To generate excitement for the brand-new (1986) King Kong attraction featured on the Studio Tour at Universal Studios (Tour) Hollywood, Universal collaborated with Pioneer Chicken, a local Los Angeles restaurant chain. Together, they introduced an innovative cross-promotion that captured the attention of visitors. Pioneer Chicken, also known as Pioneer Take Out, is an American fried chicken restaurant established by H.R. Kaufman in 1961 in Echo Park, Los Angeles. By 1987, when Kaufman sold the chain, there were 270 stores run by 220 franchisees. The 1970s saw various outlets in Honolulu, Hawaii, but as of 2015, only three remain: two in Los Angeles and one in Bell Gardens, California. The restaurant’s name pays homage to Pioneer Market, a defunct supermarket chain in Los Angeles. The original Echo Park site, adjacent to a 1980s Pioneer Market, closed in 2009 due to neighborhood changes and was replaced by a Little Caesar’s Pizza. During the 1980s, Chick Hearn and O.J. Simpson promote...