Chuck E. Cheese's (Partially lost showtape recordings for animatronic theater; 1977-Present)
Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre is an animatronic restaurant chain started in 1977 by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell. It featured multiple animatronic stage performances amongst the dining areas, which evolved and changed over the course of four decades through bankruptcy, company mergers, and attempts to keep the brand modern.
Early Showtape Info:
The animatronics (Referred to as Cyberamics) performed songs, skits, birthday shows, and special events through a swappable showtape system. Each showtape had a select collection of character performances, which would run individually for three to ten minutes, before having a "break" to let the air compressor behind the stage refill. A full showtape would have between 30-80 minutes of shows. Every few months the stores would be sent a new showtape to keep the content fresh, along with costumes and other themed props to adorn the stage, keeping with the showtape's theme.
The animatronics, lights, and other stage effects were controlled by a computer system in the backroom running off of a reel-to-reel audio tape. For the beginning of the show, this was a Maxell UD 35-90 7" audio tape, which played showtape audio through one channel, and animatronic programming signals through the other.
Main Showtapes - 7" Reel: (1977 - 1990)
The following listed are tapes performed by the main cast of animatronic characters.
Showtape title | Release Dates | Audio Status | Signal Status |
---|---|---|---|
Original PTT Tape with Crusty | May 17, 1977 | Partially Lost | Lost |
Helen Henny "Portrait" Showtape (With Crusty & Warblettes) | August 1977 | Lost | Lost |
Madam Oink "Portrait" Showtape (With Crusty & Warblettes) | February 1978 | Partially Lost | Lost |
Foxy Colleen "Portrait" Showtape (With Crusty & Warblettes) | October 1978 | Partially Found? (Some of the segments without Crusty might have been reused in Foxy Colleen IV - Irish Stew. All Through that's unconfirmed) | Lost |
Helen Henny "Portrait" Showtape (With Mr. Munch & Mopsey Sisters) | November 1978 | Partially Found | Lost |
Madam Oink "Portrait" Showtape #2 | May 1979 | Lost | Lost |
Unknown | August 1979 | Lost | Lost |
Sally I | November 1979 | Found | Lost |
Unknown | March 1980 | Lost | Lost |
Dr. Dux Diagnostic Stage/Shelf | 1980 | Found | Found [1](Though signal audio is damaged) |
Foxy Colleen III - Showboat (With Mr. Munch & Warblettes) | May 1980 | Lost | Lost |
Foxy Colleen IV - Irish Stew | August 1980 | Found | Lost |
Madam Oink - Around the World (Normal and X-Mas ver.) | November 7, 1980 | Found (Both Variations) | Lost |
Harmony Howlette's Wild West Show | May 1981-October 1982 | Found | Lost |
Harmony II - Harmony's Hoedown (Normal and CEC's 5th B-day) | December 1981 | Found (Both Variations) | Lost |
Madame Oink III - Tunnel of Love (CEC's 5th B-day and Normal) | May 1982-March 1983 | Found (Both Variations) | Lost |
Madame Oink III - "Tunnel of Love" Spanish Version | 1982 | Lost | Lost |
Madame Oink IV - "The Tune Machine" | March-September 1, 1983 | Found | Lost |
Broadway Helen Henny | June 1983-March 1984 | Found | Lost |
Bandstand 1 | March 1984 | Found | Lost |
Bandstand 2 | 1984 | Found | Lost |
Country Helen | 1984 | Found | Lost |
Unknown (Back to School?) | January-March 1985 | Lost | Lost |
Hit Parade | April-May 1985 | Found | Lost |
Salute to America | June-July 1985 | Found | Lost |
Salute to Kids | August-September 1985 | Found | Lost |
Happy Holidays (1985 & 1986) | November-December 1985 & November-December 1986 | Found | Lost |
World of Kids | January-February 1986 | Found | Lost |
Unknown | March-April 1986 | Lost | Lost |
Unknown | May-June 1986 | Lost | Lost |
History of Rock and Roll | July-August 1986 | Found | Lost |
History of Rock and Roll II | September-October 1986 | Found | Lost |
Happy Holidays (1985 & 1986) | November-December 1985 & November-December 1986 | Found | Lost |
Movie Magic | January-February 1987 | Found | Lost |
TV Westerns | March-April 1987 | Found | Lost |
Summertime | May-June 1987 | Found | Lost |
Working / Summertime | July-August 1987 | Found | Lost |
CEC Faves / Working | September-November 1987 | Found | Lost |
Home For the Holidays (Reel Only) | December 1987 | Found | Lost |
Country / Faves | January-February 1988 | Found | Lost |
Tune Machine/ Country | March-April 1988 | Found | Lost |
Summertime/Tune Machine | May-June 1988 | Found | Lost |
CEC Grammy Awards/Summertime | July-August 1988 | Found | Lost |
CEC Dance/CEC Grammy Awards | September-November 1988 | Found | Lost |
Home For the Holidays (Reel Only) | December 1988 | Found | Lost |
Fractured Classics/Dance | January-February 1989 | Found | Lost |
CEC Kiddie Songs/Fractured Rock | March-April 1989 | Found | Lost |
Best of 1988 | May-June 1989 | Found | Lost |
CEC Dreams/Kiddie Songs | July-August 1989 | Found | Lost |
CEC Neighbors / Dreams | September-November 1989 | Found | Lost |
Home For The Holidays (Reel & Cyberstar) | December 1989 | Found | Lost |
CEC American Pride/Neighbors | January-February 1990 | Found | Lost |
CEC Kids/American Pride | March-April 1990 | Found | Lost |
CEC TV Classics | May-June 1990 | Found | Lost |
Summer Days | July-August 1990 | Found | Lost |
Cabaret Showtapes - 7" Reel: (1978 - 1995)
Alongside the main animatronic show, other rooms in the restaurant would host additional characters, playing their own individual showtapes. They were phased out in the 90's as stores were redesigned with a new modern look.
Showtape title | Date Recorded | Audio Status | Signal Status |
---|---|---|---|
Dolli Dimples | November 1978 | Partially Lost | Lost |
Dolli Dimples II | December 1982 | Found | Lost |
Helen Henny | October 1979 | Found | Lost |
Artie Antlers | Early 1980 | Found | Lost |
Beagles I | 1980 | Partially Found | Lost |
Beagles II | May 1982 | Found | Lost |
Beagles III | February 1983 | Found | Lost |
King I | June 1981 | Found | Lost |
King II | February 1983 | Found | Lost |
King III | November 1985 | Found | Lost |
King-Combo-Birthday | July 1986 | Partially Found | Lost |
King '90 #1 | October 1990 | Found | Lost |
King '90 #2 | October 1990 | Found | Lost |
Still the King | March 1993 | Lost? | Lost |
King '95 | 1995 | Found | Lost |
Four Little Shavers | August 1981 | Lost | Lost |
Beach Bowzers | December 1982 | Found | Lost |
Beach Bowzers '91 | March 1991 | Found | Lost |
B.B. Bubbles | December 1982 | Partially Found | Lost |
King Kat | October 1984 | Found | Lost |
Main Showtapes - SVHS Format #1: (1988 - 1993)
In 1988 the show computers would be upgraded to run on SVHS video tapes. These tapes played showroom audio on HiFi left, game-room audio on HiFi right (birthday shows were muted in this channel), and a new animatronic signal format running across both normal channels. Video was also displayed through the TVs scattered around the store. Breaks between shows could now have accompanying videos play on the monitors to entertain guests while they waited.
Showtape title | Date Recorded | Audio / Video Status | Signal Status |
---|---|---|---|
CEC Country / Faves | January 1988 | Lost | Lost |
CEC Tune Machine / Country | March 1988 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Summertime | May 1988 | Partially Found (Missing footage of the intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Grammy Awards | July 1988 | Partially Found (Missing footage of the intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Dance Showtape | September 7, 1988 | Partially Found (Missing footage of the intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Home for the Holidays | November 1988 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Fractured Classics | January 1989 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Kiddie Songs | March 1989 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Best Of 1988 | May 1989 | Partially Found (Missing footage of the intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Dreams/Kids Showtape | June 29, 1989 | Partially Found (Missing footage of the intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Neighbors / Dreams | September 1989 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Christmas '89 / Wave Bday | November 9, 1989 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC American Pride / Neighbors | January 1990 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Kids / American Pride | March 1990 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Summer Days | July 1990 | Partially Found (Missing footage of the intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC September 1990 Show | September 1990 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Cyberstar Diagnostics Tape (Master) | November 7, 1990 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Christmas '90 / Wave Bday | November 9, 1990 | Found | Lost |
CEC Jan '91 | December 10, 1990 | Found | Lost |
CEC Future | March 14, 1991 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC American Pride / Wave 3 Stage | May 7, 1991 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CEC Games / Wave Bday (3-Stage) | July 9, 1991 | Found | Lost |
CEC September '91 / Wave (3-Stage) | September 10, 1991 | Found | Lost |
CEC Xmas '91 / Wave Bday | December 6, 1991 | Found | Lost |
CEC Jan-92 Space / Wave (3-Stage) | December 11, 1991 | Found | Lost |
CEC Physical Fit | February 14, 1992 | Found | Lost |
Environment | April 4, 1992 | Found | Lost |
Children of America | July 1992 | Found | Lost |
Planes, Trains, And Automobiles | August 1992 | Found | Lost |
Working For A Living | September 1992 | Found | Lost |
Holiday Special 1992 | December 1992 | Found | Lost |
January 1993 Show | January 1993 | Found | Lost |
Spring Training | March 1993 | Found | Lost |
May 1993 Show | May 1993 | Found | Lost |
3-Stage Showtapes - SVHS Format #1: (1990 - 1993)
Starting in 1990, after a multi-year merger with Showbiz Pizza Place, Showbiz stores were converted to Chuck E Cheese's. The animatronic shows in their restaurants, The Rock-Afire Explosion, were changed into the main Chuck E Cheese cast. This meant that new signals had to be programmed for the unique offerings of the 3-stage layout, though the computer systems running the animatronics were still using the same SVHS format as the Cyberamics. Some of the shows were unique to this stage, while others only had different video displayed.
Showtape title | Date Recorded | Audio / Video Status | Signal Status |
---|---|---|---|
SPP Concept Unification Premiere | June 21, 1990 | Found | Lost |
CU Jan '91 | December 10, 1990 | Found | Lost |
CU Future | March 14, 1991 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CU Diagnostics '91 | March 14, 1991 | Partially Lost (Only an edited down copy has been shown) | Lost |
CU American Pride / Wave 3 Stage | May 7, 1991 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost |
CU Games / Wave Bday (3-Stage) | July 9, 1991 | Found | Lost |
CU September '91 / Wave (3-Stage) | September 10, 1991 | Found | Lost |
CU Xmas '91 / Wave Bday | December 6, 1991 | Found | Lost |
CU Jan-92 Space / Wave (3-Stage) | December 11, 1991 | Found | Lost |
CU Physical Fit | February 14, 1992 | Found | Lost |
Environment | April 4, 1992 | Found | Lost |
Children of America | July 1992 | Found | Lost |
Planes, Trains, And Automobiles | August 1992 | Found | Lost |
Working For A Living | September 1992 | Found | Lost |
Holiday Special 1992 | December 1992 | Found | Lost |
January 1993 Show | January 1993 | Found | Lost |
Spring Training | March 1993 | Found | Lost |
May 1993 Show | May 1993 | Found | Lost |
3-Stage + Cyberamics Showtapes - SVHS Format #2: (1993 - 2007)
For the July 1993 show, the show computers for Cyberamics and 3-Stage shows were updated to only accept a new format of shows, forcing stores to not be able to play older shows. This new format just swapped around which values represented which movements/lights were turned on, and nothing else. Showtape labels also began to remove the CU/CEC prefix from the title, along with the video and music now being the same across both show types.
An additional thing to note is that the shows produced from April 1994 to April 1996 were produced entirely by Disney, down to the voices, music, and video production, making them lost Disney media. While low quality edits have been online, the full 13+ hours of tape have not been recovered.
Showtape title | Date Recorded | Audio / Video Status | Signal Status (Cybers) | Signal Status (3-Stage) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Patriotic 1993 Show | July 1993 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Best Of CEC TV (Best of 93) | July 1993 | Found | Lost | Lost |
You're A Star | September 15, 1993 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Holiday '93 | November 25, 1993 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Let The Good Times Roll | January 1994 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Spring Break | April 1994 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
Patriotic 1994 Show | July 1994 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
September '94 | September 1994 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
Holiday '94 | December 1994 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
January 1995 | January 1995 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow | April 1995 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
Destination Imagination | August 1995 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Magical Holiday Celebration | December 1995 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Tall Tales | January 1996 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
The Totally Awesome Kids Show | April 1996 | Partially Lost (Some footage can be pieced together from other tapes. Missing intermissions and live shows) | Lost | Lost |
Awesome Adventure Machine | August 1996 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Magical Holiday Celebration | December 1996 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Jukebox Jam Show | January 1997 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E Cheese's 20th Anniversary | April 1997 | Found | Lost | Lost |
August 1997 Show | August 1997 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Magical Holiday Celebration | December 1997 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Blast From The Past | January 1998 | Lost | Lost | Lost |
May 1998 Show | May 1998 | Partially Lost | Lost | Lost |
Patriotic 1998 | July 1998 | Lost | Lost | Lost |
September 1998 | September 1998 | Lost | Lost | Lost |
Happy Holidays 1998 | December 1998 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Terrific Time Travel Review | January 1999 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Dance Party | April 1999 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Fabulous World Adventure | August 1999 | Found | Lost | Lost |
September 1999 | September 1999 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Holiday Party | Holiday 1999 | Lost | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Variety Show | January 2000 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Just for Kids Show | April 2000 | Found | Lost | Lost |
"Summertime" 2000 | July 2000 | Found | Lost | Lost |
September 2000 Show | September 2000 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Holiday Party | December 2000 | Lost | Lost | Lost |
January 2001 Show | January 2001 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Rockin' Rhymes | April 2001 | Lost | Lost | Lost |
Summertime 2001 | July 2001 | Found | Lost | Lost |
September 2001 Show | September 2001 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E's Holiday Party | December 2001 | Lost | Lost | Lost |
January 2002 Show Upgrade | January 2002 | Found | Lost | Lost |
April 2002 Show | April 2002 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Summer 2002 Show Upgrade | July 2002 | Found | Lost | Lost |
September 2002 Show Upgrade | September 2002 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Holiday 2002 | December 2002 | Lost | Lost | Lost |
Best Of CEC TV | January 2003 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E Cheese Spring Show 2003 | April 2003 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Summertime 2003 | July 2003 | Found | Lost | Lost |
September 2003 Show Upgrade | September 2003 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Holiday 2003 Show Upgrade | December 2003 | Found | Lost | Lost |
January 2004 Show | January 2004 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Chuck E Cheese April 2004 Show | April 2004 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Summer 2004 Show | July 2004 | Found | Lost | Lost |
September 2004 Show Upgrade | September 2004 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Holiday 2004 | December 2004 | Found | Lost | Lost |
January 2005 Show | January 2005 | Found | Lost | Lost |
CEC TV April 2005 Show | April 2005 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Super Chuck Summer Show | July 2005 | Found | Lost | Lost |
September 2005 Show | September 2005 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Holiday 2005 | December 2005 | Found | Lost | Lost |
January 2006 Show | January 2006 | Found | Lost | Lost |
April 2006 Show | April 2006 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Summertime 2006 | July 2006 | Found | Lost | Lost |
September 2006 Show | September 2006 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Holiday 2006 | December 2006 | Found | Lost | Lost |
January 2007 | January 2007 | Found | Lost | Lost |
Media Recovery:
Due to the showtapes only ever being owned by the store, along with becoming obsolete once the next tape was sent in, most original tape copies are lost or destroyed. Tapes are mostly found in possession of a former employee (usually the technician) after their location has shut down. This is usually either the last showtape before closure, or all tapes owned throughout the store's use. This makes older tapes increasingly harder to find.
PTT Reel tapes and SVHS showtapes are typically seen on eBay every 1-3 years going for $30-40, while most are held by private collectors. The later disc and floppy formats come up usually every few months. Due to the analogue nature and formatting of the PTT reels, they require expensive reel-to-reel tape decks to record audio/signals. SVHS tapes are even harder to extract a full archive of, as a VCR that can output 4 separate audio channels + video, along with a capture card able to record it, is needed. The analogue format requires simultaneous recordings of AV and signals, as multiple takes or rips from separate tapes combined can result in large amounts of desync. The later disc, floppy, and USB formats are fully digital, and only need an ISO rip of the data to be complete.
Previous Finds:
In the 2000's a few private collectors holding a majority of the PTT reel tapes digitized the audio and signals for use in newer custom digital animatronic controllers[2], along with uploading all of the audio to Radio Showbiz[3]. To this day, they haven't uploaded the missing audio channels containing the signals, leaving a majority of the PTT reels partially found.
A similar situation happened in the late 2000's, when Gabriel Vasquez got in contact with CEC Entertainment Corp to digitize a large selection of their master reels, along with obtaining a large amount of their reels and SVHS tapes used in their stores. He uploaded edited cuts of a majority of the late 80's and early 90's video to his 3 YouTube channels[4] around the same time. He has however stated multiple times that when he dies, he will have his collection of original tapes, along with the plethora of shows he hasn't released, destroyed and burned.[5][6] CEC Entertainment Corp does still own digital copies of what he acquired.
In the late 2010's, a contact of Gabriel leaked a plethora of his digital rips to YouTube, preserving the full video length of a large collection of showtapes. None of the signals were preserved in the uploads, along with lots of his collection still missing in full.
Showtapes from the late 90's to modern day have had their audio and video preserved by random contributors over the years, as there are no private collectors who hold any large majority of physical modern showtape media. No signals for Cyberamics or 3-Stage modern shows are publicly available, as the holders fear people may burn the showtapes to a blank DVD and harass store employees to play older shows on the animatronics. Studio C shows are different, however, as the signals are separately placed on a floppy disk, along with the animatronic computer's program data, allowing multiple archives to be found of the floppy ISOs.[7]
References
- https://youtu.be/4tgH_eThNZI
- http://www.dropbox.com/sh/nh1v3sotagq65k7/AAAfHFWlSDwkugsgOcneA09La?dI=0
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes-1979.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes-1980.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes1-1.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes1-2.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes1-3.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes2-2.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes2-3.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes2-4.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes3-1.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes3-2.pdf
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes3-3.pdf
- http://showbizpizza.com/review/ptt/index.html
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/history/index.html
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/radio/index.html
- http://showbizpizza.com/radio/archive.html
- https://www.showbizpizza.com/radio/schedule.html
- http://www.showbizpizza.com/ptp/characters/helen.html
- The Retro Pizza Zone forums.
- https://www.instagram.com/p/B1wTxauHqYD/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdKLsomLbtY&t=50s
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xSQhwpX8DQ
- https://www.youtube.com/user/Pizzacam3/videos
- https://www.youtube.com/c/pizzacam/videos
- https://www.youtube.com/c/ChuckECheeseShowtapeArchive/videos
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS_WzSwT0QqjayJfR6hRQaA/videos
- ↑ https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nh1v3sotagq65k7/AABD9NPgeF15BEUD9pi39BDwa/Non-Showtape%20Audio/PTT%20Diagnostic%20Reel?dl=0&subfolder_nav_tracking=1
- ↑ http://www.dsfrobots.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=9
- ↑ https://www.showbizpizza.com/radio/archive.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/user/Pizzacam3/channels
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA2zMfGTn30
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20211016214955/https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/retro_pizza_zone/viewtopic.php?p=118085#p118085
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/@decode_document_digitize?and%5B%5D=subject%3A%22floppy%22