., Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

it's all about the skee-ball! any place is tolerable if it has skee-ball, even if it does also feature creepy animatronic robots and bad pizza. but skee-ball - sigh. i would go through anything to play skee-ball.

― geeta, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Eventually, all Showbizzes? (R.I.P.) were bought out by Chuck E. Cheese's. I haven't been to a CEC in years. Skee-Ball is indeed a great game. I remember getting pissed at those arcade games like Dragon's Lair and Space Ace because I wasn't very good at those types of video games. But that didn't stop me from feeding the tokens into them. I also liked the table hockey, USA vs. CCCP, especially when I got to be the Reds.

― bryan, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Don't feel bad. The way I remember it, *nobody* was any good at Dragon's Lair or Space Ace - I don't even think they rank as legit games. It was all about looking at the neat cartoon graphics in a "whoah, they can do that now?" kind of way. You pay your quarter, get your minute or so of 'animated adventure' and then, you died quickly and moved aside so the other kids would be more easily enticed by the exciting looking intro.

― Kim, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

they seemed fun then, they are frightening now. seattle had the coolest restaurant ever: pizza and pipes. a cathedral-esque pizza establishment with a gigantic pipe organ to keep you entertained. i wish knew what 'surreal' meant when i was that young.

― Ron, Tuesday, 14 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

In my eyes, they're both gone. I still have the fondest memories of the original Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre in Metairie, LA (which now houses a Family Thrift Store)...the balcony stage show, the "King" Elvis impersonator, the arcade games. I liked Showbiz's Rockafire Explosion better (even had one of their records), and that now houses one of the new and "improved" Chuck E. Cheese's. Still some fun, but not the same.

― Jeremy, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

I just went to a chuck e cheese a month ago. First time I have been in one since showbiz. I couldnt believe how lame the place was!! I really miss shobiz. I used to have all my birthday parties there when I was a kid.

― niander99, Saturday, 7 September 2002 12:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Showbiz..without a doubt. The Rock-afire explosion were beyond cool. Pictures and more here.

― JC (JC A.), Saturday, 7 September 2002 16:16 (twenty-three years ago)

I actually own a Rock Afire Explosion show which I purchased brand new about 2 years ago from left over stock.I have it installed in my home.Here is some truth to what some of you want to know.Once there was Showbiz Pizza and Chuck E.Cheese's Pizza TIme Theatre.In 1983 Chuck E. Cheese's went bankrupt.Showbiz purchased the company.Well Showbiz was paying royalties and franchise fees and what not to a company in Orlando FL. called Creative Engineering.Creators of the Rock Afire Explosion.Because Showbiz did not own the characters.Well Chuck E Cheese's owned there own characters and later on in 1990 it was settled by the corperate company to save money.So what happened was Showbiz went behind Creative Engineerings back and stripped down all of the characters to the bare robot.Moved most of them around on the stage.Retrofitted the characters to Chuck E Cheese characters.Changed the name of the company to Chuck E Cheeses.So now corperate did there own programming had there own cheesey voices.And while Showbiz and the Rock afire Explosion was geared at teens.Now with the changeover is geared at children 12 and under.The show is slowed down with not so good programming and songs are mostly kiddie songs.There was nothing much Creative Engineering could do.Because Showbiz had purchased the robots but were paying fees to use them.Well now they have been retrofitted.So now when you go to an old what use to be Showbiz you may see what use to be Fatz the gorilla is now a purple monster named Munch,Beach Bear is now a hound dog named Jasper,Mitzi the cheerleading mouse is now a Chicken named Helen Henny,Dook the space dog drummer is now a pizza cook named Pasqually,And Rolfe de Wolfe is now Chuck E. Cheese,Looney Bird is now a camera that pops up and down out of a box,And Billy Bob was totally scraped and not changed.I am probably the biggest Rock afire fan out there and I own lots and lots of memorabilia not to mention an actual working show.I have lots of videos from showbiz ranging from 1982 on up until 1991.I live in Pensacola FL.If any of you have any questions or would like video footage or anything just e-mail me.

― Snap, Sunday, 8 September 2002 14:39 (twenty-three years ago)

― N. (nickdastoor), Sunday, 8 September 2002 14:56 (twenty-three years ago)

(Nick = Ethan?)

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

― Graham (graham), Sunday, 8 September 2002 15:23 (twenty-three years ago)

(Nick = Ethan?)

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 9 September 2002 08:35 (twenty-three years ago)

three weeks pass...

I loved Showbiz! I even married Mitzi in the mid-80s in a mock wedding
A technician performed the wedding.My brother and I used to go to a
Showbiz in Charlotte,N.C.If any of you folks reading this remember
Mutt&Jeff from there feel free to e-mail us at jurban@bright.net
The Billy Bob's Wonderland in Ashland,Ky closed and the store in Barboursville,WV is expanding to a new building.

― Matt Urban, Thursday, 3 October 2002 07:35 (twenty-three years ago)

one year passes...

chucky cheese sucks bad showbizz ruled but i believe the cost to run the place was its down fall

― Allen, Friday, 26 March 2004 09:15 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

Snapper's review above is pretty accurate. In the early 80's the rivalry between Chucky and Billybob was very heated. Both chains suffered financial problems when video games began to wane in popularity by 1983. Showbiz took over Pizza Time Theater's assets, including their name and license rights to their characters. I have to admit I was very against the idea that we would help Chuck E. Cheese survive, because, afterall, I was in charge of the battle against the "rat". The whole Showbiz Pizza Place company had enlisted me to "out animate" the cheesy animation of Pizza Time, and I took that battle to heart. As a very young man, beating Chucky Cheese was all I lived for. When it was time to declare victory and bury Pizza Time, the surprising decision by Showbiz corporate to take Chucky under our wings and prop them up and help them survive was difficult for me to understand. I was an entertainer and led the battle to destroy the competition. There was no way I could go back to my troops and tell my employees who helped me conquer the enemy that we were now going to sleep with them. So, I stood up for my principles to keep the entertainment at the same quality that won us our position in the hearts of the fans and families. I asked myself, "What would John Lennon do?" Standing up for the Rock-afire Explosion and the ever increasing quality of the artform of animatronics cost me my relationship with Showbiz. I tried to stand in the way of the merger. I'm sorry that it had to turn out this way. Perhaps I should have been more politically savvy and worked from within the system, but, at the time, it seemed like I had to draw a line in the sand and I did. I am happy that the company I co-founded, Showbiz Pizza Place still exists, albeit under the name change to CEC, Inc. I am still dreaming up new ideas to entertain children and families and would love to bury the hatchet and work with CEC again someday. It was a great experience for me as a young man and I owe it all to the man who financed the company, Bob Brock, who, sadly, passed away a few years ago.

― Aaron Fechter, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 03:47 (twenty-one years ago)

good GOD, people! use the return key for once in your lives!

― Kingfish Disraeli (Kingfish), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 03:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Dude, this guy RAN Showtime Pizza, give him a break! He is probably responsible for more happy birthday parties that you!

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 04:03 (twenty-one years ago)

If I ever hit the lotto, I'm building a giant pit of plastic balls to frolic around in.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 04:03 (twenty-one years ago)

DUDE DON'T GO IN THE BALL ROOM YOU'll DIE!!!!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i would kill to play skee-ball right now.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 14:50 (twenty-one years ago)

did they ever clean those ball rooms? because years of pizza smeared kids buried in plastic balls : not hygenic. you'd probably die of some bacteria, not a monster.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

lauren, I was about to suggest that to abate your skee-ball cravings, you need to go to Dave & Buster's! But I just checked their website and it turns out they don't have a location in NYC proper. You poor deprived people.

― Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:24 (twenty-one years ago)

there's always coney island! if i'm lucky, i can get enough tickets to win a plastic spider ring.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:30 (twenty-one years ago)

went to the local chuck e. cheese within the last year just to check it out. what a shadow of its former self. with the exception of skeeball, which still rules, there are no actual video games. it's a floor full of mechanical crane style chance "games." stoopid. and there's no seperate theaters. no the "king." no meet "the beagles." just the main theater, which still puts on a little show. part of the fun used to be the anticipation in waiting for the stage to light up and the things to come to life and all. now there's a couple of big tvs running loops of videos featuring the characters manically running around in fields or whatever. these vids continue when the actual animatrons come to life as well. lame. oh, and the pizza be illin'. at least there's beer.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

ah yeah, I suppose Coney Island probably beats all comers in the ambience department!

― Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Mappy, Moon Patrol, and Dragon's Lair.

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.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

There's one of these near me:
http://www.jeepers.com/index2_copy.htm
You can see their adline on the girls t-shirt - "Food, Fun and a Monkey."

― sagg, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:47 (twenty-one years ago)

PP's cat looks just like mine!

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:47 (twenty-one years ago)

http://southsidecallbox.com/images/cat3.jpg

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Does your cat weigh 100 pounds, too?

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:52 (twenty-one years ago)

pretty much.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Here's another one.

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

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

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

kitty!

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

i think i know that dude!

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha. One of my scenesters just caught me posting kitty pictures in a Showbiz Pizza thread. You were never here.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

i thought you were my scenester. and i was never here.

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Is that an optigan?

― Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

That looks like a younger version of my eldest cat, before he got too fat and old to jump, went blind in one eye from cataracts and stopped being able to retract his claws.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 19:05 (twenty-one years ago)

eight months pass...

this thread is amazing. that guy that owns the rockafire show upthread needs to invite me over NOW

― chaki in charge (chaki), Thursday, 13 January 2005 07:24 (twenty-one years ago)

These are some of the best googlers ever.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 13 January 2005 07:46 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

I'm not just making them jiggle around.

― Pleasant Plains, Monday, 3 September 2007 15:17 (eighteen years ago)

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

― max, Monday, 3 September 2007 16:55 (eighteen years ago)

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

― milo z, Monday, 3 September 2007 17:07 (eighteen years ago)

six months pass...

It took that dude forever to put it on youtube

― Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 01:49 (eighteen years ago)

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."

― Mackro Mackro, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 20:02 (eighteen years ago)

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

― Mackro Mackro, Tuesday, 4 March 2008 20:03 (eighteen years ago)

three months pass...

Aaron's been busy:

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

Ever want to see the Showbiz band perform Usher?

― kingfish, Tuesday, 1 July 2008 05:54 (seventeen years ago)

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

― CaptainLorax, Tuesday, 1 July 2008 20:21 (seventeen years ago)

oh my god i am choking

― deeznuts, Tuesday, 1 July 2008 20:24 (seventeen years ago)

from that aaron fetcher post, havent seen the vid yet

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

― deeznuts, Tuesday, 1 July 2008 20:24 (seventeen years ago)

six months pass...

― the maximum value that ZS obtains given its constraint is 8 (Z S), Thursday, 22 January 2009 03:48 (seventeen years ago)

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

― the maximum value that ZS obtains given its constraint is 8 (Z S), Thursday, 22 January 2009 03:49 (seventeen years ago)

two years pass...

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

Chuck E Cheese's other characters.

― Rocker Brian (Abbbottt), Friday, 28 January 2011 00:35 (fifteen years ago)

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

― Rocker Brian (Abbbottt), Friday, 28 January 2011 00:35 (fifteen years ago)

three years pass...

holy shit this thread

― The Wisdom of Gafflers (JoeStork), Wednesday, 19 February 2014 03:25 (twelve years ago)

one month passes...

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

― Stephen King's Threaderstarter (kingfish), Saturday, 12 April 2014 05:15 (eleven years ago)

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

― Stephen King's Threaderstarter (kingfish), Saturday, 12 April 2014 05:22 (eleven years ago)

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

― Stephen King's Threaderstarter (kingfish), Saturday, 12 April 2014 05:22 (eleven years ago)

one year passes...

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.

― Hammer Smashed Bagels, Saturday, 13 June 2015 20:01 (ten years ago)

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.

― Hell Books (latebloomer), Saturday, 13 June 2015 22:45 (ten years ago)

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

― Hell Books (latebloomer), Saturday, 13 June 2015 22:46 (ten years ago)

this thread is fucking amazing!

― transparent play for gifs (Tracer Hand), Saturday, 13 June 2015 22:56 (ten years ago)

two weeks pass...

Pop lock it!

― Purves Grundy (kingfish), Sunday, 28 June 2015 14:36 (ten years ago)

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

― rip van wanko, Sunday, 28 June 2015 18:03 (ten years ago)

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.

― pplains, Sunday, 28 June 2015 19:46 (ten years ago)

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.

― pplains, Sunday, 28 June 2015 19:47 (ten years ago)

eleven months pass...

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

― pplains, Sunday, 26 June 2016 03:19 (nine years ago)

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

― pplains, Sunday, 26 June 2016 03:19 (nine years ago)

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

― Al Moon Faced Poon (Moodles), Sunday, 26 June 2016 04:13 (nine years ago)

one year passes...

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.

― omar little, Saturday, 9 December 2017 04:48 (eight years ago)

$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?!

― Google Murray Blockchain (kingfish), Saturday, 9 December 2017 23:51 (eight years ago)

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.

― fajita seas, Sunday, 10 December 2017 01:11 (eight years ago)

in 1986 xp

― fuiud, mac (rip van wanko), Sunday, 10 December 2017 01:34 (eight years ago)

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