Chuck E. Cheese drops all but 5 of the animatronic bands. Charlotte gets to keep one.
For many decades, Chuck E. Cheese’s in-house band entertained birthday children and families with pizza, cake and soda for celebrations – but the furry, big-eyed musicians are no longer the life of celebration.
Munch’s animatronic Make Believe Band is leaving most restaurant stages across the country. But their fans can still see them play in Charlotte at the restaurant and children’s playground at 7701 Pineville-Matthews Road – one of five rescued in the United States.
Since the 1970s, the company’s mission has been to entertain “today’s kids,” said Mark Kupferman, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of CEC Entertainment in an interview with The Charlotte Observer.
Things have changed a lot over the years, especially with technology and keeping kids entertained, he said. “The main reason they go is because of the games,” Kupferman said.
Chuck E. Cheese locations are renovated every 10 years to prepare for the next generation of kids, Kupferman said. Some of the nationwide improvements will include a new interactive dance floor, video wall and giant screens, popular arcade games and trampoline areas.
The company is currently making changes at its centers across the United States.
“Trampolines are one of the things our kids have told us they love and want to experience,” he said of their arrival in Charlotte in a few weeks.
Let’s hear it for the group
But many nostalgic fans aren’t ready to see the band retire.
“So many people like me grew up with animatronics,” Kupferman said, “and it’s part of Americana and part of people’s childhoods.”
After complaints from people who wanted the groups to remain, the CEC decided to keep some groups.
There was even a petition through Change.org to keep the group on Pineville-Matthews Road in south Charlotte. It had more than 450 signatures.
“Chuck E. Cheese doesn’t have a great track record of preserving its history, but this would be a much-appreciated step in the right direction,” the petition states. “Without these historic animatronics that have entertained millions, Chuck E Cheese is really just another pizzeria.”
Like other locations across the country, the restaurant was originally known as ShowBiz Pizza and the band was called The Rock-afire Explosion, before merging with Chuck E. Cheese.
A “tip-top” group
Chuck E. Cheese, 42, of Charlotte, was selected for its surrounding neighborhood and for its array of animatronics that are among the best maintained in the United States, Kupferman said. One of the maintenance challenges is the limited number of people able to operate them.
A test is carried out every morning for the restaurant’s animatronics. Each band member has approximately 50 moves they can perform during performances.
“The team worked diligently to make sure it was in tip-top shape,” Kupferman said. “It’s a challenge when you consider that things were built about 40 years ago.”
Chuck E. Cheese is renovating the place this summer. One of the additions will be a memory wall, according to the company.
Without fear?
Animatronics have been used in horror films like “Five Nights at Freddy’s.” But Kupferman thinks most kids aren’t afraid of the group.
If they had scared the children, Kupferman said they would have been removed long ago.
“There are rumors about why we are getting rid of animatronics,” he said. “But the reality is we made the decision about five or six years ago and we talked to so many kids about it and it wasn’t something they wanted.”
Learn more about Chuck E. Cheese
Chuck E. Cheese was founded in 1977 in San Jose, California by Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari. The company operates 600 locations in 47 states and 19 foreign countries and territories.
The chain will phase out the group in hundreds of locations by the end of the year. In addition to the south Charlotte location, the animatronic performers will remain at locations in Nanuet, New York; Hicksville, New York; Springfield, Ill.; and Los Angeles.
Even with a band, Kupferman pointed out that Chuck E. Cheese is the star of the kids’ show today — on stage or off.
“We have characters that kids can hug and experience, which is more fun than hugging a robot,” he said. “They’re not allowed to touch the animatronics, but they can hug Chuck E. Cheese.”
