Huntington Beach, CA (15511 Edwards St)
Street view of the exterior in April 2018 (PC: Google Maps)
15511 Edwards St, Store #406 was the fifth Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre location, opening on October 6, 1979, and is currently the oldest operating CEC in the world. The former oldest was San Jose, CA (1371 Kooser Rd), which closed in June 2020 as one of the 61 locations closed in 2020. It is also the last location to have been from the 70's after Kooser's closure.
History
Huntington Beach opened on October 6th, 1979. Unfortunately, information on the Huntington location during its time as a PTT is scarce with not even any newspapers from the 70's being found of the location, but it is known that they had a Portrait Stage and a Cabaret Helen Henny.
Huntington remained unchanged until 1989/1990 when it received the 1988 remodel, where the Portrait Stage was replaced with Chuck E.'s House Facade, early 90's decor was added, and the Cabaret Helen Henny was removed.
It would remain like this until a second remodel in the mid-late 90's. The C-Stage would be removed in favor of a 2-Stage, as was the early 90's decor in favor of new decor and SkyTubes. A drop celling was added to the location in this remodel, as it had originally been built with open ceilings.
The location would retain these changes until they remodeled to the 2005 Update to the 2003 "Cool Chuck" Reconfiguration / Major Remodel Initiative between 2006-2007. During this remodel, they removed the Showroom Walls, Portrait Seating, and relocated the 2-Stage. The 2-Stage and 2005 Update still remain as of April 2023.
In November 2023, Huntington Beach would remove the curtains on their 2-Stage. The curtains would be sent to the Northridge, CA for their 2-Stage, and would be used starting at the reopening as a Throwback Store. Unfortunately, Huntington Beach is set to relocate in mid-to-late 2024 due to the owners of the current building not deciding to renew the lease for it.[1] After this, this would mean no more Chuck E. Cheese locations from the 1970s would be in current operation. During May-June 2024 the stage would decrease even more in operation, Chuck. E’s left eyelid(from viewer’s perspective) would be removed, his Head moving up wouldn’t work, and most of the air flow in him would not enter certain places, like his torso. Helen’s Eyelids would be removed, and her mouth stopped functioning. Munch is the only perfect one in operation. Jasper lost his eyelids and cannot move his head up, Pasqually lost the back of his head, eyelids, and mouth moving.
Stages
Huntington Beach opened with the Portrait Stage in October 1979. Unfortunately, there are some photos but hardly any videos to exist of Huntington Beach.
Animatronics
| Stage | Installed | Removed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait Stage | October 1979 | 1989/1990 | Oldest CEC in the world. Formerly, San Jose, CA (1371 Kooser Rd) until their closure in June 2020. |
| Chuck E.'s House Facade | 1989/1990 | Mid 90's | One of many installed in California. Only known Shelf to Chuck E.'s House Facade conversion. |
| 2-Stage | Mid 90's | Still in use | One of many installed in California. One of two 2-Stage's operating in California. |
| Character | Manufacturing Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck E. Cheese (Cyberamic) | Unknown | In Store. |
| Guest Star / Helen Henny (Cyberamic) | Unknown | In Store. |
| Mr. Munch (Cyberamic) | Unknown | In Store. |
| Jasper T. Jowls (Cyberamic) | Unknown | In Store. |
| Pasqually (Cyberamic) | Unknown | In Store. |
| Warblettes (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Waving Flags (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Applause Board (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Drum Board (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Singing Flowers (Cyberamic) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Helen Henny (Lounge) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Wink (Cyberamic) | Mid 1990's | In Store. |
Gallery
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The store's Cabaret Helen Animatronic
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Huntington Beach's exterior before the 2005 Remodel. (2000's)
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An up closer photo of the store's exterior before the 2005 Remodel.
Videos
| Link | Description | Date Filmed | Date Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wihG5BTS9L8 | A video showcasing the store, games, and the Portrait Stage in 1988. | 1987 | October 7, 2012 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy6CescyNYQ | A video showcasing the store, games, & C-Stage in 1991. It also shows the exterior but partially. | 1991 | December 30, 2012 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiyWoluJBhQ | "Join the Party" from Chuck E. Cheese Summer of Fun 2022 Show being performed on Huntington Beach's 2-Stage. | June 14, 2022 | June 14, 2022 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-RbDn9Sius | "I Dare You Not To Laugh" from Show 3 2021 being performed on Huntington Beach's 2-Stage. | January 21, 2023 | January 21, 2023 |
| https://youtu.be/W9ix0C2aeq8?si=Srmh7n56GDTnsrLy | Video of the 2-Stage’s condition | June 22nd, 2024 | June 22nd, 2024 |