- Chuck E. Cheese has officially retired Munch's Make Believe Band.
- The company announced earlier this month that the animatronics will only perform at one venue.
It's lights out for the unlively characters of Chuck E. Cheese's nostalgic animatronic band, and it probably has nothing to do with "Five Nights at Freddy's."
The characters of Munch's Make Believe Band will no longer appear at all locations, except one in Northridge, in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, where the company said the characters will have a "permanent residency."
This ends the band's 34-year run, which is undoubtedly a disappointing development for their ardent fanbase of people who don't care to sleep at night.
WTHR suggested the change was related to the release of the "Five Nights at Freddy's" film on October 27.
"Five Nights at Freddy's," commonly referred to as FNAF by fans, started as a videogame that follows the story of possessed animatronics that come to life and try to kill an overnight security guard. The franchise occurs at a Chuck E. Cheese-like venue called "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza."
So did Chuck E. Cheese remove the animatronics to avoid scaring the kids?
The company, which filed for bankruptcy amid financial challenges during the pandemic, announced in 2017 they were booting Chuck E. and his gang for a more modern look at their venues. The announcement was met with sadness from longtime fans, who grieved the loss of their favorite robot rat.
Perhaps the change means singing robots with unnerving, evil eyes are passé.
But don't judge too hard. You don't even know half of what that rodent has been through.
Representatives for Chuck E. Cheese did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.