TikTok Video Shows Chuck E. Cheese Still Using Floppy Disks To Update Shows In 2023
For the most part, the floppy disk is a relic from a bygone era in computing—they've long been replaced by optical media, USB flash drives, and cloud storage. Forgotten by many though they may be, they're not completely gone or obsolete. Over on TikTok, a Chuck E. Cheese employee demonstrated a new show being installed on a system with a 3.5-inch floppy disk.
That's right, there's at least one Chuck E. Cheese restaurant out there that still uses the ancient media to update its animatronics. In the video, TikTok users @showbizpizzaman (real name Stewart) holds up a floppy disk with a Chuck E. Cheese label printed on it, along with the name of the package "Evergreen Show 2023" before proceeding to stick it in an computer system to load it up.
Sadly for nostalgic folks, this particularly Chuck E. Cheese location will soon be moving on from the data media standard. Thankfully, Stewart documented the surprisingly quick process before it was too late.
"Hello everybody, today I'm going to be showing you how to install a new show on our old system. This is going to be the last show that we receive before the remodel so is this my lance chance to film and show you how we do it," Stewart explains.
@showbizpizzaman How to install a new show at Chuck E. Cheese
♬ original sound - Stewart
It only takes about a minute to extract the updated dance files, after which he removes the floppy disk and reboots the system. He also fires up a couple of DVDs, which work in conjunction with the updated software for a brand new show.
Floppy disks have been around for over 50 years, while the hardened 3.5-inch variant came out in the early 1980s. These made for relatively durable storage to hold school assignments, work documents, and even game installs—I remember swapping out multiple disks to install LucasFilm and Sierra adventure games back in the day.
A lot has changed since then, and these days games are typically downloaded from the web through digital distribution platforms like Steam and the Epic Games Store. And for portable storage, USB flash drives are the go-to medium. Even optical discs are less common than they once were, including fancy Blu-ray discs. Such is the march of technology, and every once in a while stories like this one pop up to remind me I'm old.
