When I was growing up, I remember getting SO EXCITED for my birthday because my parents would take me to Chuck E. Cheese! 😀

There were so many fun games there that would give you tickets…no matter how poorly you did at them. 😉 Then, you got to use the tickets to get a prize! 😮 I never had enough tickets to get a big prize, like a stuffed animal, but I do remember having enough tickets to get little prizes like candy. 😀

I remembering LOVING the pepperoni pizza that my parents would order there for my birthday. Yum! 🙂

I remember the birthday cake being especially delicious with its whipped cream frosting! ❤

Something else I really enjoyed when I went to Chuck E. Cheese’s was watching Munch’s Make Believe Band perform!

My favorite animatronic “band member” was the bird with her pretty dress! 😀

I came across an article in Appleton’s newspaper The Post Crescent  that Munch’s Make Believe Band has been removed from the Chuck E. Cheese by the Fox River Mall. The article referenced an NPR article from 2017 that explained why Munch’s Make Believe Band, which has been around since 1977, was being removed from Chuck E. Cheese’s across the U.S.

Chuck E. Cheese’s CEO Tom Leverton said:

“Back then, kids’ expectations of technology were much, much lower. A child today has such high expectations for entertainment that the animatronics, even at their absolute best, can’t live up to those expectations.”

I was humored by this response! Not because I disagree with it, but because I remember being completely mesmerized by that animatronic band! 😀

Now, when I watch clips of the band, I find them to be a little creepy with their blinking eyes and stiff movements, and I wonder how I was so entertained by them. 😉