Difference between revisions of "P.J. Pizzazz"
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| − | | location=West Covina, California, United States | + | | location=[[wikipedia:West Covina, California|West Covina, California, United States]] |
| opened=1980-06-20{{magref|cb|1980-06-28|54}} | | opened=1980-06-20{{magref|cb|1980-06-28|54}} | ||
| closed=198x | | closed=198x | ||
| mapref=34.072340,-117.883443 | | mapref=34.072340,-117.883443 | ||
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| − | '''P.J. Pizzazz''' was an | + | '''P.J. Pizzazz''' was an American [[wikipedia:family entertainment center|family entertainment center]] operated by [[Sega Enterprises, Inc.]].{{ref|https://www.trademarkelite.com/trademark/trademark-detail/73271177/P-J-PIZZAZZ}} First opened in West Covina, California's [[wikipedia:Eastland Center (California)|Eastland Center]] shopping mall, the venue began serving guests in June 1980, and billed itself as ''"The Family Fun Restaurant"''. |
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| + | The venue was modeled after [[Atari]] co-founder [[wikipedia:Nolan Bushnell|Nolan Bushnell]]'s pioneering [[wikipedia:Chuck E. Cheese|Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre]], which had opened three years prior in 1977. | ||
==Venues== | ==Venues== | ||
Revision as of 01:39, 5 June 2021
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| P.J. Pizzazz |
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| Location: West Covina, California, United States |
| Google maps: 34.072340,-117.883443 |
| Opened: 1980-06-20[1] |
| Closed: 198x |
P.J. Pizzazz was an American family entertainment center operated by Sega Enterprises, Inc..[2] First opened in West Covina, California's Eastland Center shopping mall, the venue began serving guests in June 1980, and billed itself as "The Family Fun Restaurant".
The venue was modeled after Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell's pioneering Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, which had opened three years prior in 1977.
Contents
Venues
The mascot of P.J. Pizzazz was a simple animatronic robot character named "P.J." who mingled with guests, delivering personalised messages[3]. The venue contained pinball machines, Skee-Ball, and "Hit City", an area where customers could play the latest upright arcade machines. For one token, children could play in a ball pit or bounce in an inflatable bounce house. Pizza was made and served in the restaurant area of the venue, and Dixieland bands, cartoonists and magicians would perform regularly[3]. Also featured were giant television screens for sporting events, films and announcements[3].
Don Sutton of the LA Dodgers baseball team was on hand on opening day to sign autographs.
Sega ultimately never managed to franchise P.J. Pizzazz (despite wanting to[4]), though was able to open a second venue in Garden Grove, California in January 1982[5]. A third, based in Puente Hills was set to be opened a month later[6], but was not thought to have materialised. At a press conference held after the opening of Gremlin's new facilities in May 1982, David Rosen claimed Sega were "re-evaluating" P.J. Pizzazz in May 1982[7], with the conclusion assumed to be not to expand further.
Gallery
The exterior of P.J. Pizzazz in Garden Grove.
The restaurant's robotic mascot, P.J.
The interior of the Garden Grove venue, showing the children's area and "Hit City".
External links
- Blog post about Chuck E. Cheese imitation venues, includes short mention of P.J. Pizzazz
- Original trademark registration for "P.J. Pizzazz"
References
- ↑ Cash Box, "June 28, 1980" (US; 1980-06-28), page 54
- ↑ https://www.trademarkelite.com/trademark/trademark-detail/73271177/P-J-PIZZAZZ
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cash Box, "July 11, 1981" (US; 1981-07-11), page 44
- ↑ Cash Box, "July 4, 1981 (Part 2 of 2)" (US; 1981-07-04), page 58
- ↑ Cash Box, "January 23, 1982" (US; 1982-01-23), page 43
- ↑ Cash Box, "December 26, 1981" (US; 1981-12-26), page 84
- ↑ Cash Box, "May 29, 1982" (US; 1982-05-29), page 37