A Chuck E. Cheese Game Show Is Being Developed, and It’s a Bit Like ‘Squid Game’
The great nostalgia IP hunt has found its way to Chuck E. Cheese.
The “pizza time theater” and its surreally dystopic kids birthday party destination are inspiring a TV game show.
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Magical Elves, the producers of Top Chef and other reality TV hits, is developing a series based on the restaurant chain.
The show will remind some of Netflix’s Squid Game, as it has adults competing in larger versions of games they played as kids: The official description: “The format will feature stand-alone comedic physical challenges where duos of ‘big kids’ (aka adults) will compete over supersized arcade games — including pinball, air hockey, alley roller and the human claw. The top ticket earning duo will get the chance to exchange their tickets for prizes off the massive version of the iconic Chuck E. Cheese prize wall.”
“Chuck E. Cheese is THE place where a kid can be a kid — but as grown adults, we still have dreams of ruling the arcade, taking on the iconic games we love!” says Magical Elves co-CEOs Jo Sharon and Casey Kriley. “We’re excited to celebrate these legendary arcade games plus the best of today, all with a super-sized twist.”
Chuck E. Cheese was founded in 1977 by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Despite the chain’s struggles over the years, there are still 567 locations. The potential series marks CEC Entertainment’s first entry into unscripted content and arrives months after Peacock’s surprise movie hit Five Nights at Freddy’s, a horror take on a Chuck E. Cheese-like restaurant.
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