Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (lost animated commercial for restaurant chain; 1979): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 14:36, 25 December 2023

The restaruant's original 1977 logo (used around the time the commercial aired).

Status: Lost

From December of 1979 through early 1980, Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre aired a 30-second, animated commercial. Little is known about this commercial except it was mostly aired in California and it was about having your birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

The Pizza Times was an in-store newspaper made for employees at Pizza Time Theater locations. In Volume 1, Number 1, published in December of 1979, a small blurb under the "Have you heard about..." section talks about a 30-second commercial for birthday parties that will be airing on local TV stations (Most likely in California as most PTTs were located there).^[1]

In a 1979 brochure for Pizza Time Theatre,^[2] it mentions 30-60 second TV ads as a part of the advertising package. This commercial may be a part of that package.

Availability

Some animation cels from this commercial were saved and are now owned by Smitty's Super Service Station owner Damon Breland. The cels were first seen in a YouTube video by Sets, Streets & Eats, where he visits Smitty's,^[3] However most the shots don't show the cels up-close. High quality scans of the cels were posted to the Facebook page for Showbizpizza.com but were quickly removed. The images have been saved and re-uploaded on the Internet Archive.

Possible TV Stations

Los Angeles Area: KTLA, KTTV, KMEX-DT, KABC-TV, KHJ-TV

San Francisco Area: KPIX, KQED, KBCW (KBHK), KICU, KTVU, KGO-TV

Other Areas: KNXT

Notes

The name of the commercial is called "The Great All-American Pizza Show!"
The commercial has many of the same lines as the recently discovered radio advert of the same name.
It is rumored that Colossal Pictures worked on this commercial.
The ad contains up-close shots of the real animatronics housed in their portrait frames.
It is believed the ad was entirely animated, however, it may have been a live-action hybrid.
The same artist who drew the Rat Tales comics which were sold in Pizza Time Theatres at the time, supposedly worked on the storyboards and animation for this commercial. When comparing the cels and the comics, they do seem to be quite similar in style.
Lee Marrs is believed to have worked on the storyboards for the commercial. She is still alive, so this might be a possible lead.

Gallery

Animation Cels

Chuck E. Cheese

Pasqually P. Pieplate

Audio

A 1979 radio ad that uses similar lines to the animated commercial.

Videos

Michael Armenta's video on the subject.

MrBones' video on the subject.

Michael Armenta's follow up video on the subject.

A video by LSuperSonicQ mentioning the commercial.

External Links

References

↑ The Pizza Times Volume 1 Number 1 (PDF). Retrieved 26 Aug '22
↑ 1979 Pizza Time Theater brochure. Retrieved 26 Aug '22
↑ Sets, Streets & Eats's video mentioning the commercial cels. Retrieved 26 Aug '22

[1] The Pizza Times Volume 1 Number 1 (PDF). Retrieved 26 Aug '22

[2] 1979 Pizza Time Theater brochure. Retrieved 26 Aug '22

[3] Sets, Streets & Eats's video mentioning the commercial cels. Retrieved 26 Aug '22

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{InfoboxLost
 |image=Chuck e cheese old logo.jpeg
-|imagecaption=The restaruant's original 1977 logo.
+|imagecaption=The restaruant's original 1977 logo (used around the time the commercial aired).
 |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
 }}
-In December of 1979 through to January of 1980, '''Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre would air a 30 second, animated commercial'''. Little is known about this commercial and there are very few scraps of its existence.
+From December of 1979 through early 1980, '''Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theatre aired a 30-second, animated commercial'''. Little is known about this commercial except it was mostly aired in California and it was about having your birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.
-==What We Know==
+The Pizza Times was an in-store newspaper made for employees at Pizza Time Theater locations. In Volume 1, Number 1, published in December of 1979, a small blurb under the "Have you heard about..." section talks about a 30-second commercial for birthday parties that will be airing on local TV stations (Most likely in California as most PTTs were located there).<ref> [http://showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes-1979.pdf ''The Pizza Times'' Volume 1 Number 1 (PDF).] Retrieved 26 Aug '22</ref>
-===Animation Cells===
-Some animation cells from this commercial were luckily saved and are now in Smitty's Super Service, a Chuck E. Cheese/Rock afire Explosion museum in Sandy Hook, Mississippi. The YouTuber Sets, Streets & Eats sat down with the owner of the museum and from what was explained by the owner, it had the characters Chuck E. and Pasqually, the Italian Chef. During the video, when the camera is zoomed out, both the owner and Streets & Eats laugh about Pasqually popping out of a door and a child falling out.
-===The Pizza Times Newspaper Clipping===
+In a 1979 brochure for Pizza Time Theatre,<ref>[http://showbizpizza.com/info/promo/ptt/ptt_79franchise.pdf 1979 Pizza Time Theater brochure.] Retrieved 26 Aug '22</ref> it mentions 30-60 second TV ads as a part of the advertising package. This commercial may be a part of that package.
-In Volume 1, Number 1 of ''The Pizza Times'', published in December of 1979, in a small blurb under "Have you heard about..." it talks about a 30 commercial for birthday parties that will be airing on local TV stations (Most likely in California as most PTTs were located there).<ref>[http://www.showbizpizza.com/info/documents/ptt/ptt_pizzatimes-1979.pdf ''The Pizza Times'' Volume 1 Number 1 PDF.] Retrieved 26 Aug '22</ref>
-===Pizza Time Theatre Inc. Franchise Brochure===
+==Availability==
-In this 1979 brochure, on the second page, on the bottom left, between Chuck E.'s foot and the PTT employee, they boast about a 30-60 second TV ad.
+Some animation cels from this commercial were saved and are now owned by Smitty's Super Service Station owner Damon Breland. The cels were first seen in a YouTube video by Sets, Streets & Eats, where he visits Smitty's,<ref>[https://youtu.be/FiunyvwcLu0?t=2902 Sets, Streets & Eats's video mentioning the commercial cels.] Retrieved 26 Aug '22</ref> However most the shots don't show the cels up-close. High quality scans of the cels were posted to the Facebook page for Showbizpizza.com but were quickly removed. The images have been saved and re-uploaded on the Internet Archive.
-===Rat Tales Comics===
+===Possible TV Stations===
-The same artist who drew the ''Rat Tales'' comic that would have been sold in Pizza Time Theatres at the time, supposedly worked on the storyboards and animation for this commercial. When comparing the cells and comic, they do seem to be quite similar in style.
+Los Angeles Area: KTLA, KTTV, KMEX-DT, KABC-TV, KHJ-TV
-==Things to Make Note of==
+San Francisco Area: KPIX, KQED, KBCW (KBHK), KICU, KTVU, KGO-TV
-===Crusty the Cat===
-Crusty the Cat was retired a year before this commercial air. Crusty was only in the first location, so he probably wouldn't be here.
-===Pasqually's Doors===
+Other Areas: KNXT
-Early PTT location had the chef animatronic, Pasqually, behind a trapdoor and would peek out when  performing. This is why Pasqually was inside a tiny door in the commercial, although, at least to my knowledge, there was no animatronic child that would fall out during shows.
-===Where Was This Filmed?===
+==Notes==
-Assuming that the animation was to be superimposed onto real life footage of the restaurant, then we can most likely make an educated guess as to which location we are at. The original location had the animatronic housed in picture frames around the room, the second location had them housed in picture frames except higher up and on two adjacent walls, and other locations would have used the  uniform cyberamic characters opposed to the mix and match look of the first two animatronics. These would of been on a balcony stage or a portrait stage.
+*The name of the commercial is called "The Great All-American Pizza Show!"
+*The commercial has many of the same lines as the recently discovered radio advert of the same name.
-===Not All Cells are Available===
+*It is rumored that Colossal Pictures worked on this commercial.
-Unfortunately, during Streets & Eats look at the animation cells at Smitty's Super Service, the camera is placed far away from the table and not all the cells were captured in the video.
+*The ad contains up-close shots of the real animatronics housed in their portrait frames.
+*It is believed the ad was entirely animated, however, it may have been a live-action hybrid.
+*The same artist who drew the ''Rat Tales'' comics which were sold in Pizza Time Theatres at the time, supposedly worked on the storyboards and animation for this commercial. When comparing the cels and the comics, they do seem to be quite similar in style.
+*Lee Marrs is believed to have worked on the storyboards for the commercial. She is still alive, so this might be a possible lead.
 ==Gallery==
-===Commercial Stills===
+===Animation Cels===
-<gallery mode=packed heights=200px>
+====Chuck E. Cheese====
-File:CEC2.jpg|A still of Chuck E. with some ice cream.
+<gallery mode="slideshow" widths="500px">
-File:CEC3.jpg
+301482757 467350678734181 3862045003614540669 n.jpg
-File:CEC4.jpg
+Chuck e cheese commercial.jpeg
-File:CEC5.jpg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 2.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 3.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 4.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 6.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 7.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 5.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 8.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 9.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 10.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 11.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 12.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 13.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 14.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 15.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 16.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 17.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 18.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 19.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 20.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 21.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 22.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 23.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 24.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 25.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 26.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 27.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 28.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 29.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 30.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 31.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 32.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 33.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 34.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 35.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 36.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 37.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 38.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 39.jpeg
 </gallery>
-===Images===
+====Pasqually P. Pieplate====
-<gallery mode=packed heights=200px>
+<gallery mode="slideshow" widths="500px">
-File:CEC com.jpg
+301481372 467352365400679 7400961958421768145 n.jpg
-File:CEC wi2.jpg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 44.jpeg
-File:Cec koo.jpg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 42.jpeg
-File:Cec ko2.jpg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 40.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 43.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 41.jpeg
+Chuck e cheese commercial 45.jpeg
 </gallery>
+===Audio===
+{{Video|perrow  =1
+  |service1     =youtube
+  |id1          =X08DBu9jAwg
+  |description1 =A 1979 radio ad that uses similar lines to the animated commercial.
+}}
 ===Videos===
-{{Video|perrow  =2
+{{Video|perrow  =4
    |service1     =youtube
-   |id1          =v=2dH5E3RKVNU&t
+   |id1          =2dH5E3RKVNU
    |description1 =Michael Armenta's video on the subject.
    |service2     =youtube
    |id2          =9bZcbZIpnUY
    |description2 =MrBones' video on the subject.
+  |service3     =youtube
+  |id3          =Jkm3Xveq7x8
+  |description3 =Michael Armenta's follow up video on the subject.
+  |service4     =youtube
+  |id4          =yTMRMxk7SCI
+  |description4 =A video by LSuperSonicQ mentioning the commercial.
 }}
 ==See Also==
 *[[Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (partially lost showtape recordings for animatronic theater of restaurant chain; 1977-1995)]]
+==External Links==
+*[https://archive.org/details/pizza-time-theatre-1979-cel-images Archive.org upload of the commercial cels.]
+*[https://chuckepedia.com/wiki/The_Great_All-American_Pizza_Show!_(Commercial) Chuckepedia Wiki page on the commercial.]
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
+[[Category:Lost advertising and interstitial material]]
 [[Category:Lost animation]]
 [[Category:Lost TV]]
 [[Category:Completely lost media]]