Concept Unification 1-Stage

The Concept Unification 1-Stage, known commonly as the 'CU 1-Stage', is a stage setup found at three Chuck E. Cheese locations that had the Concept Unification Stage moved from a side wall or had to be moved due to the store expanding.

History

In September 2010 with the remodel of Whitehall, PA (1000 Lehigh Valley Mall) , CEC Entertainment introduced a brand-new stage that would be introduced for stores with the Concept Unification Stage which had to be moved due to store expansion / remodel. This stage would then be installed at two other stores once in 2011 at Springfield, IL (2369 McArthur Ave) and lastly with Columbus, GA (3201 Macon Rd) in late 2011. Between the installation of Whitehall and Springfield, the backdrop had minor design changes. Such as changing from night to daytime, changing the designs of various buildings, replacing some with trees, changing the scale of the imagery shown to be much smaller, and making the backdrop seem bigger. The Wink , Moon (Animatronic) , Sun (Animatronic) , and Choo Choo (Animatronic) animatronics were also scrapped during this process. Pasqually's platform was removed as well. On April 23, 2023, the CU 1-Stage at Columbus, GA (3201 Macon Rd) would be removed during a 2.0 remodel, with Whitehall, PA (1000 Lehigh Valley Mall) later being removed the same year on July 12th. On May 24, 2024, it was announced that the CU 1-Stage in Springfield, IL, would be kept in-store throughout the 2.0 remodel and preserved as the company's official CU-1 Stage⁽¹⁾.

Design:

The CU 1-Stage at Whitehall, PA featured the text 'Chuck E.'s Make Believe Band' on top and a backdrop featuring a cityscape and park at night with three flat-screen TVs in front of it. The backdrop features Chuck, Helen, Munch, Jasper & Pasqually at various positions around the banner. Helen & Munch bouncing on the ground, Chuck's face being on top of a building, Jasper flying around on an airplane, and Pasqually on a billboard for his pizza. On the floor towards the backdrop was a small black wall which would hide the floor floods, with the ceiling floods and Jasper’s guitar spotlight hidden behind the 'Chuck E.'s Make Believe Band' valance. The differences between Whitehall, PA, Springfield, IL, and Columbus, GA were that the backdrop had minor modifications done, with the night setting at Whitehall becoming day at Springfield and Columbus, and all the assets being shuffled around to fit better with the size of the stage. Whitehall also kept the Wink’s spotlight, and had it angled at the valance.

Current CU 1-Stages

Place	Installed	Notes.
Springfield, IL (2369 McArthur Ave)	Early 2011	Operational, in decent shape, still has Beach Bear's guitar, original CU Drum front, and rare 'Cool Chuck' outfit. One of 2 sets of CEI animatronic shows preserved in CEC locations. One of six animatronic stages being saved for 'Legacy Stores'..

Former CU 1-Stages

Place	Installed	Removed.
Whitehall, PA (1000 Lehigh Valley Mall)	September 2010	July 12, 2023.
Columbus, GA (3201 Macon Rd)	Late 2011	April 23, 2023