In the 10+ years we've been unearthing the history of Chuck E. Cheese's and ShowBiz Pizza, a few key details have eluded us. Mainly because there's no documentation we've found to give any solid answers, and the bits and pieces we've uncovered are sometimes contradictory. Hazy recollections from those that lived it only add to the confusion.
One of the more irritating puzzles we've yet to solve is the chronological order of the Pizza Time Theatre guest stars. The one thing we know for sure is that during the first year and a half of Pizza Time Theatre, the three original guests debuted - Madame Oink, Helen Henny, and Foxy Coleen. We also know that these three guests all had latex molded first-generation versions made for them, which were only produced for the original two stores (Winchester & Kooser) before they switched to the more traditional "ottoman" style Cyberamics (those typically used in the balcony stages)1.
What we know or have found out about early Helen Henny:
-There is no reference to her in the US Copyright catalogue2
-The earliest documentation we have of her is from the promotional materials released for the opening of PTT's second store on Kooser Rd. (December 2, 1978)3
-She is referenced as PTT's 1st guest star in an issue of "The Pizza Times" (June 1983)4
What we know or have found out about early Madame Oink:
-Her entry in the US Copyright catalogue has a date of February 17, 19782
-We have uncovered at least a partial, if not complete, showtape featuring Madame Oink and Crusty together5
-She is mentioned on Dolli Dimples' original reel which dates to the opening on the second PTT (late November / early December 1978)6
What we know or have found out about early Foxy Colleen:
-Her entry in the US Copyright catalogue has a date of October 13, 19782
-We have uncovered a reel titled "Foxy Colleen in Irish Stew" dated August 19807
-She is shown in a PTT franchise brochure dating to 1979 that features her at the 1st PTT on Winchester Blvd.8
-Her 2nd generation "ottoman" style character was included in the 1st balcony stage (1st half of 1980) with a showtape entitled "Showboat"9
Based on these details, we're going to make an educated guess that the order of the guests is as follows:
-Madame Oink (February 1978)
-Foxy Colleen (October 1978)
-Helen Henny (late November 1978)
-Sally Sahsay (1979 or 1980)10
-Foxy Colleen *returning* (1980)
-Harmony Howlette (early 1981)11
-Madame Oink *returning* (mid 1982)12
-Helen Henny *returning* (mid 1983)
Outside of a single reference to Helen being the original guest character, all of the evidence we have show that Oink likely came first. By the time the 2nd PTT opened on Kooser Rd, Munch had replaced Crusty in the main Pizza Time Players cast. So for Oink to be featured in a showtape alongside Crusty, she would have had to have preceded the opening on the Kooser store (which the copyright catalogue backs up). But what of the reference about Helen being the first? There's a few references in PTT's history that aren't 100% accurate - such as CEC's birthday being May 22, 197713 (when we know the actual opening date of the 1st location was May 17, 197714). Why the discrepancy? May 17th was a Tuesday and likely considered to be their "soft opening", and May 22nd would have fallen on a Sunday which would likely be considered the "grand opening", thereby satisfying the honored birthdate. The original PTT location is often referred to as the prototype location, opened as a test, and it was far to small even in its day. The 2nd location would have been PTT's 1st non-prototype store and knowing that Helen was present during the 2nd store's grand opening, it might be the case that she was therefore considered the original guest star.
Of course we fully admit that there's some holes in our archives. There could have easily been a Helen / Crusty showtape that preceded the tape featuring Oink. We've yet to uncover the Helen Henny showtape that was playing when the Kooser store opened. The "Showboat" showtape (presumably featuring Foxy Colleen) only exists to us as a random reference in an early newsletter, and assuming the copyright date for Foxy is accurate, there would have been a Foxy / Crusty showtape as well, again, one that we're missing. We also can't fathom why certain characters don't appear in the copyright catalogue such as Helen Henny and Dolli Dimples, whereas other minor and long forgotten characters are such as the Mopsey Sisters2.
It should also be noted that not every store featured the same guests in the order of the dates shown above - even into the early 1980s. There was a lot of crossing that occurred, and many stores featured certain guests and showtapes based on when they opened and how long a particular guest had been present. For instance, if a store newly opened with Harmony, they would play her original showtape for six months before playing her second tape15, meanwhile a store across town that had Harmony earlier might already have Madame Oink back on stage.
1 - SP.com correspondence with Harold Goldbrandson
2 - US Copyrights owned by Pizza Time Theatre, Inc.
3 - 1978 Kooser Store Opening Promotional Materials
4 - The Pizza Times - Vol 3, Issue 2 (Page 4)
5 - SP.com Showtape Review - Madam Oink "Shelf" Showtape
6 - SP.com Showtape Review - Dolli I
7 - SP.com Showtape Review - Foxy Colleen in "Irish Stew"
8 - PTT 1979 Franchise Brochure
9 - The Pizza Times (1980) - Vol.2 No.1 (Page 6)
10 - 1979 PTT Program (CA Locations)
11 - The Pizza Times - Vol 1, Issue 1 (Page 4)
12 - The Pizza Times - Vol 2, Issue 3 (Page 6)
13 - The Pizza Times - Vol 2, Issue 2 (Page 3)
14 - Newsprint Ads - Pizza Time Theatre Grand Opening
15 - The Pizza Times - Vol 1, Issue 3 (Page 2)