Madame Oink

[captslappy]

Here's one we have not discussed in depth. I will have to admit I didn't like Oink at all as a kid. First and foremost she replaced Harmony Howlette who was my all time favorite character. Once in place, Harmony would never be used again. Her snorting was also obnoxious and her shows were love themed since she was French. They really tried to play up the romance and France thing with Madame Oink (yuck, mushy stuff). Now that I am all grown up... no wait... Um, ok now that I am 30 and I am looking back on this stuff and seeing and hearing it again after not seeing it since Elementary school I think my opinions have changed. The oinking is annoying but not nearly as bad as I remembered. Madame Oink is actually a pretty neat character looking at her up close. I like the colors used on her and her hair style. Oink seems to universally be everyone's least favorite but honestly I think she may have passed classic Helen on my list. I never got to see Sally or Foxy but I have heard the Sally reel. I think Oink moves from #5 on my list of guests to #4. I still don't like Pasqually but that's another topic. Anyone else's thoughts on Madame Oink?

[pizzacam]

Well Idk, all the female guest stars were voiced by the same person who later voiced Helen...it's sooo obvious if you listen to all of the guest reels. So it's like all the same to me plus they didn't seem very creative cause the shows follow the same outlines there's a guest star and Chuck's pissed at them and thinks they can't sing. :rolleyes :lol :o

[dheineCECfan]

I remember Madame Oink from the first CECPTT I ever went to - The former Hoffman Estates, IL location in 1983.

Was Madame Oink first introduced as a CECPTT guest star circa 1978-1979 during the early CECPTT Pizza Time Players wall portrait show era but her name was spelled out MADAM OINK and some people confused her as Miss Piggy (Muppet Show character) clone?

[pizzacam]

Damn, good question man, no one ever knows the answers to questions about the early stuff. :(

[MMBBfan327]

Actually, she WAS an early guest star. On the Sally '79 X-Mas reel, Chuck says, "So Pasqually, whadda think of Madam Oink, eh?" and then Pasqually sings "She's Too Fat for Me." So, technically, she was an early character, just like Helen, and then brought back several years later.

[pizzacam]

That Sally reel's not from '79...it's not even dated...

[MMBBfan327]

That Sally reel's not from '79...it's not even dated...

Oops, my bad. I heard that somewhere from a VERY old post that the X-Mas reel was from '79. I'm sorry. :\

[pizzacam]

Nah, we don't really know...it's undated :( There ARE quite a few PTT reels that weren't dated.

[dheineCECfan]

The Sally Sashay show reel was circa 1979-1980 (the one with the Madame Oink mention).

I remember seeing a photo of the circa 1978-1979 Madam(e) Oink (from the wall portrait animatronic era, I presume) on the wall with other old CEC/PTT photos when I toured CEC Entertainment HQ in Irving, Texas in May 2001.

Even I have seen an Austrailan Charlie Cheese's Pizza Playhouse (part of Grundy's Surfer's Paradise) brochure that uses the 1977-1980 CECPTT menu/program look and features that mentions Madam Oink as special guest star (as well as mentioning a sandwich called "Madam Oink's Ham and Cheese").

[MMBBfan327]

Ok, now that we've seen evidence of Oink being in the portrait show, I think we can say she's an early character, and she later made a comeback. So, even if we never know the date of that reel, we now know Oink was in the portrait show, which lasted from 1977-1979/1980. Guys, I think we've got something here.

[pizzacam]

Well that's true there WAS a portrait version of her but there was a normal halfbody version too so the reel we've found could be and mostlikely is from the later Sally.

[captslappy]

I am the one that owns the actual Sally reel and it was my guess she was used in 79. It could have been 80 but I am relatively sure it was right in there. I have seen the original madame Oink wall portrait somewhere. It's probably on the history page of the site or in the photo gallery. We've discussed the portrait guests before and I think our conclusion was Foxy, Oink and Helen were definately used in the 70s. We think the order was Helen, then Oink then Foxy on wall portraits and Foxy Colleen transitioned over to be the first cyberamic/balcony guest. We aren't sure if Sally or Harmony Howlette were wall portraits or not. We have seen no evidence either of them existed before the balcony show era but again there are so many things we still don't know. I think Crusty is the only character that only existed as a portrait and never existed as a cyberamic robot but again that is speculation as well.

[MMBBfan327]

there's a guest star and Chuck's pissed at them and thinks they can't sing

Yeah, I'm surprised that idea lasted so long! Do you think people complained about that back then? I REALLY lovet he wise-ass rat himself, but you would of thought, maybe there'd be a change, which we know happened in the MAJOR remodel back in 1990/1992...

[MMBBfan327]

sp-com.tripod.com/pizzaca...l/hq11.jpg (http://sp-com.tripod.com/pizzacam/darryl/hq11.jpg)

is this the portrait, or a VERY early balcony/shelf robot?

[captslappy]

Yep, that is the portrait version of Oink from the 70s. I knew I'd seen it somewhere.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Oink was more then likely introduced in the late 70's as a Portrait at the original PTT in San Hose'. As shown in the only known exsiting photo ( from Corporate archieves) she looked very much like Miss Piggy. I actually covered this in another thread in more detail, but that thread is now long gone thanks to the EZBoard meltdown we had a couple months back that wiped the PTT Board clean!

Anyway....Madame was used briefly in the late 70's. She was probably used as a rotating Guest at the few early locations Nolan opened up in CA following the orignal Store in 77'. She was pulled though and my guess is that perhaps the similarity to Miss Piggy was too close. Keep in mind that in 78/79' tv's "The Muppet Show" was a HUGE phenomenon and anything even remoted related to the characters was hot stuff.

A few years later when PTT was on a successfull roll, PTT Inc. looked into producing some new Guest Star characters to trot out to the now growing base of locations. Madame Oink was one of the blasts from the past that was chosen to be updated and given a new look, playing up the French Piggie style and downplaying the Miss Piggy inspired beginnnings. I think it improved her character greatly and brought her into her own, but you can't help but realize that she was originally just a Muppet rip-off ( sorry Oink!)

She had a short run as a Guest Star....starting in 1981 thru 1983 she rotated around. In 83' PTT Inc introduced another "retro" character of theres the same way they re-introduced Oink. Helen Henny was given a makeover and transformed from the original goose-like folk singer to a new sexy, sassy, stage chicken complete in a slinky sequined dress! Helen arrived and immediately replaced Oink at most locations by the end of 83'. Shortly afterwards PTT Inc. went bankrupt and she stayed forever more.....undergoing another transformation in the early 90's to become today's little girl cheerleader.

[captslappy]

Changing topics now to Helen (probably should start a new thread)... I believe the original Helens all had a rooster crown sewn on them (red cowl thing that roosters and chickens have on their heads). I have seen 2 PTT era masks that have this. While it was well done, it doesn't quite look right. This is mainly do to its slenderness which gives it a 2 diminsional look which almost looks like a mohawk. I beleive the black and white feather wigs were added to all Helen robots to improve her look. I had a pic somewhere and will see if I can find it. The very fact that I have seen 2 different masks makes me believe many if not all first run Helens on the cyberamic balcony stages initially had these rooster crowns.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Yes, the "Classic Helen" ( Broadway Helen Henny) did indeed have the crown and waddles. I know them well as not only to i have i extensively photographed them back in the day, i had to recreate them this Summer for the Helen Cyberamic figure we had at CheeseVention 2! If you look at any photos of her from CV2, you will see the set i made.

Helen did have the comb and waddles ( seen on her cheeks near the beak) right up until 1991/2 when the MMBB Stage was introduced. She "lost" them when her character was redisigned for the new stage look and direction the Company was going as far as target audiences go. I always though she looked much better with them as at least then you did'nt have folks think she was a "duck" like they do today!

[MMBBfan327]

I noticed in some pics for CV2 your PTT robots, Jenn! Your Pasqually is in REAL good condition. ;)

[dheineCECfan]

Regarding Helen Henny: Was the first version of Helen Henny circa 1978-1979 in the CECPTT wall portrait show era who was folksinger like with guitar in hand and long hair meant to be a parody of 1970's Austrailian born pop singer Helen Reddy?

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

You already know the answer...

I covered this in another thread ages ago..but for those who missed it, YES, the original Helen was a spoof of the then very popular singer Helen Reddy.

And thanks MMBBFan for the nice comments. I like to keep my things looking good! :D

[dheineCECfan]

Back to Madame Oink: Did she sometimes snort as she was talking in her French accent?

[MMBBfan327]

she'd be like:

"Hello, I am Madam Oink, SNAWWWGGGGTTT!!!"

It was very annoying, but I really do love her look. Man, why'd they have to ruin such a classic character?

[MatHat13]

Regarding Helen Henny: Was the first version of Helen Henny circa 1978-1979 in the CECPTT wall portrait show era who was folksinger like with guitar in hand and long hair meant to be a parody of 1970's Austrailian born pop singer Helen Reddy?

Please tell me you're kidding.

[MMBBfan327]

seriously.

[ChuckEZone]

Regarding Helen Henny: Was the first version of Helen Henny circa 1978-1979 in the CECPTT wall portrait show era who was folksinger like with guitar in hand and long hair meant to be a parody of 1970's Austrailian born pop singer Helen Reddy?

To put it simply, yes. But you've already asked that question before.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Yeah and i was the one who told you Darryl! You do enjoy asking questions that you alreay know the answers to...don't you? ;)

For the last time...YES, Helen Henny was a spoof of the then-popular singer Helen Reddy. They have the same hairstyle too, if you look at Helen Reddy in "Pete's Dragon" and the early 80's Broadway Helen Henny.

[MMBBfan327]

How did this thread get started on Helen Henny?!?!?! :lol

[captslappy]

Did you know Madame Oink may have started as a Miss Piggy rip off?

[YoungCaliHottie]

anyone know of where i would be able to get a reel?

[captslappy]

I have both reels. I had Madame Oink but I sold her.

[Lilredridinghood]

....into slaverly???

[YoungCaliHottie]

munch, sept 2005 show: "do what?"
cant believe u did that! =O
glad to know who has reels :)

[captslappy]

Harmony is my favorite and face it, even if I had all the other guests I'd never run them since she's my favorite out of all the PTPs. I do have an extra Oink mask though if anyone wants it...

[MMBBfan327]

How much, Capt? And also were you talking about an Oink robot you had or a reel? I'm confused!:lol

[captslappy]

I had the actual robot with cosmetics. As for the mask, it is in good shape but missing one ear and the wig. It is complete with the gold scarf, jaw and head back. I guess make me an offer on it if interested. Mscherpenberg@yahoo.com

[captslappy]

I put that mask up. See the "for sale" section for details.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

For all the slack the Madame gets sometimes, you have to admit that she is s beautifully sculpted character. All the older Cyberamic cosmetics were very well made...not like the crap that's used today. Choice fabrics were used, and some very clever contruction was done to create cheeks, lips, even different head shapes and features exclusive to all the characters. Madame Oink was no exception.

She is very well made and appealing. It's a darn shame we don't have such visually attractive and interesting characters today like we did back then. But then again, that's why PTT Inc. ruled to begin with!

[MMBBfan327]

Right on, Jenn!

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Something i have discovered recently about the Madame...

She had two different wigs used. I always assumed she only had one, the blond slightly curled one she is almost always wearing. But no...there was another one too more on the white side and very large and puffy.

Interesting as none of the other characters in this era had changes like this made.

[dheineCECfan]

Was Madame Oink sometimes wearing a fancy style hat? I thought she did in occassion...

[MMBBfan327]

Cartoon Oink yes, robot Oink I donnot know...

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Oink was never shown wearing a hat in her usual attire...it was instead her unique hairstyle.

She had her hair drawn up into a huge bun with small ringlets of curls trailing down her forehead and sides. On one side of her hair she wore a large ornament with green plume feathers. Both the Bot' and the cartoon drawings of her show her like this.

The only time she would be wearing a hat would more then likely be for special shows or promo images.

[captslappy]

I have seen the cartoon Oink in a dressy hat before but the robot only appeared in 2 show tapes and neither of those tapes had her in a special costume. Same with Harmony. Those 2 were around such a short time they did not get special costumes. That was a thing later with Helen after she became a permanent PTP.

[dheineCECfan]

If you don't rule out Christmas clothing decorations (like Santa hats)

[captslappy]

True. They may have put Christmas hats and maybe even scarves on Harmony and Oink at Christmas but they didn't have any special costumes other than their normal clothing. Dressing them up a little for the holidays would not be officially considered a costume changes however. Helen had several special costume changes over the years as did the rest of the PTPs. I know Chuck at least had a special costume for at least one of the Oink show tapes. Not sure on the other characters. The 4 main PTPs did not wear any kind of special costumes during Harmony's run. They did all get western costumes for Helen's country show tape however.

[dheineCECfan]

Well, I remember seeing at the Hoffman Estates CECPTT at Christmas 1983:
* The Chuck E. Cheese robot dressed in Santa hat and Santa Claus beard (the other CECPTT Pizza Time Players - including Madame Oink - were dressed normal with no Christmas costumes on).
* I don't know if the CECPTT Beagles were wearing Santa caps (The King may or may not as well).

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Most shows were dressed up for the Holidays by the store staff. It was not a Company wide thing with specially produced cotumes and all until the later years, particually the mid 80's era. The RAE also went through a X-mas phase and that was pretty much all Comapny endorsed and consisted of special costumes. I should'nt really say "costumes" per say in both cases as these X-mas Show kits consisted of nothing more then hats, scarfs, etc. sent out to all Company locations ( think Winter1derLand..)

The Captain is right though in saying that Oink was'nt around long enough to enjoy the pleasure of elaborate costume changes and custom clothing for specific shows. Helen saw many special outfits...everything from Witch Chicken to 80's Girl. In the 90's this trend was dropped and then only the accasional X-mas gear was seen.

[captslappy]

In this case we are talking about adding accessories as opposed to a special costume. Many stores may have given Oink and Harmony scarves and Christmas hats and the same on the RAE but they never did completely different costumes. The only example I have seen on the RAE of having actual real special costumes was the magic test stage. There have been a few examples of customers customizing the Rock-afire like at Chimpy's, Adventure Island in Florida and The Bear-a-dise RAE mini show in Illinois but these aren't really true examples. Showbiz never did any special costume changes for any showtapes I'm aware of. The closest it got was the few times Rolfe and Earl were replaced by another character. For the guests at PTT tho, they were just around too short a time to have a special costume change.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Yes....costumes per say were not really used until Helen came along in 83'. Thats when PTT started to get into doing seasonal shows for different times of year ( Back to School, Summertime, Holidays, etc.). Once they started doing this, they started making special cosmetic costumes for the figures to wear onstage.

Man, it was a cool time to be at PTT then!

[captslappy]

Right... as we have said before the previous 4 guests had a generic Christmas skit show that did not feature any of them singing solos. They just sang with the Warblettes. It's quite a contrast now from the elaborate holiday shows they do now.

[Billy Bob Brockali]

Hey!

You guys are gonna havta take "the oat" again for not considering a colander a "special" costume. 20 years on, and the colander is still being discriminated against... tsk tsk tsk..


Nick

[YoungCaliHottie]

lol. i need to dress one up and put it on my head one day. ill take pics for u guys. haha.

...maybe ill sneak one on chuck e one day and take a pic for u guys of that too

lol

but the colander was for rae only, right? madame oink is ptt.

[captslappy]

Yes. The colander thing was actually done before the merger so PTT was a competitor. In the "Save The Colander" video where the employees describe the promotion to the Showbiz employees they take a few jabs at the rat.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Hell yeah! The 'Save the Colandar" Telethon video we watched in the Danvers party room one night just for the heck of it....and what a scream it was too when the started Rat-bashing. Wicked funny stuff when you saw/heard it while working for the Rat on locations between tasks!

I think we laughed so hard that night i dropped popcorn all over the Party Rooms' floor. We were crunching it under our feet for days afterwards!

Hey, it was all for a good cause. We all stood and took "Da Oat" in full CEC uniform attire while firmly plunking colandars on our heads. The GM thought we were totally nuts of course...but man what a fun night!

Pretty surreal really.....Ha ha ha ha !!!!!:lol

[dheineCECfan]

In the "Save the Colander" telethon, there was a mention to SPP rival CEC that they planned "Refridgerator Ice Box Night".

[captslappy]

Yeah the joke was there that CEC was trying to copy their promotion and if you wore a refrigerator strapped to your back you'd get a free small Coke or something. The idea being a colander was ligher and easier and you got more free goodies for wearing a colander. In reality PTT had no similiar promotional idea that was in anyway similiar to the Colanderhead night.

[VegaNova]

Hey everyone,

Forgive me if I'm asking a stupid question and for steering this thread away from the RAE and back to Oink, but I had a showtape question.

I believe somewhere it was stated that between Harmony and Oink there was a total of 4 showtapes, Harmony 1 and 2, and Oink 3 and 4.

I have copies of both Oink tapes. #3 being Tunnel of Love and #4 being the Tune machine. However, I have a copy of a PTT manual that shows how to set up the props and stage for Oink #1 - Around the World with Madame Oink. I've never heard of this tape other than this reference, but if it's right, then there's probably a #2 Oink floating somewhere. And in this show setup it tells how to attach her hat.

Anyone have any ideas?
-VegaNova

[MMBBfan327]

All I can say is this is incredible...so now we know that Oink's robot sometimes may have had a hat, and also perhaps an unknown reel is here.

[captslappy]

First off, how dare anyone even the site owner get back on topic... I am so cancelling my membership on the board after this...

Second... hmmm, that is a mystery indeed. I have #3 and #4 and I remember seeing those 2 shows. It is definately intersting. Several possibilities here... 1) Madame Oink did have 4 actual shows in the early 80s. 2) This "Around the World Tape" was planned and didn't happen or released on a very limited basis 3) Oink existed earlier and perhaps this was going to be a reissue of her 70s material.

We know Foxy and Sally had very limited distribution. Oink did exist as a portrait bot. Perhaps she was released early on as a cyberamic character and her first round was limited like these 2. Just a few theories. I hope we learn more.

[pizzacam]

Well Oink DID exist earlier there's a pic of here as a portrait character so... that explains that. Maybe #1 and #2 were when she was a portrait character? hmm...

[dheineCECfan]

Even Foxy and Sally were portraits before being cyberamic shelf/balcony bots.

[VegaNova]

You might be right about them reissuing portrait tapes for the balcony stage (this manual is for the balcony). So that could be. Or maybe this was more a 'test market' for Oink before they rolled her out system wide.

I'll try to get this thing scanned and posted. The entire manual is huge, but I think that Oink #1 part is only a few pages.

-VegaNova

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

There IS definately a "Around the World" show for Oink as i saw it and have photographic proof. If you look at the Oink photo i have in the Photo Gallery section, the backdrop behind her is the same set shown in that manual Vega speaks of. I know this because i have the manual too! Check out the photo...or better yet, maybe someone here can re-post it here?

Oink is shown with Big Ben behind her....one of the "Around the World" set pieces.

So yes, there IS a "Around the World" reel out there! :)

[captslappy]

Weird... so she must have 4 if "Around the World" is #1. I only remember seeing Tunnel of Love and the Tune Machine (no relation to the Helen Reel of the same name or RAE one). I remember both of these shows vividly. I am positive I did not see any other shows with Oink in them. I wonder if some placse started with Oink and just had 4 reels for her and just skipped Harmony and the others. I know one of the 2 stores I went to opened with Oink.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Danvers opened with Oink so add that to your list Captain.

I was a avid attendee of the Brandon location in 81 thru 83' before moving up to MA. In that time frame, i saw the first Harmony show and the follow up. After this, Oink was presented and i'm pretty sure it was with "Around the World". The photo i have was taken the first day i saw her....it was all new and exciting to see what was then a totally NEW character. Up until then, none of the other characters on stage or in the Cab/Lounge changed. Once Oink arrived they started switching those rooms out.

Anyway, i don't think i ever saw "Tunnel" or the "Tune Machine" show. In fact i'm pretty certain i did'nt. By the Summer of 83' i had moved to MA and did'nt go to CEC until mid 84' or so. By then Helen was onstage everywhere...so i guess i missed them. I would have remembered the "TUnnel" show im sure with the wonderfully designed set pieces and special lighting. I missed those and if i had seen them i would have no doubt taken photos of them.

So the only Oink show i saw was "Around...". It was the first Oink show, that debuted the character i think. I could be totally wrong...but i know the Brandon store ran their stuff in order and "Around.." was the first time i saw Oink and i never saw the other shows later on with her.

[captslappy]

Tune Machine had a computer in it and the mouth of the computer (made from a light string) flashed as it spoke.

[Lilredridinghood]

You know, that is really something to find out that Danvers did have Madame Oink...so maybe I did see her then? I really have no recollection of her, but it's funny because I remember Chuck E, Jasper, and Mr. Munch (and also BB Bubbles and The King) very well....I had very vague memories of Pasqually, but didn't really remember him until I was flipping through the cec handbook when I first got hired at cec....and also, I do have very vague memories of a female character but I always thought that would be Helen Henny?

Jenn, do you know if Madame Oink was there 1982 or 1983?

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Danvers definately opened with her as far as i know. I have the original Guest Star poster that once hung outside the building. She was replaced in mid to late 83' with the original Helen, so there is a chance you saw her.

I arrived up here in MA from FL in the Summer of 83' so missed seeing Madame Oink in Danvers. I did see Miss Oink in Brandon many times before moving up here though.....

[Lilredridinghood]

Hmmmm, I know I was definately there in 1983, and most likely 1982...so maybe I did see her. Did we ever figure what year it was that the Danvers CEC opened though?

There are only a few things I recall about the PTT shows-for some reason, one of the things that sticks in my mind is Mr. Munch singing a song that started out like this: "I was walking down the street..." or something along the lines of that. It may have not have been "street." It was kind of a slow song...maybe a spooky song? I'm thinking this because the beginning had spooky music, I think....I wish I could be more specific, but it's been a long time. I was just wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone since PTT reels have surfaced?

Just one of those curious things.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

To my knowledge, Danvers opened in early 1982. This is a fierce battle between J and me actually...as he swears the place was open as early as 78/79' and i just can't see that being possible! It's a loooongggg story, but we decided to say 1981 to make us both happy ( lol!!). In reality though...it's surely 82'. That would mean Oink opened with the place ( which i am certain of as Harmony was never seen up here that i know of..) and also tie in with the results i have ended up with so far as far as the history of the place goes. 82' is it i'm pretty sure.

As far as Munch wierd song...it could be anything really. The Captain might know...maybe it was part of a Halloween show? I am not aware of any specially recorded "holiday themed" shows from back then. I never saw any in FL in 81/82' so assumed there were none until the mid 80's. I know in 85' PTT had a special Halloween Show where all the characters were dressed up in company-issued outfits and a special themed reel was released. Other then that, i do not know of any more Halloween shows.

[captslappy]

I can think of several it might be. Not sure.

[dheineCECfan]

Speaking of Danvers: In the mid 1980's it was one of a very few CECPTT franchised locations to replace the main CECPTT Pizza Time Players balcony show with the Family Album show (Warwick, R.I. and 3 Detroit area CECPTT locations were the others).

[VegaNova]

I checked the corporate CEC roster that I have and it dates Danvers as being opened in 1987 which isn't true... I know alot of the opening dates aren't when the store opened. It might be when it was added to the official corporate roster or some business like that.

Sorry I couldn't be much more help than that. I know the dates are fairly accurate to a point though, as many of the CO locations date back to 1981 or 82. It's very likely that most of the stores that have always been CEC have later dates listed since they were absorbed into the SPP system some point along their history.

-VegaNova

[CEC3066]

From what I had heard ShowBiz Pizz Time Inc bought the store sometime after Pizza Time Theater filed for Chapter 11.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

In February of 1985 Danvers re-opened with a gala yahoo. Silver-plated tokens were even issued for the accasion! The Family Album was all new..and sub sandwiches and some other menu items were added. Also the ball pits debuted ( in their early form) and some new arcade games.

I have long suspected that this was in "celebration" of the Corporate takeover of the location as Danvers was a franchise originally. In 85' the Company may have come into possession of it, but more then likely what happened was this: The 85' reopening was just a change of owners to that particular franchise location. In 1987 the Company bought it out ( as it did for many stores...) thus being listed as opening in 87' This is when the Store was given it's number..#478..which is right before the then just-opened Natick location. The original # of Danvers is not know, but it is known that it opened as a franchise like most PTT's did in 81/82'. After PTT Inc. folded, Showbiz started buying up locations and put them under the Corporate-owned banner.

I still have our old Company-issued Store Info page they sent us a while back listing various things such as the lease space contact info, local service numbers, and other contacts. At the top of the page it claims #478 opened in 87' which always threw me. i knew it was some wacky random year and not accurate at all. I'll have to dig that paper out as i think it even listed a exact date.

Either way it was not right...but when you think of it as the date the place became a Company-owned store it makes sense.

[dheineCECfan]

For Danvers: In 1988 the Family Album show was replaced by a CEC House Facade Rocker Stage show.

[captslappy]

What do you guys think about this new revalation about an Oink #1 reel "Around the World with Madame Oink?" We kind of got away from this. So is it possible some places had a 4 show tape run with Oink? What if Oink is really the 1979 first guest when the balcony got introduced and then Foxy came out in '80? Thoughts? I still believe some places opened with Oink at teh same time Harmony was being installed. It would make sense. Some places just used Oink for a longer run and the other half got Harmony. Then they caught up on Oink production or maybe stores that did Oink reels 1 and 2 then got Harmony next and ran her 2. I'm positive the store I first saw in Kindergarten went from Harmony straight to Helen with out Oink. I'm also sure after listening to both Harmony reels I heard her perform #2. That was the stuff I recognized although both Harmony reels have a lot of the same skits but there are a few different ones.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Oink only had two shows i thought..."Tunnel" and 'ATW'. I am not aware of any other titles...so what's this abut four shows?

Also i am certain that Oink was NOT the first Guest in the first version of the Classic Balcony. Foxxy was without a doubt as we have photographic proof. She was one of the earliest Guests in the Portrait Era, but was phased out quickly due to how similar she was to Miss Piggy at that time ( 78/79').

Yes, it is true that many locations opened with Oink. Danvers was one of them in 81'. Most stores that opened from mid 81' on more then likely recieved her as the first Guest and did not get Harmony. I know in Danvers' case, we never had Harmony. The store opened too late for that era.

[VegaNova]

Here's the Oink list Jenn...

#1 - Around the World
#2 - ???
#3 - Tunnel of Love
#4 - Tune Machine

What strikes me as being even more of a scavenger hunt is trying to lock down the very early material. This is just conjecture on my part but I would imagine that the portrait set-up used different tapes than the balcony. Like maybe there was an Oink I (late 70s for use with the portraits), and then when they converted her over to the balcony they made the 'new' #1 ATW.

Maybe ATW was the oldest tape and was made originally for the portraits, but to me it seems unlikely. Especially considering how PTT put so much effort and cost into building complicated sets for the balcony, it wouldn't surprise me if they just made new tapes for it too.

It's going to be hard trying to locate down the late 70s tapes, but they have to be out there. I just have a strong feeling that the original tapes for Oink, Helen, and Foxy we've never heard. There had to have been only a handful of stores in existance back then.

-VegaNova

[captslappy]

I agree. I have the #3 and #4 both of which I did hear back in the original PTT stores. I was not aware of "Around the World" til just recently when this was brought up. I am certain I have not heard that one. It seems we just keep getting more questions than answers. At least it keeps this interesting!

[captslappy]

I am fairly certain at this point the order was (starting with the portraits)

1. Helen
2. Madame Oink
3. Foxy Colleen (who was the transition character from portrait to cyberamics stage. I bet all stores had her at once)
4. Sally Sashay
5. Harmony Howlette
6. Madame Oink
7. Classic Helen
8. Modern Helen

I do believe we may have had some cases of Sally and Foxy being around the same time and the same with Oink and Harmony so it may not have been so uniform in the middle. It may not have been uniform at the time with the early stores and it is very likely the handful of stores had different guests. It may also be possible that some stores skipped guests, perhaps going from Harmony straight to Helen. I beleive that is the deal with the first PTT I went to as I mentioned earlier. I do have to wonder if they didn't do Oink first tho and run reels 1 and 2 and then went on to Harmony.

[menutia]

What about Crusty the Cat? Does he fall into this catagory, or is he and Mr. Munch a different string?

~M

[captslappy]

Apparently from what we know Crusty was only used in '77 at the first store(s). I'm guessing he appears in only one tape and as far as we know he was eliminated by the Penguin Mofia and... well we aren't supposed to talk about that but Munch took over after that. I think they came up with Munch after the fact and decided out of all the characters, Crusty was the one that should go. Initially I suspect Crusty was intended to be a permanent member of the group and it just didn't work out. This is all speculation of course but interesting to revisit...

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Come on man...we all know Munch had him "snuffed out"!!

And you thought Corporate takeovers were rough...:lol

Of course Grimace didnt have anything to do with this whatsoever....:p

[captslappy]

You know what happened to the Warblettes? They were Munch's hitmen. They took the fall for Crusty. It took about 10 or 15 years to catch up to them but they got theirs in the end. That's why they aren't in the MMBB.

[captslappy]

I saw a comment on a CEC group I am not a member of so I couldn't post on it. I think Gabe said someone had seen the Madame Oink "Around the World" show but it was the Harmony Howlette mech? I wanted more info. Gabe or whoever it was that said that what is the deal?

[menutia]

Warblettes - Birds in Black

No Ray Ban sun glasses though.

~M

[dheineCECfan]

The Warblettes swan song was appearing on the "Close Encounters of the Bird Kind" (colorful version - Only appearance of the colorful Warblettes in cartoon form since the black counterparts have a few times in CECPTT men programs and the 1979 Rat Tales comic book) parody movie poster.

[captslappy]

How did we get off talking about the Warblettes anyways?

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Smurf the Warblettes...let's get back to Madame Oink!



Oink was nice....a very well designed character from a Cyberamic standpoint. It really is incredible to view these old cosmetics now and see how cleverly they were fabricated and put togther. Absolute genius there early Cyber characters were in the way they were made. For anyone who does'nt know, all Cyberamic characters and wooden frames covered in different fabrics or fur. Foam is used to fill in the areas between the wood braces of the actual mask and foam is the primary material used for the bodies and hands. Later Cyberamics had a plastic shell chestpiece that protected the fabric/foam from the robotic parts inside the body cavity. This began around the time CEC and his friends "grew" legs during the Rocker Stage era.

Oink is very well made. Just like Harmony, she is "sculpted" out of the above components to have chubby cheeks, a dimpled chin, pouty lips, and a wrinkled piggy snout. It's a shame that this fantastic art was lost in the mid 80's when the company changed the makers of the Cyber parts. Soon you started seeing glazed over efforts and cheaper parts being used....poor quality woods, no "sculpting" creativity, thinner fabrics...etc.

Thankfully some of the originals still exsist. The current characters left out there on what Cyberstages remain pale by comparison.

[captslappy]

One bad part of the design that still remains today is the masks are 3 seperate pieces. A head back, a face and a jaw. Unfortuantely what little does turn up often are missing head backs or jaws. That is one more challege in finding characters is the ability to find them complete. Another problem is many times the wooden frames are damaged and smashed over time. It is amazing though to see how simple yet complex the characters are. I have to agree with Jenn, from a construction and sculpting standpoint, Oink is by far the coolest mask. I'd say King is second there and Dolli is third. They are all pretty cool though.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

I thought i would revive this thread since there may be some new interest in the Madame post-CV3!

As folks here may know, Madame Oink was our "Suprise Guest" at CV3 this year. Attendees were able to see her and the Pizza Time Players perform "live" in all there Cyberamic glory. She was a fabulous treat!!

Madame Oink actually has a classier demeanor then i originally remember after viewing the shows at CV3. I also noticed that her often mentioned "annoying snorting" is hardly present in her newer shows.

The uncovering of a rare Birthday Show featuring Madame Oink was shown and man was it GOOD!

I now have a new respect for this character. She was a winner and had a lot of appeal.

[captslappy]

I wish we would have had time to do both Harmony reels and both Oink reels but sadly we didn't probably get to watch a quarter of what we had video or show tape wise. If only CV3 could have been a week long to allow us to get everything in. We just got a small sampling but it was still really awesome. The highlight besides seeing Harmony come to life was watching the Sally and Foxy reel and seeing the programming on those 2 reels. We learned so much. Oink was also a real treat. Seeing the LEDs for the mouth of the computer on that tape was really cool also. I noticed the colored lights on the 2nd light board did a roll with the piano. Those LEDs tell us so much!

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Darn right Captain...it was a flippin' light show man, and we did'nt even HAVE any lights! LOL!!!

This is why we SO have to get together again ourselves and get this show fully restored for filming. Where else can one see ORIGINAL PTT show programming, that very likely featured some of the first skits ever????

Only in TX baby.....

[captslappy]

Sad how we all get so excited over a bunch of blinking LEDs

[dheineCECfan]

Was the rare birthday show with Madame Oink on one of the early 1980's CECPTT reels?

[captslappy]

It was specifically on the Tune Machine reel (#3 I think) not to be mistaken with the Helen reel or RAE reel of the same name. I saw this one as a kid. My other Oink reel has the same generic b-day skits as Harmony. By the way we ran the 5th b-day skit for the 5th anniversy of CEC on Harmony's reel as well as the "Honey Bun B-day song". I did not know that Oink had special b-day songs. I know Helen has b-day skits that feature her on the Broadway Helen Henny reel, which is the first reel she appears on after Oink leaves.

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Yep, the "Oink Birthday" was very well done too. It was very classy and dare i say sentimental in musical feel. Perfect for the characters. She does a duet with the Warblelettes , and near the end of the song finishes it with some real zeal.

I was very surprised and delighted. The people who put these old shows togther really knew what they were doing. Many talk about how "inferior" or "poor technical" quality the old PTT reel shows are...but when you SEE what the characters DO ( which is more then just swing side to side..) it all fits perfectly. I was impressed with these "new" shows i had not heard.

"Honey Bun Birthday" is probably the skit i have known for the longest since it first started playing back in 81'. I vividly remember hearing this, and many times too as i have old cassette recordings of myself imitating this very skit as one of my puppet characters at the time. It's freaking spooky how CLOSE i was to the original skit, and this based on only hearing it a few times in the Store in Brandon. 81' was the last time i had heard it before CV3 took place.

I guess that's proof that i spent waaaayyyy too much of my time time there back in the day! Ha ha!!

All the extra skits were great to see again. The "Cheer" was so hilarious, as all the Bots' just go COMPLETELY NUTS animation wise for about a minute. It's like the progammer just slammed his hands all over the Control Console! It was crazy!

Yeah, i know...i guess it would seem sad to someone on the "outside" reading about all of us who get so worked up over some flicking LED lights....lol..! But HEY, they WERE'NT there so they DON"T KNOW!! It was AWESOME!! Someone should have filmed the Driver Cards man....i would watch that for an hour for sure! ( now i am scaring people no doubt...)

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!

( Yes, i am a freak....and i love it ALL!!!!!)

:rollin

Hey Captain, we will just have to remember to film that part of the Show "next time"!

[captslappy]

Sure... if you will call me and sing the "Honey Bun Birthday song" for me. :rollin

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Deal!!

Hey maybe after we film the LEDS flickering, at CV4 next year we can have a contest and see who can guess the light positions correctly!

Now THAT would be a challanging contest...

Better not let Menutia play it though.....heh heh! 8)

[menutia]

LOL Yeah, I'll forefit. (Can I be a contest judge?)

~Menutia

[Shiney Happy Jenn]

Sure!

I think we should have prizes too......like the Frog Photo Contest!

hee hee...

[pizzacam]

I figured this is the perfect thread for this interesting production line photo! ;)

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p89/pizzacam/Cyberproductionlineforboard.jpg

[dheineCECfan]

I figured this is the perfect thread for this interesting production line photo! ;)


This photo is from 1981-1982, I guess.

[pizzacam]

It's from 1981 ;)

[Larry the Tech]

Man that's a cool picture! The Chuck E bot looks funny without an actual body!

[dheineCECfan]

I know CEC HQ used to have a circa 1979 color photo of Madam(e) Oink when she was a Miss Piggy knockoff on its wall.

[jonathansullivan]

For those who aren't following my long and boring thread, thought I would put this info here too. In the photo below from a corporate publication 12/82, you can see the walk around version PLUS the photo to the right includes the VOICE of Madaam Oink. As mentioned below in the email, I've attempted to email...maybe more answers on the way?

And finally, Chuck E Cheese and Madaame Oink...

http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/41444/2501183390103137190S425x425Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2501183390103137190jPSXqU)
Direct Link: http://image69.webshots.com/569/1/83...0jPSXqU_fs.jpg (http://image69.webshots.com/569/1/83/39/2501183390103137190jPSXqU_fs.jpg)

Other items of interest include an answer to a question I had (and I'm pretty sure most of you had) See the picture to the right that has the wablettes? That is Paula Mulcahy, the voice of Madame Oink. I have an email into Paula Mulcahy Keane (who is now a producer) asking for details, and if she voiced any other characters for this era. Hopefully she'll be interested in answering some of the questions we are all dying to have answered.

[Larry the Tech]

AWESOME!!!! Dude, you need to join the site staff as a historian. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME??!!!

[jonathansullivan]

AWESOME!!!! Dude, you need to join the site staff as a historian. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME??!!!

The fun part is, I'm discovering these gems as we go. So I'm enjoying it as much as you guys are (or I hope you are).

Thanks though!

[dheineCECfan]

How many Madame Oink walkarounds were made?

[jonathansullivan]

I am aware of this one only, but I have been told Veganova may have another photo. Don't know if it is the same photo, or the same suit.

[VegaNova]

These are from the archives of Jul Kamen (she along with Kathy Hopp designed the Commodore CEC suit, and probably Oink's suit as well). From what we've found, this was the only Oink costume created, and it's not certain if it was ever used beyond this coporate convention. At least Jul wasn't aware of any further uses.

I have the clips from the "Pizza Times" that was posted above, along with these colored shots which include some fabric swatches. These are unedited, as I was going to clean them up, but it should be good enough for now. ;)

http://www.showbizpizza.com/temp/oink-wa-sm01.jpg

http://www.showbizpizza.com/temp/oink-wa-sm02.jpg

http://www.showbizpizza.com/temp/oink-wa-sm03.jpg

Enjoy!!

[dheineCECfan]

Nice pics! What if Helen Henny (in current CEC walkaround form) wore the Hawaiian dress like the walkaround Madame Oink has?
What is the Commodore CEC suit designed by Jul Kamen?

[pizzacam]

Hey so... I had to do a search to find this thread... guess she's not the most popular character lol...

Anyway I've been busting my ass the last couple of weeks archiving reel after reel to CD and something I'm having trouble with is finding documentation on how Oink's name's really spelled!? I have her first reel now "Around The World With Madam Oink" and that's the only reel that even uses "Madam" the other two are called "Oink 3" and... "MO4" which would be even more confusing if you didn't know what they meant or couldn't listen to the reel...~x(

Does anyone know if it actually IS "Madame" or "Madam" Oink? Can you prove it with documentation and or dates? Thanks!!

[jonathansullivan]

According to the Pizza Times Newsletter which included photos of the walkaround character from the 1982 corporate gathering in Hawaii they spell it Madame. (See Below)

http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/41444/2501183390103137190S425x425Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2501183390103137190jPSXqU)
Direct Link: http://image69.webshots.com/569/1/83...0jPSXqU_fs.jpg (http://image69.webshots.com/569/1/83/39/2501183390103137190jPSXqU_fs.jpg)

[VegaNova]

The copyright record (http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=1&ti=1,1&Search%5FArg=madam%20oink&Search%5FCode=FT%2A&CNT=25&PID=sHMJROT-fAuPsBNt3YcqYElFBTv0g&SEQ=20081207150045&SID=2) and early documentation (PTT Theatrical Standards Manual) list her as "Madam" - this was also the spelling on her original portrait-era nameplate (http://www.showbizpizza.com/photos/cec/tx_hq01/11.jpg).

But I find that the later useage was spelled "Madame". This is seen in the above newsletter, the promotional poster (http://www.showbizpizza.com/photos/misc/cv2_hall/33.jpg), and the character nameplate (http://www.showbizpizza.com/photos/ptt/unknown_01/17.jpg). It's also listed that way in the coloring book. A copyright grouping from 1985 (http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/doctitles.cgi?V2136P378) also lists it the secondary way. (Even though it references the original entry which is spelled the other way - ???)

For what it's worth I pretty much figure the original spelling didn't contain the "e", and that it was changed sometime during her transition to the 2nd generation cyberamic. The "Madame Oink" spelling is probably more common because it's spelled that way much more often (then again PTT did much more promotion in the early 80s because the chain was much bigger).

Makes one's head hurt though... :-/

[pizzacam]

Ok well since "Oink 3" and "MO4" are both from '83 and well into the "Madame" era I'll list those reels as such...:-B

Thanks for the quick response guys! =D>

[dheineCECfan]

Don't forget Madame Oink was spelled Madam Oink in the Charlie Cheese's Pizza Playhouse Australia brochure/program.