CheeseVention (2004)

CheeseVention - The Officially Unofficial CEC Fan Convention

This fandom archival video highlights the very first Chuck E. Cheese fan convention from August 20th, 2004. CheeseVention hosts Jenn Waitt & J. Hubbard, in conjunction with ShowBizPizza.com, organized this event in Shiny Happy Danvers, MA at store number 478 (now defunct).

The event was a grand experiment. We didn't know who might all show up, or if very many people would show up at all. It was in the early days of the internet, long before social media, and most fans had never seen one another or even interacted beyond messaging on the ShowBizPizza.com message board. But Jenn & J pulled together quite the show, convincing Aaron Fechter to make a surprise appearance, and making quick adjustments when much of the event had to be diverted from Danvers to a secondary location at the last minute!

This video is a vintage work, cut together with multiple VHS players and the raw pre-digital editing shows. It was digitized onto DVD-format and sold following the event to help raise money for future CheeseVentions - which continued through 10 consecutive years!

Aside from those who purchased hand-produced copies in those early years, this program has largely been lost to time and a piece of CEC fandom lost media. But here it is (unedited, save for a few audio volume normalizations) for fans to see, experience, and watch for perhaps the first time ever.