History Main / SuckECheeses

* ''Series/SisterSister'' had Buck E. Duck for an episode (which had the twins taking their [=SATs=]...for the second time... under the tutorship of [[YouLookFamiliar that kid from]] [[IntercontinuityCrossover Smart Guy]]... who is also their brother in Real Life...)

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* Subverted by Pizza Planet in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'', which is actually a [[RuleOfCool very cool place]] (the only "Suck E." part is Sid breaking the games). According to the DVDCommentary, the goal was to design a pizza place so cool that they just ''had'' to build it. [[{{Defictionalization}} And they did!]] It was in Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World from 1997 up until 2016. Tragically, the real version wasn't as cool as the version seen in the film, consisting of a pizza counter and the same arcade games to be found all over the resort. Disneyland Paris also features a Pizza Planet with a slightly better execution.

* In various ''Website/GoAnimate'' [[YouAreGrounded Grounded]] videos, Chuck E. Cheese's is ''the'' ultimate destination for troublemakers like WesternAnimation/{{Caillou}}. Many videos will have them attempt to go there, skipping school if need be, to enjoy the games and the pizza. In the case of Caillou, his father Boris hates the place with a burning passion, and there have been videos where he has attempted to shut down or destroy the place. Of course, that doesn't stop Caillou from razing the place if it's closed or he doesn't get his way. Another place, Peter Piper's Pizza, is treated as an EvilCounterpart to Chuck E. Cheese's.

* The ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Raging Bully" featured Gunther Goatcheese's, "the goat-cheesiest place in Drusselstein", and site of Dr. Doofenshmirtz's miserable childhood birthdays.

** Hipp'o Henry's in ''Literature/DiaryOfASimpyKidDiperOverlode'' is the most blatant one, complete with animatronics, pizza and even the infamous rumor that Chuck. E. Cheese recycles their pizza slices. Rodrick and his friends attempt to steal a drum stick for their band from one of the animatronics.

** Old-Timey Ice Cream Parlor, where Rodrick gets a job dressing as the restaurant's creepy mascot, Old-Timey Tobias. He doesn't enjoy it.
** Hipp'o Henry's in Diper Overlode is the most blatant one, complete with animatronics, pizza and even the infamous rumor that Chuck. E. Cheese recycles their pizza slices. Rodrick and his friends attempt to steal a drum stick for their band from one of the animatronics.

The chain was created by Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Creator/{{Atari}}. It reached its heyday between the 80s and 90s, but also suffered bad publicity as a hunting ground for sexual predators and (in recent years) [[https://www.insideedition.com/21437-violent-boozed-up-adults-create-chaos-at-some-chuck-e-cheese-kiddie-parties-across-america as a stomping ground for adult brawls.]] It has inspired a number of knock-offs throughout the country which have gone into similar decline, with the most prominent being [=ShowBiz=] Pizza Place (which would purchase Chuck E. Cheese's) and its band, Theatre/TheRockAfireExplosion. The one exception is an ''adult'' version called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_%26_Buster%27s Dave & Buster's]] (other wiki), which is actually flourishing because, unlike the above which (unsuccessfully) play the RuleOfCute, it plays the RuleOfCool, caters to a wide audience (including the popular sports bar crowd) and has absolutely no animatronics or mascots. Similar properties exist outside the US, including the UK's [[http://www.wackywarehouse.co.uk/ Wacky Warehouse]], though they rarely make their way into media.[[note]]Wacky Warehouse also has the important redeeming feature of almost always being attached to a proper restaurant and bar, and no animatronic mascots.[[/note]] As an interesting footnote, in Mexico and the Middle East, Chuck E. Cheese's used the name of [=ShowBiz=] Pizza, which was the previous name of their matrix company in the States before converting all their locations into Chuck E. Cheese's instead. ''Unlike'' in the U.S., [=ShowBiz=] Pizza in those regions never had the same problems their American Chuck E. Cheese's equivalents had, other than the franchise having died in Mexico in the 90s, albeit it still exists in the Middle East to this date. [[note]]Though it was announced a Mexican branch of Chuck E. Cheese's would open in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes in 2017.[[/note]]

* Ted E. Bear's [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Mafia-Free]] Playland and Casino from ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam & Max: The Mole, The Mob, & the Meatball]]'', which is Chuck E. Cheese's crossed with LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub. Oddly enough, there actually was a real-life Ted E. Bear's in Southern California, a small chain of Chuck E. Cheese knock-offs.

* The Hulu short film [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0GljlAjqgI The Hug]] features "Pandory's Pan Pizza Palace", where the titular [[BearsAreBadNews panda]] [[SwallowedWhole devours a child]] after offering him a hug in exchange for playing a song.

* An episode of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' had Sheldon (who was obsessed with solving a molecular equation and was using the balls as subatomic particles) hiding out in the ball pit at one of these places, only to pop up at regular intervals like a prairie dog and shout [[CatchPhrase "Bazinga!"]]

The chain was created by Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Creator/{{Atari}}. It reached its heyday between the 80s and 90s, but also suffered bad publicity as a hunting ground for sexual predators and (in recent years) [[https://www.insideedition.com/21437-violent-boozed-up-adults-create-chaos-at-some-chuck-e-cheese-kiddie-parties-across-america as a stomping ground for adult brawls.]] It has inspired a number of knock-offs throughout the country which have gone into similar decline, with the most prominent being Showbiz Pizza Place and its band, Theatre/TheRockAfireExplosion. The one exception is an ''adult'' version called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_%26_Buster%27s Dave & Buster's]] (other wiki), which is actually flourishing because, unlike the above which (unsuccessfully) play the RuleOfCute, it plays the RuleOfCool, caters to a wide audience (including the popular sports bar crowd) and has absolutely NO animatronics or mascots. Similar properties exist outside the US, including the UK's [[http://www.wackywarehouse.co.uk/ Wacky Warehouse]], though they rarely make their way into media.[[note]]Wacky Warehouse also has the important redeeming feature of almost always being attached to a proper restaurant and bar, and no animatronic mascots.[[/note]] As an interesting footnote, in Mexico and the Middle East, Chuck E. Cheese's used the name of Showbiz Pizza, which was the previous name of their matrix company in the States before converting all their locations into Chuck E. Cheese's instead. ''Unlike'' in the U.S., Showbiz Pizza in those regions never had the same problems their American Chuck E. Cheese's equivalents had, other than the franchise having died in Mexico in the 90s, albeit it still exists in the Middle East to this date. [[note]]Albeit it was announced a Mexican branch of Chuck E. Cheese's would open in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes in 2017.[[/note]]

However, to some there is still a nostalgia for Chuck E. Cheese's and Showbiz Pizza Place, so much that in spring 2018, an arcade bar for adults opened up in Kansas City, Missouri (home of the first Showbiz Pizza Place in 1980) featuring [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVa2vGqgoA4 a working Rockafire Explosion animatronic band]], just as Showbiz did, however it closed as quickly as it opened, with a planned move to the far-more tourist-friendly Branson, Missouri in DevelopmentHell.

* In ''Literature/TheUnorthodoxChronicles'', Grimsby is an IneptMage who's stuck working at a children's pizza join/play center called Mighty Magic Donald's Food Kingdom. While the name seems like a pun off McDonald's, the restaurant itself is a mix between a Medieval Times and Chuck E. Cheese, minus any quality assurance.

** Hap. E Hippo's, where Rodrick and his friends attempt to steal a drum stick for their band from one of the animatronics.

* Zyggie's Ice Cream Parlor in ''Film/BillAndTedsExcellentAdventure'' (where Deacon takes [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]]) is a lot like Chuck E. Cheese, except that it seems to focus more on ice cream than pizza. Subverted in that it seems to be a pretty cool place.

* ''[[VideoGame/RockBand Rock Band 4]]'' features the venue Budd F. Bonkazoid's, a restaurant with broken anamitronics on the stage that is the setting for your first concert in Rockudrama mode.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'':