Larry the Tech
12-15-2007, 10:23 AM
I'll give some info about my CEC in Hampton, Virginia
In the early 1980's (possibly 1982-1984), the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre opened in the Hampton Plaza Shopping center. It had a Balcony Stage because there wasn't any Porch or Rocker stages. I don't know if it ever did receive a Porch or Rocker stage. We also had a King, because my cousin was young and called it the "Big Doggie". I have some pictures somewhere of the store. We also had some Cabaret show, I don't know which one though. The store was running smooth.:cecwink:
In probabally 1991-1993, the store was renovated into "Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza". This is the store I remember. Now, my sister LOVED CEC, so we often went there with my aunt & grandmother. I liked it, a little bit. Now, I remember when we'd pull into the parking places, I'd be scared saw CEC on the sign. Most of the time at CEC I was crying, even at age 5. I went to CEC for the Skytubes and Ball Pit, because I loved it and still do. I also enjoyed the Rides Room. The Rides Room was a separate room near the gameroom with rides and parody posters. I don't know if it used to be a Cabaret or not. Still, the gameroom was great, but, when it came to the Showroom, I'd be scared to death. Why? Because we had a 2-stage MMBB.
The two-stage was very nice, and Chuck E. wore a tux, Helen had a microphone, Munch had his cap, Jasper had the cheese guitar, and Pasqually had his backdrop. I was scared because I thought the "puppets" would come off stage and attack me. I have some pics of the 2-stage, but it only shows half of Helen & Munch, and more with just the curtains closed. I feel like such an idiot because there's no more 2-stage. We also had sideways curtains.
BUT, I was even more scared of something else: THE CHUCK E. WALKAROUND!:eek: Our old store has the Chuck E. with the yellow Sports Outfit. I stayed away from him! After an afternoon at CEC, we'd walk past T.J. Maxx and surprisingly, TOYS R US! There you have it: A Toys R Us and Chuck E. Cheese's, separated by T.J. Maxx.
Nothing lasts forever. So in 2003, Chuck E. Cheese's closed. We were going to it one day, but it said it was closed and moved:bbsad:. I wish I had appreiated that old store now that I am a CEC fan as of April 2007.
However, Chuck E. had not let us down. He moved to the Hampton Towns Center by the HUGE AMC 24 theatre. Today, the Hampton CEC has the 1996 logo on it's store, with the Chuck E. under glass. The store is about 30 minutes away from my house. You walk in, and see the Andy Warhol Chucks. You will also see the Phase 4 Character posters by Kid Check. That was 2004, the last time I have been to CEC. You have a mix between Phases 3 & 4 also. I know for a fact that we have a Toddler Zone, no Ball Pit, The Mount Rushmore poster, the Must C TV posters, and more. And it's all one big room. In the back, we have a well-condition Studio C Beta. The curtains work too.:cec_thumbs: When I went to that store, I wasn't scared at all, because I was older. And since I was older, we played games because I knew how to use them. We also use the "Since 1977" Walkaround, which is nice looking. The Chuck E. Cheese's is still there today, and hopefully will be for years to come.
About the former location: I have to say that the old Hampton Plaza was better, because Toys R Us, T.J. Maxx, and CEC aren't there anymore. Chuck E. Cheese's is now a clothing store called Citi Trends. And even though it's gone, the memories stayed.
I hope you comment, because CEC is one of my favorite places, and I haven't been there in almost 4 years.
In the early 1980's (possibly 1982-1984), the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre opened in the Hampton Plaza Shopping center. It had a Balcony Stage because there wasn't any Porch or Rocker stages. I don't know if it ever did receive a Porch or Rocker stage. We also had a King, because my cousin was young and called it the "Big Doggie". I have some pictures somewhere of the store. We also had some Cabaret show, I don't know which one though. The store was running smooth.:cecwink:
In probabally 1991-1993, the store was renovated into "Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza". This is the store I remember. Now, my sister LOVED CEC, so we often went there with my aunt & grandmother. I liked it, a little bit. Now, I remember when we'd pull into the parking places, I'd be scared saw CEC on the sign. Most of the time at CEC I was crying, even at age 5. I went to CEC for the Skytubes and Ball Pit, because I loved it and still do. I also enjoyed the Rides Room. The Rides Room was a separate room near the gameroom with rides and parody posters. I don't know if it used to be a Cabaret or not. Still, the gameroom was great, but, when it came to the Showroom, I'd be scared to death. Why? Because we had a 2-stage MMBB.
The two-stage was very nice, and Chuck E. wore a tux, Helen had a microphone, Munch had his cap, Jasper had the cheese guitar, and Pasqually had his backdrop. I was scared because I thought the "puppets" would come off stage and attack me. I have some pics of the 2-stage, but it only shows half of Helen & Munch, and more with just the curtains closed. I feel like such an idiot because there's no more 2-stage. We also had sideways curtains.
BUT, I was even more scared of something else: THE CHUCK E. WALKAROUND!:eek: Our old store has the Chuck E. with the yellow Sports Outfit. I stayed away from him! After an afternoon at CEC, we'd walk past T.J. Maxx and surprisingly, TOYS R US! There you have it: A Toys R Us and Chuck E. Cheese's, separated by T.J. Maxx.
Nothing lasts forever. So in 2003, Chuck E. Cheese's closed. We were going to it one day, but it said it was closed and moved:bbsad:. I wish I had appreiated that old store now that I am a CEC fan as of April 2007.
However, Chuck E. had not let us down. He moved to the Hampton Towns Center by the HUGE AMC 24 theatre. Today, the Hampton CEC has the 1996 logo on it's store, with the Chuck E. under glass. The store is about 30 minutes away from my house. You walk in, and see the Andy Warhol Chucks. You will also see the Phase 4 Character posters by Kid Check. That was 2004, the last time I have been to CEC. You have a mix between Phases 3 & 4 also. I know for a fact that we have a Toddler Zone, no Ball Pit, The Mount Rushmore poster, the Must C TV posters, and more. And it's all one big room. In the back, we have a well-condition Studio C Beta. The curtains work too.:cec_thumbs: When I went to that store, I wasn't scared at all, because I was older. And since I was older, we played games because I knew how to use them. We also use the "Since 1977" Walkaround, which is nice looking. The Chuck E. Cheese's is still there today, and hopefully will be for years to come.
About the former location: I have to say that the old Hampton Plaza was better, because Toys R Us, T.J. Maxx, and CEC aren't there anymore. Chuck E. Cheese's is now a clothing store called Citi Trends. And even though it's gone, the memories stayed.
I hope you comment, because CEC is one of my favorite places, and I haven't been there in almost 4 years.