tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post3984371247798887405..comments2023-09-07T22:24:51.654-05:00Comments on League of Melbotis: Me and Chuck E. CheeseThe Leaguehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-23876065449124575732009-07-05T19:06:11.941-05:002009-07-05T19:06:11.941-05:00I've only worked for Chuck E. Cheese for two m...I've only worked for Chuck E. Cheese for two months, and am already annoyed by it.<br /><br />All of this was just hilarious to read... as I relax from a nine hour shift (7-4).<br /><br />Thanks for the laughs! (And boy am I glad to see that the costumes have changed over the years)Caryhttp://twitter.com/rymeswithpurplenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-35079947598459955572009-04-09T23:19:00.000-05:002009-04-09T23:19:00.000-05:00I am in! Brilliant!I am in! Brilliant!The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-48309804174363162382009-04-09T23:13:00.000-05:002009-04-09T23:13:00.000-05:00Another Pop Candy referee. You've so inspired me t...Another Pop Candy referee. You've so inspired me that I've created a Facebook group: Alumni of Chuck E. Cheese. Come join and share story with the others who know your pain!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-52384825271393105372009-04-09T17:17:00.000-05:002009-04-09T17:17:00.000-05:00The story of the man throwing is infant into the p...The story of the man throwing is infant into the plastic balls is amazing. The whole post is pretty amazing really.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09695942895837595923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-55816959146256180582009-04-08T14:30:00.000-05:002009-04-08T14:30:00.000-05:00I'm a Pop Candy reader, also... thanks for the int...I'm a Pop Candy reader, also... thanks for the interesting blog!! I worked at McDonald's in high school and ran birthday parties, in which the kids would definitely act as you're describing, but not the parents. The parents who scheduled (and paid for) a birthday party were usually pretty caring and attentive. The stories about the lack of parenting were shocking and sad... some people should be neutered and not allowed to pro-create!!!Sara in Seattlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-39258259832482418322009-04-08T14:28:00.000-05:002009-04-08T14:28:00.000-05:00Wow, you have eerily summarized my experience work...Wow, you have eerily summarized my experience working at Chuck E. Cheese. I found this link from Pop Candy and was just shocked that my experience wasn't unique! I worked at CEC the summer of 1996 in Columbus, Ohio and it seems like not much had changed when I started. Now that I'm a mom, I've taken my son once and it was an unpleasant experience for both of us. He was overwhelmed and I was horrified that it was as I remembered it. I don't think we will be going back.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-35970559476824982402009-04-08T13:38:00.000-05:002009-04-08T13:38:00.000-05:00I am beginning to believe The Chuck should offer-t...I am beginning to believe The Chuck should offer-term insurance coverage for group therapy for CEC-alumni.<BR/><BR/>I can't tell you guys how much I'm enjoying reading how the madness of The Chuck affected other folks.<BR/><BR/>I just hope I'm not getting my former managers fired.<BR/><BR/>I confess to being a bit stunned that other CECs seemed to have such a meaningful division of labor. We had no game technicians that I knew of. And putting the suit on was no special treat or position at our store. AND to hear that your turnover wasn't as insane as what I saw at our store. <BR/><BR/>I was actually already 6'3" when I was working at Chuck, so I was too big for the suit from Day 1. You could see my neck, too (for some reason, that's the part of the story my friends doubt. I never got why...).The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-40434312676429206782009-04-08T12:34:00.000-05:002009-04-08T12:34:00.000-05:00I, too, found this link through Pop Candy.I, too, ...I, too, found this link through Pop Candy.<BR/>I, too, worked at CEC.<BR/>In 1986, a year before graduating from high school, I was convinced I was going to be the greatest actor the world had ever seen. I was so convinced, in fact, and so deluded, that when I was asked by the manager of a McDonald's why I wanted to work there, I told him it was because I wanted to study people.<BR/>McDonald's didn't hire me. McDonald's.<BR/>When the CEC opened in Fall River, my mother informed me of a job listing she had found in the Herald. Chuck E. Cheese was looking for PERFORMERS!!<BR/>I went down there prepared to show them my stuff. I was just good enough to wear the Jasper T. Jowls costume. I WAS Jasper T. Jowls, the banjo-playing hound dog, with the authentic Southern drawl I could never use as the talking was the forbidden.<BR/>At least I was Jasper until I had an unforeseen growth spurt. When it got to the point where you could see my human neck between where my Jasper head and Jasper body were supposed to meet, I was told to go home.<BR/>Actually, and honestly, I was bummed out. I kinda dug it. No one ever beat on me, but I think that was mostly because I was a bit player, not the top banana.<BR/>I played a non-essential role at Chuck E. Cheese's. Hmm. That's sad. Wish I hadn't thought of it.mister swarveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00664362579537446975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-77013202714202001702009-04-08T12:10:00.000-05:002009-04-08T12:10:00.000-05:00I too worked at Chuck - for 3 years. I did wear th...I too worked at Chuck - for 3 years. I did wear the suit. I did just about everything. I jumped off the stage and took the curtain with me one time. The sheer horror of kids realizing these things were no longer moving! I too worked with the 40-somethings who had been there forever. I was witness to at least two parent fights. And then there was the child who got "forgotten." Unbelievable how these things stay with you. As a mother of two, I will not set foot in a Chuck E. Cheese...no matter what! We had this machine that would take your picture as you rode the car - made for interesting photo ops when the place closed. I really enjoyed this post!Jocelynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-25462749239996171252009-04-08T11:42:00.000-05:002009-04-08T11:42:00.000-05:00My tenure at CEC began in 1996 and lasted through ...My tenure at CEC began in 1996 and lasted through 2001. I could go on for days with stories of being behind the register, to behind the suit, to behind the oven. I did it all (evolution of cast member to team 2 trainer to opening coordinator to asst. mgr) "But you could have your own store!" Yes, that's why I went to college. To continue to work at CEC. In any event, the most I got out of my time there is that one cannot find better birth control for a high school girl. Mamas, you might want your babies to grow up to be (temporary) birthday hostesses. If you learn nothing else (though I can still do the mexican hat dance and the birthday show dance) you will learn what wretched little beasts children can be. And that is incentive enough to keep your grease stained, company issue blue shorts on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-63609107090489490732009-04-08T11:03:00.000-05:002009-04-08T11:03:00.000-05:00Thanks to all you new folks who stopped by. by 10...Thanks to all you new folks who stopped by. by 10:30 AM, my traffic was roughly 20x what it normally is on a given day, so I guess its nice to know Chuck E. Cheese can still pull us all together.<BR/><BR/>I highly recommend looking into the eyes of the employees at any place you're visiting in order to have a good time. I will say that a summer at The Chuck and three summers working at the Disney Store (an equally absurd experience), have given me terrific empathy for the folks who make the whole thing happen. And by that, I do not mean regional managers.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-84032049762331409922009-04-08T10:02:00.000-05:002009-04-08T10:02:00.000-05:00Man this was an excellent, introspective post on s...Man this was an excellent, introspective post on something I never thought could be interesting until you made it interesting. Who knew The Chuck was such a barren wasteland of sorrow and futility?Andy - Instafather https://www.blogger.com/profile/11381518410812108425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-57845645919299582722009-04-08T08:58:00.000-05:002009-04-08T08:58:00.000-05:00Oh, God. The Walk-Around Character video.Chuck E....Oh, God. The Walk-Around Character video.<BR/><BR/>Chuck E. Cheese was my very first job, as well, chosen strictly because of the original Star Wars arcade game they had there. I was originally hired as a "Game Tech", but the job swiftly devolved to "Showroom", then "Kitchen", then "The Suit".<BR/><BR/>I still nightmare about the suit. If I close my eyes, I can still hear the screams of the mother whose child I accidentally back handed due to my lack of periphery vision while inside The Head.<BR/><BR/>There were some cool parts, though. Deflating the band every night was an interesting, yet slightly creepy, experience. And when I found out our tokens worked at the local "real" arcade, I started taking home fistfuls of them nightly. By the time I had quit, I had enough tokens to spend an entire day with my little brother playing skee-ball and win the amount of tickets necessary to get my mother a food processor for Mother's Day.<BR/><BR/>I haven't been back in, at least, 15 years. I'm afraid I might flashback and throw myself on the floor in front of the ballcrawl, legs locked tightly to my chest in the fetal position as I try to rock myself back and forth while muttering "Get off the side get off the side get off the side" over and over again.Uncle Pilothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03087587371246391991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-25354469820141521572009-04-08T08:11:00.000-05:002009-04-08T08:11:00.000-05:00I read this after being linked from Pop Candy. Fun...I read this after being linked from Pop Candy. Funny stuff. I worked at Chuck E Cheese in Fort Wayne, Ind. from 97-99, sadly. I was a waitress. A few things were different (including the fact that we supplied our own shorts, and yes, we had to wear shorts YEAR ROUND) but a lot of it rang true and made me laugh.that_girlhttp://suburbanawesome.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-88168847237416581082009-04-08T07:39:00.000-05:002009-04-08T07:39:00.000-05:00I also worked at Chuck E. Cheese during high schoo...I also worked at Chuck E. Cheese during high school. I worked in the kitchen after school and on the weekends. I would go home reeking of garlic and would have a mixture of pizza sauce and cheese in all of my finger nails. My bosses were also nice enough to put me in the Chuck E. suit after working all day in the kitchen. There is nothing like the smell of sweat and pizza on a hot summer day. I worked there for two years before all of a sudden I was left off the schedule. <BR/>The cool thing was that Iw as also a Game Techincian in my latter days at Chuck and I discovered that some of the Chuck E tokens would work at my local mall's Red Baron arcade.Mateohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10596718042634946930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-39529214724429258472009-04-07T21:51:00.000-05:002009-04-07T21:51:00.000-05:00Good Lord. This post made me ill. I loved CEC when...Good Lord. This post made me ill. I loved CEC when I was in 3rd grade, but now the shear thought of taking my children there makes me want to vomit. Thanks.<BR/><BR/>Ball pit goo. Uhhgg. <BR/>-DeniseDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00960987249181375697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-39919053316936126412009-04-06T19:34:00.000-05:002009-04-06T19:34:00.000-05:00I don't actually WANT to go to Chuck E. Cheese. I...I don't actually WANT to go to Chuck E. Cheese. If I wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese, it would come up more often.<BR/><BR/>I want to use my birthday wish to do something even better, and that's force the absoludicrousness of Chuck E. Cheese on others. Because what's better than abusing the good nature of your friends, while feigning enthusiasm for the dumbest America has to offer? <BR/><BR/>I guess when you come down to it, its (a) an incredibly passive aggressive way of seeing how far into hell my pals will go with me, and (b) a sort of protest to my birthday in general, which always brings me down. At least if I'm at The Chuck, everybody is miserable.<BR/><BR/>And, yes, Peabo, I absolutely learned the lesson of why I should aim higher than The Chuck. If I'd had doubts about the value of education and ambition before Chuck, both the job and clientele were a rude awakening to what awaits you on the other side of 18.<BR/><BR/>The Disney move was far more calculated. I didn't know the term "corporate synergy", but I understood that having "Disney" on my resume with my plans (at the time) to make my way westward for a career in entertainment probably couldn't hurt.<BR/><BR/>And then they'd also take me back if I called ahead every summer before coming home, which totally beat driving around Spring and looking for a job that I could do while doing summer school, etc...<BR/><BR/>Didn't ever do a movie theater, but it wasn't for lack of applying (also never got a callback for my applications at any video stores, either). But I did work at a record store in college for about a year and a half. But that was to pay rent and get discounts on music.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-70215204631238450272009-04-06T19:08:00.000-05:002009-04-06T19:08:00.000-05:00Hey, The Chuck served its purpose. Which was to t...Hey, The Chuck served its purpose. Which was to teach you that this is what awaited you if you failed to better yourself via education or some other trade. That's really what all minimum wage jobs should do. Through the performance of menial and mindless tasks, one is motivated to seek a better life. That is why really the only time one should have a minimum wage job is when they are in high school or college, or a recently arrived immigrant.<BR/><BR/>To that end, you were served well by your time at CEC. You saw how bad it sucked, and set your aim higher.<BR/><BR/>That being said, for as much as one appears to detest having to suffer screaming bratty spoiled children, you sure chose some odd work places. Chuck E. Cheese, The Disney Store,....didn't you work at a movie theatre too ? Just sayin'....<BR/>PeaboAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-86931581131029283152009-04-06T15:39:00.000-05:002009-04-06T15:39:00.000-05:00Even with kids, it's hard as an adult to "enjoy" C...Even with kids, it's hard as an adult to "enjoy" Chuck E. Cheese.<BR/><BR/>Here's the deal, though. Back in the day, CEC was pretty cool to me. When I was 9, they opened the first Spring location of Chuck E. Cheese on FM 1960, somewhere between Stuebner-Airline and the Willowbrook area. It was awesome.<BR/><BR/>We got a special invitation to the grand opening for some reason, and I was in hog heaven. Pizza and video games together. And this was before CEC had such a concentration on rides and kiddie entertainment. There were a LOT of video games there. Battlezone, Gorf, Frogger, all the great late 70s and early 80s stuff. It was terrific, and it was more like an arcade that happened to serve pizza than a kiddie place. I think they changed that around about 3 or 4 years later to compete with Showbiz (who later bought CEC out).<BR/><BR/>Oh, and the audio-animatronic robots sang the Beatles' "Birthday."Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-30400464026429674452009-04-06T14:43:00.000-05:002009-04-06T14:43:00.000-05:00Yeah, and I didn't mean to be too hard on ol' Chuc...Yeah, and I didn't mean to be too hard on ol' Chuck E. Cheese, but it just seems like it needs to be reserved for people who have kids. If you feel the need to be nostalgic and visit a Chuck E. Cheese, probably the best course of action is to go find one of your friends who has kids, borrow them, and take them to Chuck E. Cheese. Their parents will probably be grateful for the help, and having kids with you and watching them have fun is probably the best and only way that an adult is really going to enjoy their time in that place.J.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03903186469796595837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-1121079462868438752009-04-06T14:25:00.000-05:002009-04-06T14:25:00.000-05:00Thankfully I've only had to step foot in Chuck E C...Thankfully I've only had to step foot in Chuck E Cheese once since having kids. Samantha is now 4.Nathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-45578225386757841382009-04-06T08:46:00.000-05:002009-04-06T08:46:00.000-05:00While a fairly entertaining read, there is absolut...While a fairly entertaining read, there is absolutely NOTHING in your post that makes me understand why, as an adult, one would have a desire to return to Chuck E. Cheese without children in tow. I think if I was working at the place and saw adults hanging out there without kids, I would probably be checking for their name or image on the To Catch a Predator website... <BR/>Anyway, I look forward to some subsequent post about your adventures at The Disney Store.J.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03903186469796595837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-41221770346293124092009-04-06T01:17:00.000-05:002009-04-06T01:17:00.000-05:00Sweetie, I think maybe you should ask Matty to tak...Sweetie, I think maybe you should ask Matty to take you to the ER.The Leaguehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04836241071795980225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5256317.post-55858172949425415922009-04-06T00:57:00.000-05:002009-04-06T00:57:00.000-05:00I could never imagine so many words. All these wor...I could never imagine so many words. All these words, about Chuck E. Cheese. But I am now awake again at 12:51 am. I have a raging strep fever, lung issues, and vomiting, and in some ways, it all seems so appropriate. I'm also out of it, and I don't care. I tried to read the whole thing, Ryan, really I did, but I only read the stuff in bold. Usually I pay attention, but I don't think that's possible. I hope you go to Chuck E. Cheese. I'll go, but not this week. I just can't bear to pay attention any longer. And that's sad...when people can't bear to pay attention. I'll be better soon, but I can't go this week, Ryan. I just can't go.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08134362725441739994noreply@blogger.com