The Circles of Light stage is a stage format found at Chuck E. Cheese's locations that opened with the stage or replaced a previous stage from 2012 to 2021. The COL was the last stage to be created before the Rockstar era. The COL was also the first stage to have options with an animatronic, or without an animatronic.
History[]
In early 2012, Weigl became a Vendor Partner with CEC Entertainment Inc., to help with the new stage design.
Circles of Light was introduced to Chuck E. Cheese locations in August 2012. CEC was planning for the fifth iteration of the main stage attraction when Weigl was asked to engage in the conversation. A major priority was to evolve the technology to allow for more advanced programming and control.
In September 2012, the test stage in Dallas Montfort removed their animatronic. This would not affect Circles of Light installations afterwards until August 2013 when the second animatronic-less store opened their doors in Montgomery, Alabama. From there on every Circles of Light stage would be installed with no animatronic with the exception of franchises like Tucson, AZ, Chandler, AZ, and Kapolei, HI.
Since the Chuck E. Cheese Halloween Boo-Tacular Show 2022, Circles of Light shows have no longer been programmed, although from November 1 to November 20, 2022, the Chuck E. Cheese Evergreen Show 2022 (August Update) played again for stores that had yet not switched to the new CEC Showtape Networking Module during that time. This is because of the Studio C SD/HD's special file formats not being able to support the new system. Since the Chuck E. Cheese Winter-Winner Land 2022 Show, Circles of Lights (and every other Studio C-based stage type) have had an extra "random lights" program installed, intended to make use to the stage's many lights, as during the initial testing of the Navori system, stage lights on Studio C did not function. The lights will change color each song, a supposed "random" effect, although it will be the same if the same show is viewed multiple times from the same stage.
As of February 2025, 81 Circles of Light stages remain in the United States, South America, and the Middle East. 27 of the remaining COLs have Live Stages installed and the location in Kapolei, HI is the only COL/Live Stage combo with an animatronic due to the location's long construction process starting around 2015/2016, and ending in October 2018.
Appearance[]
The center of the stage has a large HD screen on the wall with enhanced theater-quality lighting and touch-sensitive LED-backlit wall panels in the shapes of circles.
On the right side of the stage of COLs with an animatronic, there is a gigantic circlic backlit panel split in half with a red horizontal stripe. In front of the panel is a small platform in the shape of the circle with an animatronic Chuck on it. There is also a railing surrounding Chuck with a flatter bar on top of the railing and three smaller, circlic bars spaced equally apart under the larger bar.
Above the rest of the stage is a colorful overhang with more backlit circle panels on it.
The stage is fabricated by Corman and Associates and uses the Chuck animatronic produced by the animatronics studio, Garner Holt Productions.
Trivia[]
- There is a technical easter egg hidden in the Circles of Light stage. During any video segment other than the Chuck E. Live segments or the musical acts, there are three circles that are always changing color while the others remain a single color. Pressing the color changing circle in the center under the screen will cause the stage to flash and shimmer.
- Currently, 5 Circles of Light stages remain with a 16M animatronic.
- Naples, FL was the last location in Florida with an animatronic and the last in the world to have a Circles of Light with a 32M animatronic. The animatronic was removed in November 2024, making the 32M Circles of Light extinct.
- Salt Lake City, UT was the last location in Utah with an animatronic and the last in Utah to have a Circles of Light with a 16M animatronic. The animatronic was removed in July 2024, making the 16M Circles of Light almost extinct.
Current Circles of Light Stages[]
| Location | Installed | Version | Notes |
| Birmingham, AL (Hwy. 280) | February 2013 | No animatronic COL | Animatronic removed in 2024 |
| Tuscaloosa, AL | August 2015 | No animatronic COL | Never had animatronic |
| Montgomery, AL | August 2013 | No animatronic COL | Never had animatronic |
| Chandler, AZ | April 2015 | No animatronic | Formerly 32M COL. Received 2.0 in March 2023, removing the animatronic and keeping the COL, and adding a Dance Floor. Second Last 32M COL. |
| Tuscon, AZ | October 2014 | No animatronic | Formerly 16M COL. Received 2.0 in March 2023, removing the animatronic and keeping the COL, and adding a Dance Floor. |
| Little Rock, AR | April 2014 | No animatronic COL | Only COL in Arkansas |
| San Diego, CA (College) | December 2012 | No animatronic COL | Formerly last COL with animatronic in California. |
| Carson, CA | January 2014 | No animatronic COL | Never had animatronic |
| Rohnert Park, CA | 2015 | No animatronic COL | Former 1-Stage. 1-Stage sent to Citrus Heights to replace their Road Stage. |
| Kapolei, HI | 2015-2018 | 16M COL + 2017 Dance Floor | Last animatronic COL to be installed; only animatronic COL with dance floor due to a long construction process. It is a franchised store and has no plans to remodel. |
| Melrose Park, IL | September 2012 | No animatronic COL + 2021 Dance Floor | Last Studio C animatronic and non-Legacy stage in Illinois until September 2024 when the 16M animatronic was removed. First COL installed in Illinois. |
| Naperville, IL | March 2015 | No animatronic COL + 2021 Dance Floor | Last CEC in Illinois without a Dance Floor of any kind until September 2024, when they got 2.0. |
| Streamwood, IL | June 2014 | No animatronic COL + 2021 Dance Floor | |
| San Jose, CA (Tully) | 2018 / 2019 | No animatronic COL + 2021 Dance Floor | 2.0. Former PTT. Largest CEC in the US. |
Gallery[]
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