TODAY I LEARNED THINGS ABOUT CHUCK E. CHEESE

We all know the jokes about people's experiences at Chuck E. Cheese's, but today I learned things about Chuck E. Cheese that I didn't know I needed to know!

For example: Did you know that Chuck E. Cheese wasn't always a mouse? And did you know that Chuck E. Cheese originally had a New Jersey accent? Do you know why he is so big into celebrating birthdays?

Read on for more interesting facts about one of America's most recognized characters.

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via Google Street View
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According to Wikipedia, Chuck E. Cheese's full name is Charles Entertainment Cheese.

The character first appeared in 1997 and was developed by the same guy who created the Atari line of games.

First created as a rat, designers gave him a New Jersey accent and, as part of his schtick, he would smoke a cigar (probably not the best feature when appealing to children).

As the story goes, the creator of Chuck E. Cheese was trying to find a mascot for a new restaurant chain concept called Coyote Pizza. He ordered a coyote costume, but when it arrived, it was a rat costume.

Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
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The concept for the restaurant changed, and the creators named it "Rick Rat's Pizza".

Bad idea, right? Well, the people the creator consulted thought the same thing, so the name was changed, and that's how we got Chuck E. Cheese's!

How did the rat become a mouse? Well, the thought of a mouse in a restaurant isn't totally appetizing but, somehow, it more appealing than the thought of a rat in a restaurant. Why? How? I'm not certain, but our brains are weird so I'll chalk it up to that.

In 1993, the rat-to-mouse transition began. Softer, more "child-friendly" features were added and, by 2001, the new version made its appearance in restaurants across the country.

WHY SO MANY BIRTHDAY PARTIES?

One of the most frequent events you'll find at a Chuck E. Cheese's are children's birthday parties.

Not having children myself, I've never attended a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's, but a quick online search gave me some insight into what's involved.

Children at a birthday party
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According to the company's website, you can throw a party there for about $30 per child.

That package includes:

  • All You Can Play games for the duration of your party and Play Pass with coil wristband per child
  • 2 slices of a 1-topping pizza and a drink with free refills per child.
  • Collectible cup with FREE refills for the life of the cup per child. *If unavailable Guests will receive 100 additional E-Tickets or a collectible cup voucher to redeem when available.
  • Dippin Dots ® ice cream per child
  • 50 BONUS E-Tickets per guest
  • 2,000 BONUS E-Tickets for the Birthday Star
  • Birthday Star Play Band
via chuckecheese.com
via chuckecheese.com
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  • Ticket Blaster
  • Chuck E. Tote Bag for the Birthday Star
  • 6 Helium Balloons *If unavailable birthday child will receive 1,500 additional E-Tickets
  • A server will help you and your guest at a decorated table with plate ware included for 2 hours!
  • Recognition in our live Birthday Show with Chuck E.
  • New Chuck E. party hat per child (If hat is unavailable each reserved child would receive 50 E-Tickets)

To me, this seems to be a decent bargain for a few hours of fun for the kids.

There are some other packages available and, from what I understand, the per-person cost of each package varies according to the number of children and adults attending.

So why does Chuck Entertainment Cheese, the former rat-turned-child-friendly-mouse, love birthday parties? Because he doesn't know the date of his own birth.

According to a post on Reddit, Chuck E. Cheese is an orphan and never knew his own birthday.

 

If you don't know the date of your birth, how can you have a birthday party for yourself?

Of course, we don't know the validity of this claim, but we love the way it sounds and we love the fact that it gives Chuck Entertainment Cheese a higher ranking on the heartwarming scale.

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