Skokie, IL (7142 Carpenter Rd)
Skokie's Exterior before their 05 remodel (2000's) (PC: Yellow Pages)
Opening: Aug. 20, 1991 - Present
Latitude Longitude: , 42.00933787-87.76378393
History
Skokie opened on August 20, 1991, with one of two Road Stages in Illinois, the other being Melrose Park, IL (1315 W North Ave) which opened a month and four days after Skokie. It was one of the very first tenants opened at Village Crossing. They opened with the 1988 update to the 1986 SPT Remodel Program, containing checkers around the store, awnings above the menu, prize area, and salad bar, late '80s décor, and of course, the Road Stage itself. Skokie received their first remodel presumably in 1994, converting the Road Stage into a 2-Stage; replacing Helen's mask with a new one made at the time, and expanded the left side of the restaurant with Skee-Ball and several new games. This store was featured in the song “How Sweet It Is” from the second segment of the September 2001 Show . In the Early 2000's, The Tuxedo & Derby was replaced with the Cool Chuck outfit with his red cap. They then received the 2005 Update of the 2003 'Cool Chuck' Reconfiguration / Major Remodel Initiative in 2007, removing the Showroom Walls, Balcony Seating, 90s themed store art, & the addition of purple walls. Sometime after that, the wood paneling on the stage was painted grey like the paneling around the rest of the store. In 2009, Jasper’s PTT mask was replaced. Helen got a new mask in 2010. In 2011, the Cool Chuck outfit was replaced with the Avenger outfit (However, Chuck still retrained his red cap). in September 2013, the red cap was finally removed. In around 2012-2014, the dim lighting was replaced with bright florescent lighting, which included the removal of the red dinner lights that used to be above the tables in the gameroom. Then in 2019, Skokie remodeled to 2.0, removing the 2-Stage and adding a 2019 model Dance Floor. The Grand Reopening occurred on November 12th, 2019(1).Stages
| Stage | Installed | Removed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberamics Road Stage | August 1991 | 1994 | One of two Road Stages installed in Illinois |
| 2-Stage | 1994 | 2019 | One of five 2-Stages installed in Illinois. |
| |Chuck E Live Stage (Dance Floor) | 2019 | Still In Use | 2019 Model. |
Animatronics
| Animatronic | Manufacturing Date | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck E Cheese (Cyberamic)|Chuck E. Cheese (Cyberamic) | 1980s | Owned by a Private Collector. Snout and jaw sent to Chicago Fullerton, later sent to Tinley Park. |
| Guest Star Helen Henny (Cyberamic) | 1980s | Owned by a Private Collector. Mask, jaw, and back head sent to Chicago Fullerton, later Milwaukee. |
| Mr Munch (Cyberamic) | 1980s | Owned by a Private Collector. Jaw and hands sent to Chicago Fullerton, destroyed. |
| Jasper T Jowls (Cyberamic) | 1980s | Owned by a Private Collector. Mask, hat, and shirt sent to Chicago Fullerton, later Milwaukee. |
| Pasqually (Cyberamic) | 1980s | Owned by a Private Collector. Hands shipped to Chicago Fullerton, destroyed. |
| Wink (Cyberamic) | 1991 | Owned by a Private Collector. |
Videos
| Link | Description | Footage Date |
|---|---|---|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUMmlTCLyI0 | Shows the Road Stage, Store, and parts of the exterior. | 1992 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCufsPLefI0 | Shows the Road Stage playing the May 1993 Show and Shows some of the store Store | May 20, 1993 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZHCA0Qz0hs&t=4617s | Starts at 1:14:57, Shows some of the store's Stage & some of the Store. | 2001 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akQPKIN68gU | Store featured in Segment 2. | September 2001 |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCR-mPWT1U8 | Some of the store's 2.0 Remodel progress being documented. | October-November 2019 |
Skokie 2-Stage before the removal of Chuck's cap (11/3/2012) (PC: Foursquare).
Skokie 2-Stage around a year before removal (5/11/2018) (PC: Kris E on Yelp)
Skokie's Road Stage (1990's) (PC: ctatar on Youtube)
Skokie's Exterior before their 05 remodel (2000's) (PC: Yellow Pages)