The '''''Winchester Chuck E. Cheese V2''''' was an animatronic produced by Fantasy Forest Manufacturing for Pizza Time Theatre's [[San Jose, CA (370 S Winchester Blvd)|San Jose CA (Winchester)]] location in 1977''.''
The '''''Winchester Chuck E. Cheese V2''''' was an animatronic produced by Fantasy Forest Manufacturing for Pizza Time Theatre's [[San Jose, CA (370 S Winchester Blvd)|San Jose CA (Winchester)]] location in 1977''.''
Revision as of 14:30, 25 August 2023
Winchester Chuck E. Cheese V2 (Animatronic)
Release
Units Produced: 1 Release Date: August 1977 Manufacturer: Fantasy Forest Manufacturing
Info
Dimensions: 4ft*
The Winchester Chuck E. Cheese V2 was an animatronic produced by Fantasy Forest Manufacturing for Pizza Time Theatre's San Jose CA (Winchester) location in 1977.
History
Shortly after the Kooser Rd Road Pizza Time Theatre location opened; PTT requested Fantasy Forest Manufacturing to update the Winchester Chuck E. Cheese's to be standardized like the Kooser location. Once the Winchester Blvd. location upgraded their show to standard Cyberamics in 1980, Chuck E. was relocated to the Pizza Time Theatre Sunnyvale, CA Corporate Office.
Once Pizza Time Theatre went bankrupt, Jul Kamen, a costume designer at PTT, rescued it and two other animatronics from Winchester, Pasqually and Jasper T. Jowls. Jul Kamen had the three animatronics on display in her home, even creating specific patterns to have Jasper and Chuck E. match the curtains in her home.
After the SPP / PTT merger, Jul Kamen gave permission to the newly formed Showbiz Pizza Time to display the Winchester animatronics in their Support Center. The three animatronics were rigged to a button to short Pizza Time Theatre skit. The characters wore down to a point where they could not properly function. Brian Hagan of the Entertainment Department made an attempt to repair the characters, even replacing the original cylinders with the newer Bimba branded cylinders. However, this got to a point where they had to be turned off and only had the skit audio playing.[1]
In 2004 during a remodel, the Pasqually and Jasper animatronics were destroyed; presumably ordered by Gene Cramm. Chuck E. was rescued by the Entertainment Department and displayed in the programming room for the time being.
Gabriel Vasquez urged Jul Kamen to get the Chuck E. animatronic back into her possession. Sr. Director of CEC, Paul Tenayuca, managed to return the animatronic back to Jul Kamen. The next summer she moved and no longer had the space to put the animatronic. In 2011, Jul got into contact with Gabriel and sold him the animatronic, however Gabriel also didn't have the space to put it on display, so he then sold it to Travis Schafer in 2014. The animatronic now sits on display with Crusty The Cat.[2]
Design
This updated Chuck E. Cheese was the first three-dimensional Chuck E. animatronic. It was then capable of moving its head and body, unlike its predecessor which couldn't do either movement.
Chuck E's head is more rounded and smaller. Chuck E.'s face does not diverge too much from at the time walkaround, the only major difference being that the animatronic's eyes were more rounded. The fur is also lighter overall, his hands are absent of fur, however.
Chuck E. now has a comically large cigar in his left hand, and a wired microphone in the right. He also sports a black bowtie and a patterned brown vest over a yellow dickey with black buttons. Chuck E. also keeps his red derby, this time being shorter and more rounded.
Movements
Mouth
Eyes Left
Eyes Right
Eyes Up
Eyes Down
Eyelids
Ears
Head Up
Head Tilt
Head Turn Right
Body Turn Right + Left Arm Twist
Right Arm Up
Right Elbow
Parts
The Eye Assembly is the mechanical assembly that would've moved the eyes of Chuck E. up, down, left, and right.
The double-acting cylinder that makes it possible for the animatronic to move its eyes up and down is mounted to the fiberglass shell and onto the assembly of the double-acting cylinder that makes the eyes turn left and right.
Part Gallery
The Eyelid Assembly is the cylinder assembly that controlled the eyelids of Chuck E.
The two single-acting cylinders that control the eyelids would be bolted into the base of the head and would connect to the eyelids via the piston rods alongside springs going back onto the cap of the cylinder. These eyelids would be synchronized in movement by being connected by a 3-way connector piece.
Part Gallery
Chuck E.'s torso is a gray faux fur coat-like cosmetic with a zipper in the back that would reveal the hole in Chuck E.'s back for maintenance.
The Chuck E. and Crusty animatronics both used the same hand molds for their respective props, for Chuck E., he had a microphone in his right hand. The prop microphone had a black head and a silver body with a cord coming out from the end that would lead into the other side of the frame Chuck E. originally was placed in.
in Chuck E.'s left hand was his infamous prop cigar. The cigar gave the appearance of being already lit with the intentional wear and tear and redness given to the outside end of the prop. The prop also appears to be split in half so it could give the impression of it being held by his left hand.
Gallery
Chuck E. Cheese with Scott Wilson, former voice of the character.
Chuck E. Cheese on display at the SPT Support Center, 1996
Chuck E. with an Uncle Sam hat.
Chuck E. Cheese on display in Dept 18, 2006
Close up, 2011
Chuck E. upon arrival in Travis Schafer's collection, 2012
Chuck E. in a newly built display area in Travis Schafer's collection, 2021
