Reviews

Harmony’s Wild West Show is one of my favorite guest star showtapes, it’s one of the first I remember being exposed to, watching the capt. slappy videos on it. It’s the show that first introduces one of my favorite guest characters: Harmony Howlette. The theme of western music I think works really well with the early ptt characters and Harmony butting heads with Chuck instead of just taking his insults is really funny at times. The range of songs works well too, from older western songs with “Cowboy Memory Lane” to the more up beat songs in “I got rhythm”, it all works well to make each segment feel unique. I have one like teeny tiny gripe with this showtape in that it has a few songs that don’t have Harmony in them, or aren’t supposed to at least. Take Mountain Songs for example, Harmony’s not supposed to be in this showtape and isn’t until she’s name dropped at the very end, but she’s right there on the stage, plus it’s right in the middle of the showtape so it doesn’t really work as a way to “introduce” her if she’s already there. I do get that you’re not supposed to be listening to all of these shows all in a row, and that’s why it’s a tiny gripe, but it is one I have. My favorite segment has to be the “Bad Boy Billy” segment, it’s all about the aforementioned bandit and how, according to Munch at least, he came and ate Pasqually’s pizza and also made Munch eat some. It’s a pretty fun segment with a nice song too, I probably do have some bias towards it as it was the first ptt video I can remember watching. The birthday segments are, fine I guess. They’re not terrible but they’re nothing to write home about either. The special in this showtape is a Christmas special and it’s pretty good, it’s more of the usual banter if not a bit laid back since it’s a more cheery segment. My final opinion on this show is that it’s a great introduction to the character and in my opinion one of the best guest character showtapes.

This was a interesting showtape and a fun one with a mix of 90s songs which is a interesting concept. My favorite part/segment has to be I won’t give up because that song tells me to never give up in life which really shows a positive message and if people need a good starter Coach Chuck showtape this is a good choice for them.

This commercial has always been a fun and a nostalgic commercial for those who grew up in the late avenger chuck era from 2009-2010, and it makes me think that I wish CEC would bring these types of events because back then, this was a fun way to save money at chuck e cheese’s, also this commercial has different versions with a normal one and this one.

The biggest problem is the fact the album is really restricted on what songs it can use given the Rock-afire’s massive catalogue of copyrighted songs they played, which were also usually their best performances. I think this is the best possible album in the case of working around that, so its good, and the songs are placed well, but sometimes the transitions can be rough due to skirting around skits or other songs in the audio. A really great decision was having Sal’s Birthday at the end followed by It’s Time to Go, that re-contextualizes the album as someone listening to songs at ShowBiz, having their birthday celebration, and having to say goodbye after their party. Its a novelty, nothing new in it, but for what it is the execution was the best they could manage.

I happen to have this item from a Christmas present so might as well review. Its a great time capsule of the era- yet also such a strange merch item with the giant logo and the not very CEC-esque coloring.

Thankfully nothing was cheapened out on for it being an in-store exclusive. The only thing to watch out for nowadays are the usual issues with G1 ponies. There’s the rusted washer holding the tail together, though that can be swapped out, cleaned, and replaced with a zip tie pretty easily. Also mold can leech into the vinyl if it wasn’t stored properly, which can spread to other vinyl figures of the era.

Mine showed up in excellent condition so I’ve had no issues, just watch out for the eBay prices on these things. Mine I think was $60? But a lot of the listings can jump to $100+. This horse is not worth that much so just wait for a good sale. You can get most ponies in entire batches for like $10-20 from this era so even its current price is a bit overkill.

This year has been a trainwreck for the company, lots of embarrassing PR moments and awful use of AI just about nonstop. Even after barely skirting past the 2026 bankruptcy with a new loan, they still don’t have budget for a quality control manager I guess. Hope Jaret Reddick sues them for a billion dollars over this absolute slam dunk case of misuse.

It insists upon itself. All joking aside, This is a new low, maybe there has probably been worse. But cmon, AI “Song”, Innuendos (Average Youtooz Video), Plush no one wanted, It’s a modern CEC bingo. Can’t wait for the AI Rockstar Album. Anyways, I really hope CEC starts making Actual Art again soon. Hope they pay Jaret Reddick for this, but that would probably bankrupt the company. At least it’s not technically CEC this time so, good job, I guess. At least it has a Cool Plush IDK I’m so tired of this company throwing out actual Creativity for Slop.

This is a great showtape, period.

There are a lot of good moments in the Movie Magic segment, from awesome song covers (Up Where We Belong was my favorite) to Mr. Munch’s (terrible) movie impressions.

Then there’s TV Themes. Boy oh boy, where do I begin with this…? All in all, great segment, awesome covers. Some were like beyond amazing, such as Gilligan’s Island (perfect instrumentation and use taking turns singing), Superman, Batman, and my personal favorite, Helen singing the Star Trek theme. The execution to that was PERFECT. Even those high note sound so beautiful!

While this show originally seemed pretty good back when it was the only circus tape we knew, the latest reveal of the prior Circus Tape now just makes this a bizarre alternative (and not in a good way like Country Klunk) All the tape does is swap out Tears of a Clown for the prior Beatles White Album segment of the Monkees Medley. Seems to be a random mashup created to pad out the rest of the year until ShowBiz corporate decided to make their own shows by December. Even weirder is this could’ve been a nice revision to the Circus Tape that kept TOAC in, added back the additional missing tracks Aaron has teased, and maybe some other misc older songs. Instead its just as short and with no good reason to.

When Northridge California, became the first legacy store, It was exciting for everyone to save a 2nd stage, however it was disappointing that they removed the old art. and the stage wasn’t in the best condition, at least we had the curtains back!! In 2024 with nanuet it was strange for two reasons, one being phase 5 and two being studio c. They kept the art and the exterior and made changes to the stage, but they DID NOT PROGRAM IT, luckily, Pineville, Hicksville, and Springfield were other legacy stores and were better (especially Pineville). However, people wanted more from these stores and I can understand that, some prototype stages and studio c or the road stage They chose Mississauga, Ontario because of the road stage, being the only legacy store in Canada, but I understand the people who wanted Willowdale (if only for the statue), and I wonder why they couldn’t have easily chosen both as well as New York. And I think that since 2024 they could have chosen more instead of three to keep everyone happy, but I’m still glad that we saved 6 stores. We’re talking about a company that couldn’t have listened to us as always.

I am fond of the Patchogue location, but like most, it’s prime was in the early 2000s. My first time going here was in first grade (2003-2004?) and I saw the Studio C Beta. This was when CEC was known for dim lights and bright, flashy shows. I was enamored by Chuck, TBH.

I used to go a lot. I’m pretty sure up until middle school. And I remember one day I went and the service was just absolutely terrible. So terrible that I wrote a letter to CEC Corporate. And I ended up getting a redeemable card, that I should’ve kept. Would’ve been scannable data, but I digress.

I’d say pre-2015 was the best in terms of layout and games. I stopped caring about CEC when they switched to Rockstar, but also grew out of it. But when 2015 hit, they absolutely tore out every game. A whole entire section devoted to kiddie rides. It was just… a bad use of space.

However, I’m surprised to say that the 2.0 remodel really brought some life back to this location. And even restored it to its original layout, with the showroom in the back (though now they had more space to go even further back). I went most recently with my cousin and her kid. The salad bar was perfect!

I’d say that 2.0 revitalized this dying location. Also, I’ve always wanted to live in the house behind the location. Imagine going to CEC after school every day?

As a kid, I guess my anxiety manifested as stomach aches, so I saw a gastroenterologist near this location. I liked going because afterwards, my mom would take me to Chuck E. Cheese’s. Oh, it was great. And BTW, I was a little bit older too. This was around middle school, when I stopped going to {{wiki-link “Patchogue, NY (121 Sunrise Hwy)” }}. The nice thing about this location is that even with a Studio C Cappa, it was definitely stuck in the late 90s. The rainbow lights, the signage, the carpet, everything.

I also used to go to this location as a kid for birthday parties. I distinctly remember it smelling strongly of cheese, and I remember playing Hungry Hungry Hippos and getting lost in the Skytubes. Fun times.

Anywho, the later days of Commack were worth going to. A smell of fresh pizza always wafted through the location, and it was nice to basically have the whole place to myself. Until it closed :(

And now it’s a funeral home???

Blast From The Past has a fantastic selection of classic song covers from 90s shows, and every character gets a song of their own. The intermissions created for Studio C Premiere being on this show also helps bridge the gap between the 90s and 2000s shows, and it also allows this show to represent several different eras of 90s shows. You get early 90s Scott Wilson shows, 1994 Disney, AAM and early Studio C. The new VJ spots are also fun and remind me of the ones used in the 92-93 shows. This show does run a little short though at around 50 minutes, especially compared to the previous year’s January show which ran for almost two hours. They could’ve definitely thrown in a few originals, there were several that had not been reused with programming by this point and were due for a return. They also could’ve thrown in some 91-92 intermissions like Geography Rap or Helen Henny’s Hollywood, which would’ve increased the runtime and added some more variety.

While it is a nice gesture to save each stage type in a mostly even spread across the US and Canada, there isn’t much drive to visit these special locations unless you’re a local resident. Saving the animatronics is merely a preservation gesture, but no effort is put into making them an attractive offer to visit what can’t already be shown from a YouTube video. If they were properly offered as an attraction to visit, they should’ve offered to play classic shows- or offer location exclusive performances. An adult wanting to relive the 80’s-00’s experience will be met with the Cocomelon slop and measley production value of the current shows. None of the classic arcades from those eras show up either, keeping the same generic machines you can find at any local arcade. But if these were kept for preservation and not a cohesive retro experience, they would be better off in a museum. Museums offer proper restoration, historical info for patrons to learn, and are as a whole an attraction worth visiting. If you’re at a legacy store just to look at a piece of history, a children’s arcade isn’t the best viewing experience, especially one that gives you no context or help as to their relevancy.

Ah yes, the legendary Winchester Blvd store. The tiny wood panel wonder that changed dining and entertainment forever. While the store is important and has nearly a decade of history leading up to its opening, I don’t blame people for moving their attention to Kooser Rd when it opened. I can not imagine this 5,000 square foot building in any other shape besides what it opened with. The portrait design defiantly feels like a way to save space, keep the ground open for games and seating. It would basically have to be completely gutted to meet any post-merger standards, and mostly likely would have been closed in the 2000’s and demolished with the shopping center. If this was the 70;s or 80’s I’d recommend you still check out the store, but I’m not surprised that basically all info stops after 1979 and the store didn’t make it past the merger. Also on a semi-related note, does it seem odd that we have no family photos or home movies for a store that was reported to have lines out the door after opening? I’ve never seen any “Remember the chucky cheese in the Town and Country?” posts on Facebook and every visual we have of the store is from ads or news reports…

While Country II is already great, this variant cuts down on all the dialogue to hit you with just those outstanding songs, alongside adding three new ones with Shawn Fernandez as a new Klunk voice! It’s also neat having the Ricky Scaggs Medley replace Dook with Klunk in the first segment so you get a nice variant for playlists. IMO one of the best song compilation tapes in the whole tape library. Sad we never got to see more Klunk variant tapes, this rendition of him feels appropriately toned down to match the other characters, which would have been nice to see how they would have interacted in future shows.