The voice of Chuck E. Cheese, the 35 year-old mascot for the kids' pizza restaurant chain of the same name has been replaced by Bowling For Soup singer Jaret Reddick. Reddick will now supply Chuck's voice, in a re-branding move that will see the rodent shake off his old persona and take on the guise of a ratty rock star. Associated Press reported on the news yesterday (July 3, 2012) and it sounds as though Reddick's vocal predecessor is none too happy about the decision to replace him.
The Chuck E. Cheese pizza chain is aimed at children and includes over 500 restaurants. They regularly host musical entertainment for the children at their restaurants, as well as providing games and prizes. Revenue for the chain's established restaurants fell by 4.2 per cent last year so Cec Entertainment (who own the chain) are pulling out all the stops to revamp the brand. And they're hoping that, by injecting a little rock and roll into proceedings, their profits will begin to soar once more.
The original voice of Chuck E. Cheese, Duncan Brannan, apparently only learned of his replacement when he saw an advert online for 'Chuck's Hot New Single' and realised that it was not his voice being used. He wasn't available for comment, but a spokesperson for Cec Entertainment told the press that Brannan hadn't been fired, as such, though the firm had chosen "to utilize new voice talent."