The character was first created as the mascot for a restaurant made by Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari) in 1977.[7] Bushnell went to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) conference in Orlando and saw walk-around character costumes being sold. In them, Bushnell found one that looked like a coyote, so he bought it for his planned Coyote Pizza restaurant. When the costume arrived at Atari, the costume was actually a rat, with a long pink rat tail. Bushnell decided to change the restaurant's name to Rick Rat's Pizza. However, Bushnell's planning group thought that a rat for the name of a restaurant would not be appropriate. Finally, Bushnell's group decided on the name Chuck E. Cheese for the mascot and changed the restaurant's name to Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre.[8][9] The first Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre opened in San Jose, California, in the same year Chuck E. Cheese was made, 1977.
Chuck E. Cheese's era: 1995-present
In 1995, the mascot was given a more child-friendly makeover, with wider cheeks, a less pointy, shorter snout, longer eyes and smaller ears. This one was added to the restaurants in 2001.
In July 2012, the mascot was changed into a much smaller kind of the character, who played electric guitar. Voice actor Duncan Brannan, who for 19 years had made Chuck E. Cheese a wise-cracking mouse from New Jersey, was replaced with Jaret Reddick, the frontman and guitarist for the pop punk band Bowling for Soup.[6]
↑Taub, Stephen (November 30, 1983). "A Noisy Decline". Financial World. Vol. 152. pp. 40–43. The star of the show is a feisty-looking rat named Chuck E. Cheese, who Bushnell hopes will become as big a celebrity as Mickey Mouse.
↑Kent, Steven L. (2000). The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games. BWD Press. p. 97. ISBN9780970475503. Bushnell called his new venture Pizza Time Theaters. He named his restaurants Chuck E. Cheese after the robotic rat mascot.
