Chuck E. Cheese has introduced an updated version of its longtime mascot, part of the company's makeover to reverse slipping sales.
Parent company CEC Entertainment Inc. has updated the brand's Facebook page with the 35-year-old mascot's new look. According to the Associated Press, the company also has launched a national campaign.
Additionally, reports surfaced this week on ShowbizPizza.com, a Chuck E. Cheese fan site, that the Chuck E. Cheese voice actor has been replaced. The actor, Duncan Brannan, has voiced the mascot since 1993.
Chuck E. Cheese's new "rock star" image features a more modern, guitar-playing mouse who releases a new single this week, initially to email club members. The updated mascot is voiced by Jaret Reddick, lead singer of Bowling for Soup.
So far, Facebook fans' comments have been mixed about the updated mascot. A few fans believe he looks more like a rat than the old mascot. Another fan said the update means "Chuck E. Cheese lives!"
CEC Entertainment first announced its intention to shift its marketing strategy in February. The plan was spearheaded by the company's new agency, The Richards Group, and Scott McDaniel, who was named chief marketing officer in September 2011. One of the main objectives is to direct the marketing messages more toward parents than children.
A new website also will be launched in the fall.
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