The Road Stage is a type of stage installed at locations that were originally Pizza Time Theatre and Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza locations. It was the first Cyberamic stage that implemented the newly created (at the time) Munch's Make Believe Band setup.
History[]
The Road Stage is tied with the 3-Stage for being the most (currently) uncommon of the previously described stages. A drastic difference is apparent: all of the animatronics, except Chuck E. Cheese, are divided into halves. Half-bodied versions of Helen Henny, Mr. Munch, Jasper T. Jowls, and Pasqually are all propped onto colorful, painted wooden boxes (referred as "buildings" in a 1990 Cyberamic diagnostics tape) with their names displayed on them (with the exception of Munch in almost all installations), so children are more likely to call the characters by their names. Also practical to note is the fact that half bodied characters had been featured before; the Balcony Stage, C-Stage, and the Rocker Stage (to a degree in Munch's and Pasqually's cases) used the upper halves of the characters rather than the full-bodied ones.
The early prototype of the Road Stage had a few differences. There was a 3-Stage star behind Chuck E., Mr. Munch had a TV behind him instead of the Munch's Make Believe Band Sign (the buildings that would have the MMBB sign attached were instead used for the Chuck E. Cheese neon sign, which was bolted to them), Pasqually had a backdrop that represented a type of Italian restaurant but in an abstract format, used instead of the common "Amateur Hour" brick wall (previously implemented in the 3-Stage and later used for the 2 and 1-Stages), and a flat, wide road was placed in front of the characters' "buildings" as well as two lamppost props on both sides of the stage, hence the name.
The first Road Stage was installed in Jonesboro, Georgia on November 20th, 1990. The finalized version of the Road Stage would be released a short while later, starting with Topeka, Kansas in December 1990 (However keeping the Road from the Prototype).
Since the introduction of the 2-Stage in February 1992 and 1-Stage in March 1992, the Road Stage has fallen victim to being replaced by these two stage types or Studio Cs throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, due to it being larger in size and being more expensive to maintain compared to later stage models.
As of February 9, 2025, only 1 Road Stage remains in operation in Mississauga, Ontario. This location will become a Legacy Location.
Trivia[]
- This was the first Cyberamic stage to utilize the Munch's Make Believe Band name.
- This was the first Cyberamic stage to use curtains.
- This stage was the last new stage to have half bodied animatronics.
- This is the earliest surviving Cyberamic stage as of August 2024.
- As of February 2025, this is the only Cyberamic stage with Jasper's banjo.
| Location | Installed | Converted |
|---|---|---|
| Mississauga Ontario, Canada | March 1991 | Very poor condition. Last Road Stage in existence. Jasper has his banjo. All character names are absent. Stage to become Legacy Location. |
| Location | Installed | Removed | Condition/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Hills, CA | 1992 | February 12, 2024 | The animatronics were in very good condition before they were removed. Replaced with Chuck E. Live Stage on February 12, 2024. |
| Placentia, CA | 1991 | 2023 | Good condition before removal. Replaced with Chuck E. Live Stage. |
| Wayne, NJ | 1992 | October 2022 | One of 4 NJ stages removed in October 2022. Replaced with Chuck E. Live Stage. |
| Richland, WA | 1990 | 2018 | Jasper had his banjo, was in a state of disrepair. Closed in 2018. |
| Topeka, KS | 1990 | July 2022 | Fourth Road Stage, Jasper had overalls and banjo. Replaced with Chuck E. Live Stage. |
| Wichita, KS | 1991 | September 2022 | Jasper had his banjo, was in a state of disrepair. Last MMBB in Kansas. Replaced with Chuck E. Live Stage (Dance Floor) |
| Jonesboro, GA | 1990 | 1992 | First Road Stage installed. Replaced by a 1-Stage. |
| Sunrise, FL | 1991 | May 2022 | Last Road Stage in Florida to be removed. |
| Pembroke Pines, FL | 1991 | April 2022 | Replaced with a Chuck E. Live Stage (Dance Floor) |
| West Palm Beach, FL | 1990 | 2004 | Third road stage to be installed. Destroyed by a hurricane in 2004. |
| Hialeah, FL | 1991 | 2021 | Had neon lights, was in disrepair in 2021. |
| Citrus Heights, CA | 1992 | 2015 | Replaced with 1-Stage from the Rohnert Park, CA location. Received 2.0 in January 2024. |
| La Mirada, CA | 1992 | October 2022 | Former CEC Pizza. |
| Baltimore, MD | 1992 | 1995 | Replaced by a 2-Stage. |
| Springfield, PA | 1990 | 1995 | Second road stage to be installed. Replaced by a 2-Stage. |
| Granada Hills, CA | 1991 | 1994 | Replaced by a 2-Stage. |
| Tampa, FL | 1991 | 1994 | Replaced by a 2-Stage. |
| Skokie, IL | 1991 | 1994 | Replaced by a 2-stage |
| Melrose Park, IL | 1991 | 1994 | Replaced by a 2-Stage. |
| West Roxbury, MA | 1991 | 2001 | Only Road Stage installed in Massachusetts. |
| Deptford, NJ | 1991 | 1995 | Replaced by a 1-Stage. |
| Sun Valley, CA | 1992 | November 2023 | One of the last locations to get a Road Stage. |
| Corona, CA | May 1992 | February 2024 | Had Munch's nameplate between keyboard legs. Was in poor condition until 2021. |
| Norwalk, CA | 1991 | February 2024 | Final road stage in CA |
| Charlotte (Albemarle), North Carolina, United States | November 1991 | June 2024 | Chuck E. had 3-Stage eyebrows, Jasper had a Lyon guitar, and all characters minus Chuck E. had masks from the 1990s. Last Road Stage in the US. |
- Before its closure in 2018, the Road Stage in Richland, Washington was in a state of disrepair and the only Road Stage in the state. Jasper also had his banjo, and every character had 1990s masks. Chuck E. had his tuxedo and derby until early 2013.
- Before getting a 1-Stage and later a Studio C Alpha, the Road Stage in Jonesboro, Georgia was the first Road Stage ever installed.
- Before getting a 2-Stage and closure in 2012, the Road Stage in Springfield, Pennsylvania was the second Road Stage ever installed.
- The Road Stage in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada is the only Road Stage outside of the United States, and is also the last remaining Road Stage. It has Munch's PTT mask, Jasper's PTT banjo, and PTT arm swings on Chuck E. and Helen. This is the oldest surviving Road Stage to date.
- The Road Stage in Topeka, Kansas had PTT Chuck (with replaced snout) and Munch masks, PTT arm swings for Chuck E. and Helen, Chuck E.'s Cool Chuck outfit, and Jasper's banjo. This was the fourth Road Stage ever installed and it was removed for 2.0 in 2022.
- The Road Stage in Corona, California had Munch with a nameplate between the keyboard legs. The stage was removed for 2.0 in February 2024.
- The Road Stage in Sun Valley, California originally had the swirl star for Pasqually until 2015 when it was replaced and Chuck E. had his Rockstar jeans as well as his mask from Bell, California in 2015. All the bots were PTT bots from the original location. This location was also the last one to open with a Road Stage, opening between the end of July / start of August 1992. The stage was removed for 2.0 in November 2023.
- The Road Stage in West Palm Beach, Florida was the third test Road Stage to be installed. In 2004, the location was destroyed by a hurricane, and permanently closed. In 2013, a new location opened with the then new Circles of Light stage.
- The Road Stage in Wayne, New Jersey removed the projector TV in late 2011-early 2012. Munch’s old spotlight was moved to Jasper in 2013. This stage was removed for 2.0 in October 2022.
- Before its 2.0 remodel, the Road Stage in Hialeah, Florida had neon lights in 2018 but they were removed. They removed the projector TV in 2015. Helen also had a unique pink box.
- The Road Stage in Charlotte, North Carolina was the last one in the state and the last one in the US outside of California. The TV was absent, Chuck E. had eyebrows, and all characters except Chuck had 1990s masks. Jasper had a unique guitar and Munch had a unique cap. Pasqually's mustache was upside down until summer 2023. This stage was removed for 2.0 in June 2024.
References[]
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