Official logo.
Chuck E. Birthday (marketed in Spanish as Cumpleaños con Chuck E.) is the brand name given to a series of organised birthday party packages offered by CEC-ABS Entertainment, Inc. to special guests at its Chuck E. Cheese's family entertainment centers.
History[]
Birthday parties have been offered by Chuck E. Cheese's ever since foundation in 1977, however they did not form one of their main selling points until the mid-90s, when they rose to fame for their over-the-top performance programmes made specifically for their birthday guests.
Birthday Star[]
In 2009, Chuck E. Cheese's revamped their parties and introduced the 'Birthday Star' package. This included a brand-new birthday show from Chuck E. and a designated birthday host/hostess, a set amount of free tokens and tickets, complimentary food and drinks, a free turn in the Ticket Blaster, and amongst many other perks, an inflatable crown and brass medallion given to the "Birthday Star" during the show. A 3-tiered system was in place by this time to determine which perks are available to Birthday Stars, with the highest-ranking package being around $15 per child.
From this point, CEC Entertainment began using the term "Birthday Star" to refer to anyone who celebrates their birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's.
In September 2010, light-up star glasses given to an estimated 120,000 Birthday Stars over the course of April-August that year were subjected to a joint recall initiated by CEC Entertainment, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada. This was issued in tandem with a recall of 1.1 million light-up rings given away to guests across April 2009-June 2010. CEC had already discontinued the product at the time of the recall, inflicting no harm to the birthday packages as a whole.
Despite the Chuck E. "Rockstar" campaign beginning in mid-2012, the Birthday Star packages continued to be offered in their then-current form until 2013.
Birthday Rockstar[]
In 2013, the "Birthday Rockstar" parties were launched, with a brand-new show accompanying them. The medallion given to the Birthday Rockstar was redesigned, along with the addition of an inflatable guitar prop used for an air-guitar contest in the birthday show. The crown remained as-is.
Around this time, package tiers would nearly double in price; what was now known as the "Mega Super Star" package tops at around $25 per child.
Chuck E. Birthday[]
In 2015, the package was revamped once again under the name "Chuck E. Birthday". By this point, the Birthday Rockstar medallion, guitar and crown were dropped entirely. A new show accompanied the brand new name, and a selection of extra perks (running alongside the complimentary tokens, food and tickets) was introduced:
- A superhero cape and eyemask
- A princess cape and tiara
- A "Party at my house" Chuck E. t-shirt.
In early 2016, the show was altered once again, marking the debut of a pre-show "Chuck E. Cheese's Party Promise". The same perks remained.
In late-August 2016, now under the control of Kabushiki Gaisha ABS, Chuck E. Cheese's altered one of its themed perks, and made other additions to the packages. Kabushiki Gaisha ABS also adjusted pricing; the price for an entry-level 'Star' package party dropped to $9.99 per child, down from $14.99 pc prior. When the Ticket Blaster was made available to regular guests as a 1-token game, Birthday Stars were assured that they would receive a free turn as part of their package.
The requirement for advance reservation was also eliminated at some lower-traffic locations. 'Walk-in' parties at such locations receive their special perks within an average of 30 minutes at peak times.
In 2017, CEC-ABS Entertainment announced that it was in the process of reintroducing the circa-2009 "Birthday Star" name. Packages were renamed in line with this in January that year.
Packages[]
There are three levels of Chuck E. Birthday package as of currently:
| Package | Birthday Star | Super Birthday Star | Mega Super Birthday Star |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per guest | $9.99 | $14.99 | $19.99 |
| Reserved table time | 2 hours | ||
| Tokens per guest | 40 | 60 | 80 |
| Two slices of single-topping pizza per child | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Drink cup* | Regular disposable cup | Collectible, reusable Birthday Star cup | Collectible, reusable Birthday Star cup |
| 1000 ticket voucher for Birthday Star | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Chuck E. Goody Bag | ✔ | ||
| Cup of Ice Cream | ✔ | ||
| Pull-string piñata** | ✔ | ||
*Refills are offered free-of-charge. Birthday Star cups can be reused indefinitely, with CEC offering free drinks/refills to those who have them.
**Contains 40 tokens and 400 tickets.
One of the perks present across all the packages is a selection of party theme. From September 2016 until January 2017, the themes available were:
- A "superhero" theme, with a superhero cape and eyemask
- A "princess" theme, with a princess cape and tiara
- A "just like Chuck E." theme, with an Avenger cap and T-shirt
Starting from that day, the 'Birthday Star' medallion from 2009 was re-introduced to packages at selected locations, and was given to birthday guests regardless of what theme or package they chose. This continued until January 2017, when a new set of birthday themes were introduced.
Notably, birthday cakes are not included in the package. Parents are required to purchase a cake separately, however they are given the choice of purchasing a vanilla or chocolate cake with special Chuck E. decorations from a member of CEC staff, or purchasing a cake from another store in the local area.