New Hartford, NY (8555 Seneca Turnpike)
| Source metadata | |
|---|---|
_-_Utica%27s_Balcony_Stage_with_the_Broadway_Helen_backdrop_and_Country_Helen_outfits_-_1984.avif)
| |
| Type | Locations |
| Dates | 1982-12-16 – 1985-07-29 |
| Coordinates | 43.0802761, -75.3186754 |
| Tags | Pizza Time Theatre |
| Contributors | ThatRockHistorian76, TutorialTimeYt |
New Hartford, NY (8555 Seneca Turnpike) (also known as Utica) was a Pizza Time Theatre located in the Sangertown Square mall that opened on December 16, 1982, with a Balcony Stage and closed on July 29, 1985. The location was a franchise-owned location operated by Pizza Concepts, Inc. based in Rochester, NY. This store should not be confused with New Hartford, NY (4631 Commercial Dr), which was a Chuck E. Cheese's that opened on October 30, 2006, with a Studio C Cappa and closed on June 16, 2020.
Pre-Opening
The New Hartford PTT was first mentioned in an article published in The Buffalo News on November 15, 1982, which highlighted the construction of the store. [1]
History
The New Hartford Pizza Time Theater opened on December 16, 1982, in the Sangertown Square mall. The store was located right at the entrance of the mall on the left side. It opened with a Balcony Stage that had red and yellow painted tops. It is unknown exactly which Guest Star the store received upon opening, but it most likely was Madame Oink. It also opened with The King / King Kat (Lounge), with his stage notably missing the neon sign initially. At some point near or shortly after its opening, it received Chuck E. Cheese's Cartoon Time Theatre. In 1983, the Chuck E. Cheese's Children's Choir was established at the location. In March of that year, the Chuck and Munch walkarounds from the store were used in a local Saint Patrick's Day parade to entertain guests and to advertise the store. [2] In or around August, New Hartford received the Broadway (Balcony Stage Theme) along with Helen Henny as its Guest Star to go along with the Broadway Helen Henny showtape. [3] Sometime before August, the King's neon sign was finally installed. The store also received the colorful version of the Warblettes.
In 1984, New Hartford gave the bots on stage new outfits to go along with the Bandstand (Balcony Stage Theme), however they did not remove the Broadway backdrops. Later in 1984, the bots received the outfits for the Country (Balcony Stage Theme), though they were very hastily put on, with Helen's cowgirl jacket being put over her Bandstand shirt. Chuck did not receive his cowboy hat, instead keeping his standard red derby.
Closure
On July 29, 1985, the New Hartford Pizza Time Theatre permanently closed due to poor sales and the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the year prior. The space has been occupied by multiple businesses over the years. In 1990, the space that the Pizza Time Theatre took up was divided in half so each section could be taken up by Dentistry at Sangertown and a RadioShack. [4] In March of 2019, [5] the spot was taken up by Pinz, a bowling alley and arcade bar entertainment center. In 2025, Pinz closed down, allegedly after owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in back rent. [6] As of April 2026, the site remains vacant, with the Pinz branding still visible on the outside.
Fate of the Animatronics
When the store closed, many items were auctioned off. The King, the Applause Board (Cyberamic), all of the Flag Wavers (Cyberamic), all of the tables, and the Chuck E. Cheese Carousel were sold to and bought by Enchanted Forest Water Safari to be used in Klondike Kate's Saloon where Rocky and the Ramblin' Rascals are located. The King was in the back left corner of the restaurant on his own gated off stage, and the park had given him a new pair of pants. It is unknown when the King was removed. The Flag Wavers and the tables are still in Klondike Kate's Saloon, though the flags are not functional and a few of the tables' leather seats have been reupholstered.
The main six Cyberamics on stage, spare parts, tools, the walkarounds, and the LaserDisc from the game Dragon's Lair were loaded in a panel van by the tech team of Colonie, NY (1440 Central Ave). The arcade games had already been taken out of the building by this point. [7]
During or shortly after this, the Jasper T. Jowls (Cyberamic) and the Warblettes (Cyberamic) were acquired by an employee who had planned on using them in a restuaraunt that he never opened. Jasper was supposed to be retrofitted into a rabbit, and the Warblettes country sparrows. Jasper's mask unfortunately rotted away. Jasper and The Warblettes were then sold to a collector named Felix [7] who still owns Jasper to this day, but has sold the Warblettes. The fate of the other bots as of now are unknown. [8]
Remodels & initiatives
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTT Standard Layout | 1982-12-16 |
Stages
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balcony Stage | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | Was painted red and yellow/gold just like many of the other NY stores. |
Franchisees
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pizza Concepts, Inc. | 1982-03-17 |
Animatronics
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck E. Cheese (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | Taken by the techs at the Colonie store. Current whereabouts are unknown. | |
| Guest Star / Helen Henny (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | Taken by the techs at the Colonie store. Current whereabouts are unknown. | |
| Jasper T. Jowls (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | Owned by Felix_CmZ. | |
| Mr. Munch (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | Taken by the techs at the Colonie store. Current whereabouts are unknown. | |
| Pasqually (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | Taken by the techs at the Colonie store. Current whereabouts are unknown. | |
| Warblettes (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | Formerly owned by Felix_CmZ. Sold to a private collector. | |
| Drum Board (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | Taken by the techs at the Colonie PTT. Current whereabouts are unknown. | |
| Applause Board (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | On display at Enchanted Forest Water Safari. Not operational. Lights still periodically turned on. | |
| Flag Wavers (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | On display at Enchanted Forest Water Safari. Not operational. | |
| The King / King Kat (Cyberamic) | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | Formerly at Enchanted Forest Water Safari. Current whereabouts are unknown. |
Attractions
| Name | Start | End | Serial | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball Crawl | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | ||
| Chuck E. Cheese Carousel | 1982 | 1985-07-29 | Was fully operational at Enchanted Forest Water Safari. In 2005, the Chucks were removed from the platform and repainted into the 3 Blind Mice for a photo opportunity. They still reside at the park today. | |
| Chuck E. Cheese's Cartoon Time Theatre | 1982-12-16 | 1985-07-29 | ||
| Dragon's Lair | 1983 | 1985-07-29 |
References
Import provenance
Imported from Cheese-E-Pedia at source revision 274f085c7132d784f81b7a4cbd96e7a0922db854. Source material is provided under CC BY-SA 4.0.