Studio C Beta

Full view of the show at the San Antonio, TX (Bandera) location

Studio C Beta is a stage format that was installed in Chuck E. Cheese's locations from 2000-2012. It was the second widely installed stage to have just 1 main animatronic character.

History

Little is known about this particular variant, however, it is known that it originally replaced shows in locations with the Concept Unification Stage in Fall 2000, although it also replaced a Cyberamics Road Stage in Clearwater, FL (25921 US Hwy 19) around the same time.

Nomenclature

The community refers to the show as 'Studio C Beta' -- the origin of the community name was coined by Jenn Waitt using the Greek Alphabet. What one of the designers from Corman and Associates who has done work creating a majority of the Studio 'C' stages has said in response to the question on whether Studio 'C' Stages had names or not has been a point of debate.

'To my knowledge there were no specific names assigned to each revision. Once 'Studio C' name was established, we used it for the duration and each revision was mainly identified by date of revision. Even after production began there were revisions based on function, cost, etc.'⁽¹⁾⁽¹⁾

It was stated that the stages were identified by date of revision, and with this Studio 'C' format debuting in 2000, its best to assume that Corman & Associates best identified the show with 'Studio 'C' 2000'.⁽¹⁾⁽¹⁾ Building plans, mainly coming from C.T. Chang, BWM, and Parkway Construction, used this Studio 'C' 2000 handle and is the reason that its theorized that Corman may have been more closely related in in the planning states than exacted, as Stage 2002, an internal name used on the installation documents for the original Studio 'C' show, made it on to the building plans for the stage much after it was out of the testing phase.

Designs

Prototype

Refer to Studio C Beta Prototype.

Original Release (Fall 2000 - January 2003)

The Chuck E. Cheese 32m (Animatronic) was used from Fall 2000 to January 2003, and then again in 2009 and 2019. The Chuck E. Cheese 16m (Animatronic) was used from February 2003 onward.

Chuck E.'s Stage

Stage left features a Chuck E. Cheese animatronic created by Garner Holt Productions, and a backdrop that features a large swirl in the center and tubes and boxes that all light up with the show. At first, special carpet was used that was black and said 'Studio C' all over, although many stores have replaced it with the store's normal carpet. Notably, Pittsburgh, PA (20 McIntyre Square Dr) had a hybrid animatronic; a 32M body and 16M head, which was there from late 2021 until the stage's removal on June 17, 2024.

Center (TV) Area

Center stage consists is a gray structure with large red 'CEC' lettering in the middle, along with mirrors on the sides that also light up. Above it are three large TVs, the center TV being slightly taller than the left and right TVs. On top of the TVs are three light boxes, although some locations do not have them.

Blue Screen Area

Stage right featured the blue screen, which was a feature originally included on the Studio C Alpha, as well as the Studio C Beta Prototype. Compared to earlier revisions, the blue screen sported a slightly different design, in which the 'Studio C' sign was not attached to the blue screen, but rather the wall. To the left of the blue screen was a small picture of Chuck E. surfing and Mr. Munch scuba diving.

Single Screen (Fall 2000 - January 2003)

A single screen version of the Studio C beta was also introduced during the initial rollout to replace a Road Stage. Instead of having three screens in the middle, there is only one. It features lighting at the top, a large TV in the middle, and a subwoofer on the bottom. The Clearwater location has the gold “CEC” letters instead of the usual red. The location was rumored to have a one-of-a-kind blue screen, which has since been removed. All single screen stages featured a 32-movement animatronic.

2012 Redesign (May 2012 - August 2012)

This design of the Studio C Beta was drastically changed in May of 2012, with a few elements of the Studio C Cappa introduced. This design debuted at Independence, MO (18701 E 39th St), and was installed until August 2012, when Concepcion, Chile opened; this was the very last store to open with a Studio C Beta.. The center stage design was drastically changed by making the gray structure a light gray, featuring the typical 'CEC' sign but now with a ray of red and yellow directly below it. The side mirrors stayed, but the light box above the TVs was removed and the 'CEC' emblem from the Studio C Cappa was featured between the TV row and the sign, albeit with different coloring (black instead of zebra patterned). The blue screen was replaced with the Ticket Blaster and featured a blue and yellow background that consisted of tickets, as well as small lights.

Variants

32M Beta
16M Beta
Single Screen Beta
CU Beta 16M
Botless
Live Stage combo (Legacy Store)

Current Shows (by Year, by Location)

Current Total Remaining: 25

Location	Installed	Version	Condition / Notes
Burlington, WA (621 Cascade Mall Dr)	2002	32M
Bayamon, Puerto Rico (Rexville Town Center)	2003	16M
Clarksville, TN (2821 B Wilma Rudolph Blvd)	2003	16M
Langley, British Columbia, Canada (6339 200th St)	2003	16M
Nanuet, NY (250 West Route 59)	2003	16M	Last Beta in New York. One of five animatronic stages to remain intact, those being the Northridge, CA 2-Stage, Springfield, IL CU 1-Stage, Charlotte, NC (Pineville) 3-Stage, and Hicksville, NY 1-Stage.⁽⁵⁾
South Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (9863 19th Ave)	2003	16M
Gastonia, NC (416 Cox Rd)	2005	16M
North Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (14245 137th Ave)	2005	16M
Vaughan, Ontario, Canada (3255 Rutherford Rd)	2005	16M
Caguas, Puerto Rico (Plaza Centro Mall)	2006	16M
Calgary, Alberta, Canada (2612 32nd St)	2006	16M
Los Angeles, CA (2700 Colorado Blvd)	2006	16M
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada (685 University Park Dr)	2006	16M
Gallerias Prima, Guatemala	2007	16M	Has Cool Chuck outfit. Last Studio C in the world to retain blue screen functionality.⁽⁶⁾
Silverdale, WA (2771 NW Myhre Rd)	2007	16M
Carolina, Puerto Rico (Monte Real Plaza)	2008	16M
Tupelo, MS (4383 Mall Dr)	2008	No Bot	Former 16M Bot
Honolulu, HI (1199 Dillingham Blvd)	2009	16M
Jeddah (Prince Mohammed), Saudi Arabia	2010	16M	Has Cool Chuck outfit, 2.0/2013/2015 mix.
Decatur, AL (1801 Beltline Rd)	2010's	16M	Originally a Studio C Cappa.
Indianapolis, IN (10021 E Washington St)	2011	16M
Riyadh (Olaya St), Saudi Arabia	2011	16M
Vina Del Mar, Chile	2011	16M	Has Cool Chuck outfit and cap.
Concepcion, Chile	2012	16M	Last store to open with Studio C Beta.
La Florida, Chile	2012	16M