A Night at Chuck E. Cheese
It's the early '90s. You're 6 years old. The world is rough for a kid. Math sucks, recess is too short, and your mom didn't put a Lunchables in your lunch box! That's ok, though! It's all worth it... At least, it was worth it to me. That's because I always knew that I had a night of fun awaiting me every other Friday night! Since my mom and dad had divorced when I was but a young tot, I spent every other weekend with my dad. HOWEVER, the weekends that were not spent with dad were spent with my most precious family member- my GiGi (aka my grandma on my mom's side). Weekends with her were spent mostly watching cartoons, going to Sunday School, and just generally having a blast together. But Fridays...Fridays were extra special!
Fridays were Chuck E. Cheese night! It was the most magical place for a kid like me! It all started the moment I would walk in the door. As Gigi would order our food, she would always manage to find several bucks to give to me to use for tokens. So, rather than waiting with her, I took it upon myself to change those dollars and quarters into tokens! I mean, what good is a CEC without tokens??? After a trip to the salad bar, we would rush over to "our" booth. It was right by the ball pit, with only a small wall separating us from the mayhem of the play area. I don't remember much about the pizza. Of course it's unforgettable, but who really comes to a CEC for the food? I only remember eating while singing along with Chuck and his band. Poor Gigi must have been bored out of her mind, but, bless her, she put on a smile and laughed and carried on right along with me! Gotta love grandparents, eh?
Anyhow, after gobbling up the food and waiting and waiting...Gigi would finally let me run amok in the play area! Oh maaaaaaaan, the play area was the highlight of a trip to CEC! Back in "my day" (boy, do I sound old or what?!), they had actual arcade games, and not just games that gave you tickets. Of course, I loved those ticket games! At that time, there were prizes worth playing for! My Little Pony even got in on the action, and created a "Chuck E Cheese" pony that would be an exclusive to the restaurant! Being an avid MLP fan, I begged and pleaded and got Gigi to play with me in order to double our ticket earnings! Actually...I didn't even have to beg or plead. She saw the pony and offered to help! Boy, Gigi was several kinds of awesome! Our favourite ticket-earning game was this game in which you aimed a "canon" at clown faces, and knocked them down. I pretty much guarantee all our tickets came from that game!
So, let's get to the best part of CEC: the ball pit! I don't believe that they have ball pits anymore (darn sanitary concerns!), but back in the day, ball pits were just the most awesome thing! You would just jump right on in, performing a canon-ball as other children gazed in amazement (or egged you on to perform a back-flip). As a kid, I didn't care about sanitation! I only wanted to dive on in and enjoy the balls!
So, yeah, that's basically a night at Chuck E. Cheese. It's a shame it's changed so much. At least, it's changed at the one I used to go to. No longer is there a ball pit. No longer are there arcade games. It's no longer the same CEC that used to excite me so much as a child. Of course, I HAVE aged, so that certainly has something to do with my feelings. However, I do feel a tiny bit sad for the kids who are not going to experience the full joy of going to CEC. At least, I hope that the kids these days will fully enjoy their experience as best as possible. Chuck E. Cheese, you will always hold a special place in my heart. And even though I've changed, and you've changed, you will always be the same in my mind, through my memories. And that is something special to hold onto!