Whac-A-Munch

Whac-A-Munch Arcade (?)

Release: 1981 - ?
Manufacturer: Bob's Space Racers, Inc.

Whac-A-Munch was a modified version of the original Whac-A-Mole cabinet exclusive to Chuck E. Cheese’s from as early as August of 1981, and lasting production until around the late 90’s, with cabinets continuing use until the mid 2010’s.^[1]

The only difference between Whac-A-Munch and Whac-A-Mole cabinets are the ceramic gophers being replaced with Mr. Munch. Some cabinets also include the ‘Whac-A-Munch’ title on the bottom front panel, while others have no text. It is unclear what involvement Bob’s Space Racers had on these versions, or if Pizza Time Theatre/ShowBiz Pizza Time purchased Whac-A-Mole cabinets and had them modified themselves to fit a Chuck E. Cheese theme.

Variants

Each cabinet seen of Whac-A-Munch features multiple different color schemes and styles. Early Whac-A-Mole cabinets are distinguished by being in double or triple machine setups, while later variants mostly showed up as singles. Later units also had arcade buttons used instead of incandecent bulbs as to remove the issue of the lights being hit by the hammers. Another version of this fix came in the form of cabinets without a mirror and a rope light around the same area. Whac-A-Munch is found in all of these variations, including a 4-unit, but not currently seen in a 3-unit setup.^[1]

The most common variant includes a unique mirror + arcade button lights layout with only three holes, alongside artwork of a tugboat pulling a barge labeled “Chuck E.’s Barge”. This variant shows up a lot in late 2000’s gameplay, making it likely the final version.

Installations