Mad Hatters - Hardcore Chuck E. Cheese

Reckless Abandon = FUN

If you were a kid in Toronto in the 80’s, you were perhaps lucky enough to be invited to a birthday party at the Mad Hatter. It’s kinda weird, but I had completely forgotten about this place until I read this article. Once I started reading, memories came flooding back...the shopping cart bumper cars, whipped cream fights, ice cream parlour, strobe room...it was all so awesome, so dangerous, and wouldn’t exist in today’s world – that’s for friggin sure.
It makes me sad because this is the kind of fun that kids SHOULD experience, not the sterile digital ‘fun’ world they’re forced into now. Whatever, that’s another blog.
They had (what I thought were) limo’s that picked you up that had TV’s in them (I found out from this article that they were actually hearses...even awesomer!) which is like THE COOLEST thing ever when you’re a kid. Nowadays it’s like, big fucking deal, I have a TV in the palm of my hand, but back then TV’s anywhere other than your living room were a big deal (I remember there was a little TV in the bathroom of the hotel I stayed at when I went to Florida and I thought it was the fanciest place in the world. It was a Howard Johnsons.)

The memories are foggy, but I do remember most of what the article describes...a water room where you just had a huge water fight, the same kind of room but this time with whipped cream, food fights, I remember some sort of weird maze...This place was like Chuck E. Cheese on crack. There were no rules, just fun. I’m sad that it’s not around anymore, but happy that I got to go TWO TIMES. That’s right. Twice. Because I’m great. Please read the article. People need to keep this place alive in their memories.