"Make magic. Without it, we're just another pizza place!" 

In 2017, Chuck E. Cheese corporate introduced a new remodel to all of their stores: CEC 2.0. This remodel would effectively remove the previous animatronics and replace them with minimalist wall art, a TV wall, and a dance floor. This is a smart business decision to generate talking points surrounding the company, however, it alienates many older fans who loved this cast of mechanical characters, and it erases a lot of the company's history. 

What's so special about this location is its historical context. The characters at this location have existed since 1982 and it was previously a Showbiz Pizza Place, which is (technically) entirely extinct today. These characters in particular have survived the Showbiz and Chuck E Cheese merger of 1994, and are one of the very few locations that has Showbiz animatronics left. This location has a lot of heart and character, as out of the five remaining Showbiz stages (also known as 3-stages), this one is the best up-kept and remains entirely functional and fluid. The staff for this location care for the company so greatly and you can tell. One of the staff members even created a replica of a very niche character removed in the 90s from all locations: Munch Jr, who remains on the stage to this day.

And yet, upon asking one of the staff, all of that may be gone in the following year. Everything that was beloved by millions over the past 41 years will be beaten with sledgehammers beyond the point of recognition to protect the company IP, and thrown in a dumpster outside the restaurant, reduced to nothing but common trash.

Chuck E Cheese corporate has shown that they can listen to criticism. Just yesterday, it was announced that they would be keeping the animatronics from the Northridge, CA location. Instead of removing the cast of characters, they've cleared space for the dance floor to live in harmony with the band that performs hourly shows. However, as of now, the Northridge location is the only location out of 568 that will keep their animatronics, meaning that in the coming years when all of them are gone, those of us on the East Coast will have to travel across the country to see them. And while the Cyberamic animatronics that Northridge has are great, there's something very special about seeing one of the remaining pieces of Showbiz Pizza history in person. Keeping a "retro" location on each coast while still having a dance floor for the kids is generally just a very smart business move, as it's familiar to older fans, and entertaining to newer ones. Chuck E Cheese does not have a great track record of preserving its history, but this would be a very well-valued step in the right direction. Without these historical animatronics that have entertained millions, Chuck E Cheese really is just another pizza place. 

If anyone would like to reach out to me, feel free to email me at savepineville2023@gmail.com :)