3-Stage

3-Stage
Use	July 1980 - 1993 (SPP) November 1989 - Present (CEC)
Number of still in Operation	4
Countries Released In	United States (Current) Guatemala (Former)
First	Dallas, Texas (13125 Montfort Dr)
Previous	Concept Unification Prototype Stage
Next	Road Stage

The 3-Stage is a stage type found at some Chuck E. Cheese locations. Most locations with these stages were originally Showbiz Pizza Place locations.

The 3-Stage introduced Munch's Make Believe Band, who are still around today, albeit in puppet and walk-around form.

History

Origin

The original format for the 3-Stage dates back to the 1980s at Showbiz Pizza Place restaurants. As this stage design was the default type for the chain's animatronic band: The Rock-afire Explosion.

In the late 1980s due to changing relations with Creative Engineering, which owned The Rock-afire Explosion, ShowBiz Pizza Time decided to replace The Rock-afire Explosion with a different stage show. A few were tested before deciding to use the Chuck E. Cheese's Characters in a process called Concept Unification.

A Prototype was made around 1988 which ended up not being used, using the Pizza Time Theater designs of the characters. According to Jul Kamen (designer of the CU Prototype), after the Prototype, it was decided that Dave Thomas (a former employee of Creative Engineering), would be the one redesigning the show. Dave went on to "Mitzify" Helen to make her more marketable, and placed Munch on the keyboard due to his similar character-design to Fatz.

Installation and Format

As its name implies, the Chuck E. Cheese's characters are placed on 3 separate stages repurposed from the former Rock-afire Explosion animatronic show. Everything remained the same from the Rock-afire stage with the exception of equipment being upgraded, characters being moved or removed, and the Helicopter Light being installed.

Design

This was the first stage design to rearrange the order of Chuck E. and friends differently; Chuck E. and Munch have switched places from the original with the former at stage right and the latter at center stage, as did Helen and Jasper; only Pasqually kept his original position at stage left.

Stage Right (Chuck E. Cheese)

Chuck E. Cheese is on the right on his own stage on top of a black triangular pedestal. He has a TV next to him, referred to as the Jukebox, displaying the showtape footage, a giant star behind him, a neon sign with his name, and a black curtain in the back.

Center Stage (Helen Henny, Mr. Munch, Jasper T. Jowls)

Center Stage is designed to resemble a rooftop at night. The stage contains Helen Henny, Mr. Munch on the keyboard along with a sign that had the band's name behind him, and Jasper T. Jowls sitting on a barrel with Beach Bear's guitar. Building and Moon are behind the building backdrop behind Helen and Jasper respectively. Munch Jr. was placed inside of a barrel between Helen and Munch. Above the stage is The Wink.

Stage Left (Pasqually and Pizzacam)

Stage Left contains Pasqually the Chef on the drums on his own platform, and formerly Pizzacam housed in a speaker box. The pair are located on what resembles a standup comedy stage, with a brick wall reading "Pasqually's Amateur Hour" in Graffiti.

CEC 3-Stage (1989-Present)

The first Chuck E. Cheese's 3-Stages were installed in November 1989 at the original Dallas "Montfort", Texas location, and the Showbiz Pizza Time Headquarters. By this point almost everything was finalized such as the band being named "Munch's Make Believe Band". However, there were a few differences from the finalized stage, such as Pasqually's Brick Wall, Jasper's Orange Overalls, the Pink Munch's Make Believe Sign, and The Building, as well as a Singing Flower that was only installed in a few Texas stores in 1989-1990, before going extinct later in the 90s. A few other 3-Stages were installed and tested during 1990 before the finalized and full rollout of the 3-Stage in 1991.

By 1992 (some sources say 1993), all Showbiz locations open at the time became Chuck E. Cheese, with the exception of Fullerton, CA (now closed) and Tallahassee, Florida (both were never Showbiz's and opened in December 1991 and April 1992, respectively). After a location finishes Concept Unification, they would play a specific showtape for a few weeks before switching to the most current showtape at that time. There was a total of around 153 3-Stages installed, which never peaked at that number as a result of a few early closings, the earliest being in December 1992 (not even when CU had fully ended), and removals for different stages.

Originally, the animatronics were fitted with latex masks, similar to the masks on Rock-afire Explosion characters prior to Concept Unification. In the late 1990s the characters had their latex masks updated to look more friendly. However, beginning in November 1999, in a cost-cutting measure, the latex masks on the animatronics would begin to be replaced with ones made out of plastic at all locations. Latex masks lasted in stores until 2016.

As early as the mid 1990s, characters such as Pizzacam and Munch Jr. were removed from the stages either due to neglect, or vandalization by children which made them hard to find over the years. Building and Moon also fell down this path after the 2000s. Munch Jr. went extinct in October 2020, when the Wilmington, North Carolina location closed. However, a Munch Jr. replica was installed in the Pineville, North Carolina location during 2023. Pizzacam went extinct when the Huntsville, Alabama location received 2.0 in March / April 2023. Currently one functional Building and Moon animatronics are left, located at the Charlotte, North Carolina (Pineville-Matthews) location. The other location to have them is Billings, Montana. Although, they are in poor condition. As of late 2023-early 2024, it is rumored that the Pineville, NC location would be the next store to retain the animatronic show with the live stage's installation.

In late 2010, a stage named the CU 1-Stage was introduced as a result of 3-Stage locations moving their showrooms due to expansions/remodels, only 3 were ever installed, and only 1 still exists as of March 2024.

From around 65 3-Stages in 2010; as of March 6th 2024, only 4 remain.

Trivia

• This was the first stage to utilize the "Munch's Make Believe Band" name.
• The location at Lynnwood, Washington has a 3-Stage with Cyberamics. This is due to the original 3-Stage animatronics at that location being in a severe state of disrepair.
• The location at Chicago (Kedzie), Illinois has a Beta 16M 3-Stage. This special stage debuted at the Darien, Illinois. location in July 2020, and would then be installed at Kedzie in November 2020. Kedzie's stage combines elements from the Studio C Beta and 3-Stage, with the 16M bot and Beta swirl backdrop coming from Lafayette, Indiana (Which was actually a V3 Studio C Cappa that closed in October 2020.), the side mirrors coming from Avon, Indiana (which received 2.0 in 2021.), and the light-up Circles of Light posters coming from Matteson, Illinois (which closed in June 2020).
• The location at Mobile, Alabama had 3 unique 3-Stages that would be swapped in and out from 1996 to around 1999. These stages were called the Playroom 3-Stage, Hollywood 3-Stage, and Winter 3-Stage.
• The 3-Stage is the second least common MMBB stage with 4 left as of February 2024. The least common MMBB stage is the Road Stage, with 2 left (the 3-Stage and Road Stage were tied for least common MMBB stage for a while).

Last in the State

Not Including Current 3-Stages

State	City	CU Conversion	Condition	Status
Alabama	Huntsville	1991	Good Condition, Helen had a green cheerleader outfit, Munch had a unique keyboard front, had the last public (Black box) pizza-cam	Remodeled in April 2023
Arizona	Phoenix	1990	Decent Condition, oldest CU-Converted stage, had old cu backdrops, wink had "In Pizza We Trust Slogan", Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit	Remodeled in January 2023
Arkansas	North Little Rock	1991/1992	Very Poor Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit, wink had "In Pizza We Trust" Slogan. Last full MMBB in Arkansas. Local store of User:CNR21995.	Remodeled in August, 2019
California	Visalia	1991	Very Poor Condition, Chuck had walkaround shoes and Jasper had his Beach Bear guitar	Remodeled in Feburaury 2024
Colorado	Fort Collins	1991	Good Condition, Jasper had beach bear guitar, Pasqually had CU Drumfront	Closed in 2020
Delaware	Wilmington	1991/1992	Only 3-Stage in Delaware, Good Condition, Stage had lighting similar to New Orleans.	Replaced by Botless Circles of Light in 2017 due to water damage
Georgia	Augusta	1991	Decent Condition, Chuck had Rockstar Jeans, Pasqually had blue explosion drumfront	Remodeled in April 2023
Hawaii	Honlulu	1991	Only 3-Stage in Hawaii, Good Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit	Closed in 2009
Idaho	Boise	1991	Only CEC in Idaho, Poor Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit, had pizza-cam's box	Remodeled in 2022
Illinois	Chicago	1991/1992	Good Condition	Replaced by Studio C 3-Stage in 2020 along with Darien
Indiana	Mishawaka	1991	Decent Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit, Pasqually had plan white drumfront	Remodeled in 2019 after Pasqually caught fire
Iowa	West Des Moines	1991/1992	Oldest 3-Stage, Decent Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit, Pasqually had blue drumfront, Stage lacked Wink	Remodeled in 2023
Kansas	Overland Park	1991/1992	Munch had "Sunrise" keyboard front, Jasper had beach bear guitar	Replaced by Studio C Alpha in 2000
Kentucky	Paducah	1992	Decent Condition, Jasper had beach bear guitar, Pasqually had "TKO" drumfront, showroom had wood panneling	Remodeled in 2018
Louisiana	New Orleans	1991	Decent Condition, Stage had lighting, Chuck had Rockstar Jeans, Pasqually had clear drumfront	Remodeled in March 2023
Maryland	Laurel	1991	Only 3-Stage in Maryland, Good Condition, Chuck had Avenger outfit, had last blue pizza-cam	Remodeled in June 2022
Massachusetts	Springfield	1991	Only 3-Stage in New England, Poor Condition	Replaced by Cyberamics in 2017, Closed in 2020
Michigan	Flint	1991	Good Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" khakis, Japser had beach bear guitar, Pasqually had plan white drumfront	Closed in 2020
Mississippi	Gulfport	1991/1992	Only 3-Stage to be converted in Mississippi	Closed in 1996
Missouri	Independence	1991/1992	Good Condition, Jasper had beach bear guitar	Closed in 2012 (destroyed by tornado)
Nebraska	Omaha	1991	Very Poor Condition, Jasper had beach bear guitar	Remodeled in March 2022
North Dakota	Fargo	1991	Only CEC in North Dakota, Poor Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit, Jasper had beach bear guitar, Wink had "In Pizza We Trust" slogan	Remodeled in December 2022, Closed on February 8, 2024
Ohio	Springfield	1992	Good Condition	Remodeled in August 2022
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	1991	N/A	Closed in 2006
South Carolina	Columbia	1991	Poor Condition, Pasqually had white drumfront	Remodeled in 2022
Tennessee	Madison	1991	Decent Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit, had Black Pizza-cam	Remodeled in Novmber 2022
Texas	Dallas "Westmoreland"	1991	Poor Condition	Remodeled in June/July 2022
Utah	Orem	1992	Very Poor Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit, Jasper had white beach bear guitar, Pasqually had CU Drumfront	Closed in 2017
Virgina	Richmond	1992	Very Poor Condition, Jasper had beach bear guitar, had blue pizza-cam, wink had "In Pizza We Trust" Slogan	Remodeled in 2023
Washington	Lynnwood	1991/1992	Only 3-Stage to be converted in Washington, Very Poor Condition	Replaced by Cyberamics in 2000. Closed on June 25, 2023
Wisconsin	La Crosse	1991	Decent Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit, Pasqually had blue drumfront	Remodeled in 2022

International Stages

Country	City	CU Conversion	Condition	Status
Guatemala	Guatemala City	1996	Only 3-Stage outside of USA, 1 of 3 to be added after CU, Very Poor Condition, Chuck had rare "Cool Chuck" outfit, Jasper and Pasqually had latex masks, Pasqually had White Outfit and Red/White Checker Apron, Stage had 2-Stage "Chuck E Cheese" sign and wood flooring, Wink had "In Pizza We Trust" slogan	Closed in 2016

Gallery

Manual Illustrations

Stage Right

Center Stage

Stage Left

3-Stage Gallery

Old Dallas "Monfort", TX in 1989 (Now closed).

The 3-Stage in Wilmington, North Carolina (Now closed).

The 3-Stage in Huntsville, Alabama (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Phoenix, Arizona. (Now 2.0, Note: Oldest CU 3-Stage, being converted in November 1990.)

The 3-Stage in Little Rock, Arkansas (Now closed)

The 3-Stage in Visalia, California (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Fort Collins, Colorado (Now closed).

The 3-Stage in Wilmington, Delaware (Received COL in 2017, closed in 2020, reopened in October 2022 with Dance Floor.)

The 3-Stage in Pensacola, Florida (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Tallahassee, Florida. (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Tallahassee, Florida (2023).

The 3-Stage in Boise, Idaho (Now 2.0)

The 3-Stage in Chicago "Kedzie", Illinois (Now a "Unique" Studio C Stage).

The 3-Stage in Darien, Illinois (Now 2.0, Note: Stage was Converted into a "Unique" Studio C Stage).

The 3-Stage in Peoria, Illinois (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Springfield, Illinois (Now a CU 1-Stage).

The 3-Stage in Mishawaka, Indiana (Now 2.0 due to stage fire)

The 3-Stage in West Des Moines, Iowa. (Now 2.0, Note: This the oldest former RAE, being installed in October 1980)

The 3-Stage in Paducah, Kentucky (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Now 2.0)

The 3-Stage in Laurel, Maryland (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Flint, Michigan (Now closed)

The 3-Stage in Billings, Montana.

The 3-Stage in Charlotte "Pineville", North Carolina.

The 3-Stage in Greensboro, North Carolina (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Cincinnati "Colerain", Ohio (Now closed).

The 3-Stage in Springfield, Ohio (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The 3-Stage in York, Pennsylvania (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Madison, Tennessee (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Dallas "Westmoreland/Redbird", Texas (Now 2.0)

The 3-Stage in Houston "Wesleyan", Texas (Now closed).

The 3-Stage in San Antonio "Ingram", Texas (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Madison, Wisconsin (Now 2.0, Local store of User:SuperCreamPiper).

The 3-Stage in La Crosse, Wisconsin (Now 2.0).

The 3-Stage in Guatemala City "Zona 9", Guatemala (Now closed).

The 3-Stage in Arvada, Colorado (Now closed)

The 3-Stage in Matteson, Illinois (Now closed, Note: Received COL in 2015 due to fire)

The 3-Stage in Fort Smith, Arkansas (Now 2.0)

The 3-Stage in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The 3-Stage in Kansas City "Antioch", Missouri (Now Closed, Note: This is the first Showbiz Pizza Location that opened back in 1980 with Wolf Pack 5)

The 3-Stage in Mobile, Alabama (Now 2.0)

The 3-Stage in Southgate, Michigan (Now 2.0)

The 3-Stage in Maryville, Tennessee in the 90s (Now Closed)

The 3-Stage in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Now closed)

The 3-Stage in Houston "1960", Texas (Now closed)

The 3-Stage in Fayetteville, Arkansas (Now closed)

The 3-Stage in Charleston, South Carolina (Now closed)

The 3-Stage in North Little Rock, Arkansas (Now 2.0)

References

Stages
Current Main Stages
1-Stage - 2-Stage - 3-Stage - Road Stage - Studio C Alpha - Studio C Beta - Small-Town Studio C - Circles of Light - Chuck E. Live Stage
Current Test Stages
1/2-Stage - Studio C Gamma - Mini Studio C (1997) - CU 1-Stage - 1/3-Stage - Circles of Light Live Stage - Studio C 3-Stage
Current Retro Stages
2-Stage Live Stage
Retired Stages
Main: The Shelf - The Cyberamic Shelf - Balcony Stage - Rocker Stage - C-Stage
Test/one-offs: Family Album - Hot Fudge - Concept Unification Prototype Stage - Playroom 3-Stage - The Awesome Adventure Machine - Cyberamic 3-Stage - Studio C Prototype - Single-Screen Studio C 2000 - Studio C Alpha/Prototype Mix - Small-Town Studio C Prototype - CU 2-Stage - Studio C Beta/Cappa Mix - Star Stage - Galaxy Stage - Chuck E. Live Stage Prototype