Little Known Facts About Chuck E. Cheese's

If you've ever attended a kids' birthday party at a well-known franchise where pizza was served, and there were video games, rides, prizes and tokens, and the mascot is a mouse, then it was probably at a Chuck E. Cheese location. This popular place to go for family entertainment is great for celebrating special occasions, fundraising events and, for just everyday fun. The company slogan is, "Where A Kid Can Be A Kid." Read this interesting article and learn some little known facts about Chuck E. Cheese's that are sure to interest you!

The Founder of Chuck E. Cheese's
If you're familiar with the Atari Corporation or "Pong", the classic video Table Tennis game, then you might have heard of Nolan Bushnell. You see, he not only invented "Pong" in 1972, but he also founded Atari. Bushnell is the man responsible for the birth of home video games. A little known fact about Chuck E. Cheese's is that this company is also one of Bushnell's creations. It bothered this entrepreneur that kids didn't have very many places where they could go with their families and play video games. So, he founded the Chuck E. Cheese's amusement center in 1977. The first location was on Winchester Boulevard, in San Jose, California. It was a combination of food, animated entertainment (robots), and a video game arcade.

The Name, The Rat and The Mouse
Nolan Bushnell obviously had a creative mind, and he used it to come up with the company's logo and mascot. Initially, it was a human-like rat he named ""Chuck E. Cheese." The "E." stood for "entertainment." That name was supposedly chosen because saying it made your mouth smile. A little known fact about Chuck E. Cheese's is that the rat "evolved" into a mouse in 1997.

Worldwide Family Entertainment
Since 1977, Chuck E. Cheese's has changed hands a few times. The franchise has also expanded. Currently, CEC Entertainment, Incorporated, which has its headquarters in Texas, owns the franchise. There are more than 500 Chuck E. Cheese's entertainment centers located in forty-eight states and in five countries. The entertainment center in Saudi Arabia even has an ice skating rink.

A little known fact about Chuck E. Cheese's is, in Australia, it's name is "Charlie Cheese's." Because, "Chuck" refers to vomiting there.

Chuck E. Cheese's Brass Tokens
When you visit one of these entertainment centers, you'll need Chuck E. Cheese's brass tokens in order to play games. (At least, for now.) Many people collect these tokens since their design has changed many times over the years. Another advantage is that these tokens are dated. Some of the older, rare pieces can fetch up to a thousand dollars.

Chuck E. Cheese's is currently testing a refillable card that will eventually replace the tokens.