Games that survived the clasp of Showbiz Pizza & Chuck E Cheese.

TheDrewster

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Games that survived the clasp of Showbiz Pizza & Chuck E Cheese.

How many of you have owned games from Showbiz or Chuck E. Cheese's? I just discovered the origin of my Make Trax with a nice unused, albeit tarnished 1982 token! Pretty interesting.

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It's almost like a Holocaust survivor! Too cool.
 
I have 3 games that have showbiz tags although I was told they were from a CEC so maybe it was after the showbiz buyout which might explain the showbiz tags in a game from CEC.
 
I'm sure it didn't come from there, but one of the local classic arcades recently got one of those quarter pushers full of tokens, and I saw alot of Chuck E Cheese ones in it. I was hoping I'd find a Showbiz Pizza Place one (that's where I went as a teen), and luckily enough, I found one :) Also found a dual one from 1990, with a Showbiz logo on one side and Chuck E Cheese on the other. I never thought about keeping tokens BITD (I'd use them if I had them!) but now I try and keep one from places as I visit them.
 
I don't think any of mine belonged to the CEC.

I read an interesting story (somewhere on KLOV) about a Ms. Pacman machine that got stolen from a CEC in California--right off the floor while the arcade was open. A couple of guys came in with a dolly, fraudulently claimed they were from the corporate office, and walked off with the machine. I think that game (or one suspected to be that game) turned up recently.
 
I think I've heard that Chuck E Cheese used to destroy all their games when they were done with them for tax reasons, is that true?

Damn shame if so, no wonder Moppet games are relatively rare.
 
There was a Chuck E. Cheese token in a Tron that I originally bought in 1998. The token was from 1982. Doesn't mean that the game was actually at a chuck e. cheese, but looking at how used and beat up it was, you never know....
 

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My Frogger came out of a Showbiz Pizza place! That was a shock because I read that they trashed all their games once they were done with them.
 
Games that survived the clasp of Showbiz Pizza &

First off Yes Showbiz pizza Brought out Chuck E Cheese Pizza Time Threater in 1986

I would be intersted in buying those game Tags.. Everytime i've asked someone too sell me the tags they said would'nt remove it from the machine. I'm sorry that was an add on that did'nt come from the Factory.

All the games that where in the Showbiz Pizza places back in 1986 where sold for next too nothing. i think i belive like a 100 a machine .. To me back in 1986 i could have only dreamed of having a 100 too buy 1 machine from there.

I have about 3000 old Showbiz Tokens i run about half my games on. 2000 Pizza Time Threater tokens. I'm allways looking for more though!
I have 3 games that have showbiz tags although I was told they were from a CEC so maybe it was after the showbiz buyout which might explain the showbiz tags in a game from CEC.
 
I have a couple Showbiz tokens floating around somewhere from when I was a kid. Not any games tho.
 
I have an old Chuck E Cheese token someplace. No Showbiz pizza ones. I remember both places though. I wish I could find a warehouse of all those games!
 
The only thing I'm sure of with old CEC games is that corporate takes them away - the guy who runs my local CEC wasn't able to give me any clues where they go after that.

The story I've heard is that they destroy them because they've already depreciated them, and if they sold them then they'd have to account for that on their taxes. Honestly, I don't know, but their tax situation (as a major US corp) has to be so complicated that I can't imagine that dealing with selling off the machines would be that difficult. I doubt they'd want the hassle of doing the sales themselves, but you think they'd sell them off as bulk lots (with the possible exception of the CEC custom machines).

But who knows?

I've also found a token or two in games, and I've started keeping tokens from places I go. Kindof a fun memento. I'm also keeping examples of redemption tickets for places that have custom tickets.
 
Games that survived the clasp of Showbiz Pizza &

Like i said before games where sold.. I remember hearing stories of the unwanted games being sold for like a 100 each!
Most of these games where hardly used if anything a year or so old.
The only thing I'm sure of with old CEC games is that corporate takes them away - the guy who runs my local CEC wasn't able to give me any clues where they go after that.

The story I've heard is that they destroy them because they've already depreciated them, and if they sold them then they'd have to account for that on their taxes. Honestly, I don't know, but their tax situation (as a major US corp) has to be so complicated that I can't imagine that dealing with selling off the machines would be that difficult. I doubt they'd want the hassle of doing the sales themselves, but you think they'd sell them off as bulk lots (with the possible exception of the CEC custom machines).

But who knows?

I've also found a token or two in games, and I've started keeping tokens from places I go. Kindof a fun memento. I'm also keeping examples of redemption tickets for places that have custom tickets.
 
The Burgertime upright that I restored and is in my personal collection came from a Showbiz Pizza. It still has the Showbiz asset plate on the back and when I was taking it apart for cleaning and restoration I found 2 Showbiz tokens.
 
Games that survived the clasp of Showbiz Pizza &

Is the Plate Metal by any chance?

The Burgertime upright that I restored and is in my personal collection came from a Showbiz Pizza. It still has the Showbiz asset plate on the back and when I was taking it apart for cleaning and restoration I found 2 Showbiz tokens.
 
I wish I saved tokens from those places when I was a kid! I did have a token from a Namco arcade in a mall from the early 90's that have a Pac man on it, I wish I could find the damn thing, I think it is in my coin collection. But back in the 80's all my tokens were spent and none came home. :D
 
Games that survived the clasp of Showbiz Pizza &

I wonder why some are stickers and some are the Metal Plates. I would be interested in any i could get !
 
I don't think any of mine belonged to the CEC.

I read an interesting story (somewhere on KLOV) about a Ms. Pacman machine that got stolen from a CEC in California--right off the floor while the arcade was open. A couple of guys came in with a dolly, fraudulently claimed they were from the corporate office, and walked off with the machine. I think that game (or one suspected to be that game) turned up recently.

That was from the Sunnyvale store on El Camino Real. I worked for CEC when it happened.
 
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