“Chuck E. Cheese,” left, and “Helen Henny,” members of the animatronic band at Chuck E. Cheese
Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The great nostalgia IP hunt has found its way to Chuck E. Cheese.
The “Pizza Time Theater” and surreal dystopian children’s birthday destination inspires a TV game show.
Magical Elves, the producers of Top Chef and other reality TV hits, are developing a series based around the restaurant chain.
The show will remind some of Netflix's “Squid Game” as it pits adults against each other in larger versions of games they played as children: The official description: “The format will feature stand-alone comedic physical challenges in which duos of ' Big kids' (aka adults) will compete for oversized arcade games – including pinball, air hockey, alley roller and the human claw. The top ticket-earning duo will have the chance to exchange their tickets for prizes on the giant version of the iconic Chuck E. Cheese prize wall.”
“Chuck E. Cheese is THE place where a kid can be a kid – but as grown adults, we still dream of dominating the arcades and playing the iconic games we love!” say Jo Sharon and Casey Kriley , Co-CEOs of Magical Elves. “We’re excited to celebrate these iconic arcade games and the best of today, all with a supersized version.”
Chuck E. Cheese was founded in 1977 by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Despite the chain's years of problems, there are still 567 locations. The potential series marks CEC Entertainment's first foray into unscripted content and comes months after Peacock's surprise film “Five Nights at Freddy's,” a horror take on a Chuck E. Cheese-like restaurant.