Is it too soon to revisit the 2000s? CEC Entertainment Inc., the parent company of Chuck E. Cheese, doesn’t seem to think so.
In an attempt to breathe some life back into its 35 year old franchise, CEC has transformed its mousy mascot into a tiny, CGI punk rocker, complete with faded jeans, red Chucks, and a sunburst gray electric guitar. And the best part? Ditching Duncan Brannan, who voiced the mouse for nearly two decades, this new version gets its pipes from none other than Bowling for Soup frontman Jaret Reddick, whose hit single “1985” was at the top of the charts only as far back as say, 2004.
(If I remember correctly, I think I was still in junior high.)
According to the Associated Press, “In May, CEC said revenue at its locations open at least a year fell 4.2 percent in the first quarter,” causing many to cite the revamp as the result of a sort of midlife crisis for the company. CEC and the Richards Group, who designed the ads, hope that this “hipper” new look will help draw in new masses of hyper, light-chasing, pizza-munching scamps to its over 500 locations worldwide.
Chuck (because let’s be honest, this pop-punk hood rat looks more like a “Chuck” now than your friendly neighborhood “Chuck E.”) isn’t the first childhood rodent to get a spiffy new redesign. Back in 2010, Disney Interactive released Epic Mickey, a Wii game featuring a darker, Steamboat Willie-esque Mickey Mouse, which later served as a major design feature in the revamp of its Anaheim theme park, California Adventure. The only difference really between the two is that Mickey’s new look was retro and cool, and this one just kind of . . . isn’t.
See for yourself in this video from the new campaign, launching today:
What do you guys think about Chuck E.’s new look? On a scale from no, to no no no no no?
