12 Things Chuck E. Cheese's Had Back In The Day That You Totally Forgot About But Will Immediately Remember

    That ticket munching sound was ~somethin' else~

    Simrin Singh
    by Simrin Singh

    BuzzFeed Staff

    If you grew up in the early 2000s, chances are you've been to a Chuck E. Cheese party or two.

    Some of my best childhood memories took place in that rat mascot's palace, gambling my tokens away at the age of 4 for cheap lip gloss and plastic rings. Here are some things from Chuck E. Cheese's that I just can't stop thinking about.

    1. The glow in the dark hand stamp.

    Children with glow in the dark number stamps on the backs of their hands
    CECGuam / Via youtu.be

    The hand stamp is literally the rite of passage at Chuck E. Cheese's. It used to make me feel like a super agent spy kid because it's invisible in the light. The feeling of that cold ink rolling onto my hand is burned into my memory forever.

    2. The Spider Stompin' game.

    A person stomping on spider buttons in a Chuck E. Cheese arcade game
    Supermask Films / Via youtube.com

    When I heard the queen spider scream a high-pitched "Ow!," I felt so accomplished.

    3. The Ticket Muncher.

    The Ticket Muncher chewing on every ticket was the original ASMR. I could listen to it on a loop.

    4. The pizza.

    A tray of freshly baked cheese and pepperoni pizza
    BuzzFeedVideo / Via youtu.be

    You're lying if you say you don't like Chuck E. Cheese pizza. Nothing beat that feeling of running back to your table to grab a kid-sized slice off that iconic, heat-safe pizza pan.

    5. The cups of tokens.

    Bip (-_-) @BipNyup

    @DanielBrexit Aw man, good thing I pay with Chuck E Cheese tokens 😌

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    @BipNyup / Via Twitter: @BipNyup

    Hearing the tokens shake in the cup while I shuffled from game to game made me feel RICH.

    6. The face sketch photo booth.

    soph @sophiakat_

    Apparently when I was 10 I had an addiction to Chuck E Cheese photo booth pictures.

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    Twitter: @sophiakat_ / Via Twitter: @sophiakat_

    Not only is Chuck E. a rockstar and a gamer, he's also an artist. No trip to Chuck E. Cheese was complete without a visit to the face sketch photo booth, where you got a printed drawing of your face to take home. NGL, I still have all of mine stashed somewhere.

    7. The Buzzy Bee game.

    A person uses a net to collect fake flying bees and pours them into a pot
    bamlink / Via youtu.be

    I think this one's obvious, but scooping up a bunch of bees and trapping them in that honey pot is just a good feeling. It's like when you put away the mountain of clothes on that chair in your room.

    8. The Helicopter Ride.

    Chuck E. Cheese @ChuckECheese

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    @ChuckECheese / Via Twitter: @ChuckECheese

    Riding a regular bike felt so lame after this. You could get the best views in town while on this helicopter.

    9. The framed CDs on the wall.

    An album cover and CDs for the Bad Dog album by Munch's Make Believe Band
    CEC Florida / Via youtu.be

    I knew I was about to watch some real stars perform when I saw Munch's Make Believe Band's records and CDs framed on the wall. They belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame IMO.

    10. The long birthday party tables.

    Party tables lined up in front of the Make Believe Band's stage
    Showbiz CEC Fan2016 / Via youtu.be

    There was something so exciting about walking up to someone's birthday table and knowing you were about to get bottomless punch, tokens, and maybe even a party favor.

    11. The birthday cake.

    sha 🦂 @xSammySeventeen

    kids will never know the REAL chuck e. cheese birthday parties

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    @xSammySeventeen / Via Twitter: @xSammySeventeen

    It's chocolatey, has just the right amount of frosting and sprinkles, and sits on a glorious, personalized cake stand. For a kid with an uncommon name, I always thought that was an extra special touch.

    12. Budgeting your tickets for prizes at the end.

    Looking back, spending 100 tickets on one of those gooey, sticky hands was a rip-off, but saving up for something better is hard when you're 6.