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I used to adore Pee-wee’s Playhouse as a child. But when Adult Swim began showing old episodes of it on the Cartoon Network a couple of years ago, I was kind of stunned. How insane was this show?! They bounced around from random topic to random topic with all kinds of inanimate objects talking and bright colors and loud noises – I can see why it might drive an adult nuts. However, it’s still a pretty fascinating show – and apparently still relevant, since Paul Reubens says Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Movie is in the works for 2009. Here’s a few Pee-wee tidbits I thought you guys might appreciate.
1. Pee-wee was largely inspired by Pinky Lee, who was the host of his eponymous children’s show in the early ‘50s. He wore a distinctive plaid suit and displayed childish behavior similar to that of Pee-wee’s.
2. Does the voice behind the theme song sound familiar to you? It should, especially if you grew up in the ‘80s: it’s Cyndi Lauper. But she was credited as Ellen Shaw on the show.
3. There were plenty of up-and-coming celebrities on the show. Most of us know about Phil Hartman as Captain Carl and Laurence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis, but there was also S. Epatha Merkerson as Mailman Reba and Natasha Lyonne as a neighborhood kid named Opal. Behind the scenes we had Sally Hershberger as the hair stylist; Rob Zombie and John Singleton as production assistants and Dweezil Zappa, Todd Rundgren, George Clinton and Danny Elfman as composers. OK, the weirdness of the show is starting to make more sense.
4. Pee-wee first showed up in the comedy group the Groundlings when Paul Reubens was a member. It was definitely not kid material then. The Groundlings is where Reubens and Phil Hartman met, forming a writing team that would carry them through all of Pee-wee’s adventures.
5. According to the Christmas Special, Magic Johnson and Magic Screen are cousins. I found that out at this site, which is a really entertaining read on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, if you’ve got a few minutes.
6. Who knew Duke the dog-faced boy from Big Top Pee-wee would go on to win an Academy Award? Big Top was Benicio del Toro’s first film.
7. It’s no surprise that Paul Reubens was inspired to write Big Top Pee-wee – he grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Apparently it’s where the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus liked to winter, so he had the Flying Wallendas as neighbors. Circus life probably seemed pretty normal to him.
8. Remember Dottie from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure? In real life, she’s E.G. Daily – AKA the voice of Tommy Pickles from Rugrats.
9. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure was one of Tim Burton’s first successes. He has said that without the financial success of that movie, he never would have gone on to make Batman.
10. Tim Burton never forgot his first collaboration with Paul Reubens – he has since featured Reubens in Batman Returns and as the voice of Lock in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
OK, one more: Jambi the Genie and Pterri the Pterodactyl were played/voiced by the same person.
I had an instructor at the Art Institute in Ft. Lauderdale that claimed to be friends with Paul Reuben and just raved about his brilliance and you most of his humor was very adult.
This was in 1985
posted by Karen on 8-27-2008 at 3:12 pm
i’m pretty sure that E.G. Daily and Rob Zombie are together now, or were when they were making “Devil’s Rejects”. so, there’s another pee-wee related tie-in since they both worked with him.
posted by Kosmo on 8-27-2008 at 3:28 pm
I hated Pee-Wee Herman.
posted by GTT on 8-27-2008 at 4:05 pm
I loved that show so much as a tyke. If I would have ran towards it in slow motion across a field of wildflowers had I been able. I didn’t understand how my parents could hate it as much as they did (especially my mom - her name is Yvonne and she has not heard the end of it since). I did see it on adult swim, and I still dig it, but I suspect that has a lot to do with fond childhood memories.
posted by Kate on 8-27-2008 at 4:30 pm
Paul Reubens used to go on the original Dating Game as Pee-wee Herman. I don’t think the bachelorettes ever chosen him.
posted by Space Cowgirl on 8-27-2008 at 4:31 pm
E.G. Daily was/still is my celebrity crush. Fell in love with her when I saw her in “Valley Girl” and singing in “Better Off Dead”. Her portrayal of Dottie only made the crush stronger.
She and Rob Zombie are not together. Rob is married to Sheri Moon who was also in “House of 1000 Corpses.”
E.G. was married to Rick Salomon (he of the infamous Paris Hilton sex tape). And she was dating Jon-Erik Hexum when he accidentally killed himself with a prop gun loaded with blanks while on set.
Oh, yeah, Pee Wee rocks.
posted by 8rustystaples on 8-27-2008 at 4:38 pm
Paul Reubens is the most famous graduate of my high school. Go Sarasota High! I believe that the theater he was arrested at is now a Menonite restaraunt (but I’m not sure). My senior English teacher was one of his classmates/friends in high school.
And yes, the Ringling Bros. used to winter in Sarasota, and John Ringling essentially founded the town. His name/circus stuff is everywhere - there’s a bridge, a statue of him, circus-y designed buildings, clown statues, etc. My high school also had a circus tent on campus - you could do circus as an after-school activity.
John Ringling also founded a large art museum and art school (which my sister went to). People who don’t know any better always think its a clown college.
posted by Allyson on 8-27-2008 at 5:41 pm
There’s a lotta things about Pee Wee you don’t know anything about, Stacy. Things you wouldn’t understand. Things you couldn’t understand. Things you shouldn’t understand.
posted by WizardBoy on 8-27-2008 at 6:24 pm
I was in high school when Pee Wee’s Playhouse originally aired and I LOVED IT! I drove my mother crazy screaming for the rest of the day whenever someone said the “secret word of the day”.
Also loved Paul Reubens death scene in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. Nobody else could’ve pulled that off.
ReCaptcha - in Queensboro
posted by bzzyb on 8-27-2008 at 9:46 pm
I was an adult who loved watching Pee Wee’s playhouse on the week-end which drove my friends’ boyfriend nuts because they wanted to watch the football game!
Two of the kids on the show were named Cher & Elvis which was funny. I loved “ice cream soup” the dinosaur family, the word of the day, et all. I picked up the DVD set for my kids and too enjoy it’s quirkiness.
posted by CropTillDawn on 8-27-2008 at 9:52 pm
I used to play everquest.
I named my character Mechalekahi Mechahineyhineyho.
I sold it for 2 grand a few years back.
Not too many people understood where i got it from.
posted by Just Me on 8-28-2008 at 2:58 am
i would have never thought magic johnson and magic screen were related..hahaha, now i know.
posted by Ben W. on 8-28-2008 at 9:20 am
I grew up in Sarasota … never thought about joining the circus!
posted by Ransom Riggs on 8-28-2008 at 10:08 am
Ransom… what if you missed your calling?!
posted by Stacy on 8-28-2008 at 10:10 am
LMAO at WizardBoy!
posted by Lula on 8-28-2008 at 10:57 am
E.G. Daily and Rob Zombie aren’t together..He’s married to Sherri Moon. THAT’S who’s in Devil’s Reject and House of 1000 Corpses.
posted by Stacey on 8-28-2008 at 8:33 pm
My dad didn’t really “get” Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, but he thought the claymation in the Penny cartoons was really cool. He would make a comment about it every time.
posted by Shasta on 9-4-2008 at 1:38 pm