Helen Henny

Helen Henny is one of the main characters of the Chuck E. Cheese's franchise, making her debut at the San Jose, CA (370 S Winchester Blvd) location in August 1977.

History

Pizza Time Theatre

Initially, Helen was a guest star. She had long hair, and played the guitar. Not much is known about the original version of the character, as we do not have access to her showtapes. It is possible she was similar to her second appearance, Cabaret Helen Henny, who portrayed herself as a famous musician despite her not being popular whatsoever. Helen returned again, this time looking older and motherly. She had black and white hair, a red dress, and makeup. She seemed to be a retired Broadway star. Around this time, she became part of the main cast, as Pizza Time Theatre ran into financial problems.

ShowBiz Pizza Time

Post-Merger

Helen's character mostly remained the same throughout the merger, however, like her friends, she became nicer and toned down.

Concept Unification & Mid-1990's

During Concept Unification, Helen changed the most out of any character. She was now a much younger woman, wearing a pink and black dress. She still had her black and white hair, however, it was styled in a more modern and hip way. Her new character was inspired by her predecessor, Mitzi Mozzarella. throughout the 90's, she had various outfits. Most notably a few cheerleader suits, in either green or purple. Her hair was also made yellow around this time, but it seemed to alternate similarly to Chuck's outfit.

Chuck E. Cheese's

1997 was a pivotal time for the soon-to-be CEC Entertainment, as they were attempting to paint Chuck himself as a more hip character. This of course meant Chuck E's friends had to adapt to the times as well. Helen got a new voice actor, who portrayed her as slightly younger than she was prior. She would be portrayed as a smart and independent woman. She received two new outfits during this era, those being a red jacket, as well as a pink shirt with a flower.

"Rockstar"

In 2012, Chuck E. Cheese was "given the pink slip," per the Associated Press. Due to declining revenue, CEC Entertainment sought to give Chuck E. a makeover, shrinking him down into a guitar-playing life-size mouse. Initially, Chuck's friends remained the same until 2014. Helen was given a redesign. Her hair was now in a ponytail, and she wore a colorful pink dress with a heart. Helen's character would start to be presented as someone who loved to spread positivity and play video games. Her character seemed like an attempt to inspire kids to be themselves, which in result made her lack any of her old personality.