@showbizpizzaman How to install a new show at Chuck E. Cheese
Chuck E. Cheese’s has been entertaining children and families for decades, but, as evidenced in a recent TikTok video, their production technology has been stuck in the ’80s this whole time. TikTok user “showbizpizzaman” (identified as Stewart Coontrod) recently uploaded a video documenting the process the entertainment chain employs to update its animatronic dance show and accompanying video reel.
Looking more like a scene from a retro film than a modern-day franchise, some ‘vintage’ looking equipment is used in the update. This includes an old computer with a floppy disc drive that appears to only be running DOS along with two DVD players. In the video, Stewart shows off the latest 3.5 inch floppy disc shipped to the restaurant, which proudly features the words “Chuck E. Cheese Evergreen Show 2023” across its label. After taking a few minutes for the computer to read the floppy, two DVDs are inserted into the players for the video display element of the show.
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While seeing the current year printed on the label of a floppy disc with an average storage capacity of a whopping 1.44 MB is pretty comical, Stewart notes that the video marks the final time he’ll be able to use the floppy drive, as a forthcoming remodel will (finally) render this process obsolete. The few locations left that still use the legacy system are phasing out the animatronic display in favor of a digital dance floor, with an emphasis on light shows and interactivity.
