Vintage Chuck E. Cheese Games Up for Auction in Billings

The late Oscar Cooke started moving a modest collection of old tractors and farm equipment to a rural property on the outskirts of Billings in 1964. Like many collectors, a few pieces here and there eventually became a lot of stuff.

Soon, Cooke and his wife Marcella had assembled an authentic replica of an early Montana town. Named "Cookeville," the town at Oscar's Dreamland once had a narrow-gauge train that circled the property and an operational 1920 Ferris wheel.

Oscar's Dreamland was a tourist attraction in the summer months, drawing fans with its concessions, a museum, a Model T garage, a general store, and a variety of other historic buildings and displays.

From Oscar's Dreamland to Oscar's Park.

After Oscar Cooke passed away in 1995, the IRS came calling in 1998, forcing a liquidation of much of the equipment and antiques and a name change from Oscar's Dreamland to Oscar's Park. Collectors from 44 states and 17 countries attended that auction.

Today, the property retains much of the former Cookeville town, and there are still hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of pieces of history dotting the footprint.

Oscar Cooke's daughter, Marcie Cooke Limpp, and her husband still own and operate Oscar's Park, which nowadays is mostly utilized as a wedding venue and for other special events.

How does one get ahold of retro Chuck E. Cheese games?

A collector in her own right, affable Marcie told me how they came to possess a collection of what appear to be early 90s Chuck E. Cheese games from the Billings location. It was a prime example of right-time, right-place.

"Get over here, and bring a truck."

An electrician friend of Limpp's was working on the lights at Chuck E. Cheese around 15 years ago. He called her up and said, "You gotta get over here right now, and bring a truck and trailer. They're getting ready to dispose of a bunch of games." So she did.

Don't miss the auction in October.

Marcie said the time has come for them to downsize a bit from their massive collection, and they'll be parting with the Chuck E. Cheese games, along with hundreds of other collectibles and antiques on October 10th.

The live, in-person (and by phone) Limpp Family Auction will be hosted by Rick Young & Sons. The auction kicks off at 10 AM on October 10th at Oscar's Park, 3740 Wise Lane.

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While the retro Chuck E. Cheese games are what caught my eye (I mean... who wouldn't want a full-sized Skeeball machine in their basement!?), fans of antique Montana agricultural equipment and other collectibles will certainly be in attendance too.