Pee-wee's Playhouse

The fondest memory I have of Pee-wee's Playhouse is when Pee-wee was really frustrating Cap'n Carl when they were playing restauraunt 'cause Cap'n Carl was hungry. First Pee-wee(as the waiter) took this really long order. Then he kept saying he was out of everything Cap'n Carl ordered, then charged him $2 for a peanut butter sandwich. A classic

As a child, this show changed me and influenced me in ways I never realized at the time, but now looking back on DVD, I can totally see why I needed this show as a child, and why Pee-Wee and company did an EXCELLENT job of providing pure quality entertainment.

Of course, the puppets were my favorite characters as a kid, as I recall my favs. at the time were Dog Chair and the Fish...and of course Floory. :p Nowadays, I appreciate the live actors even more...although I enjoyed them as a kid as well. I'm still confused by some of the earlier cast choices just like I was as a kid.

Of course, you have the essentials...

Miss Yvonne - Most beautiful woman in puppet-land, and boy is she ever. She taught kids that beauty was far more than just appearance, it also was your state of mind and how you felt on the inside.

Cowboy Curtis - Lawrence Fishburne, and I still have a hard time seeing him as Morpheous now. I mean, who's Morpheous compared to COWBOY FREAKING CURTIS? But I digress, Curtis was complex and interesting. A tiny bit of homoeroticness in his character, but I never picked up on that really as a kid.

King Cartoon/The King of Cartoons - Two different actors played him. The first wasn't all that great. His approach to playing the King was basically he was this crazy drunk who would stagger out of the back of some taxi with a film projector and drunkenly announce the cartoon (if he could remember to). The second King was waaaay better....he's the one who had a remote control and the flowers introduced. Even as I kid I could tell he was a great actor, and he made the King of Cartoons way likable.

In the first season, the whole tone of the show was definitely different from later ones because of the cast, and it would seem Ruebens or Paragon or whoever realized this and let go of the following characters;

Mrs. Steve - Never really clear if she was really Pee-Wee's (or ANYBODY's) friend, and all of her appearances were strangely done. I just never got her, or the humor they were going for with her.

Dixie - The taxi driver who would do a trumpet solo before introducing King Cartoon. Again, whatever humor or point Dixie's character was making, it went completely over my head. She's either a tough tomboy, a lesbian (which I think is most likely), or just extremely liberated as a female.

Tito - The uber-buff lifeguard for Pee-Wee's pool. Now, this character did actually contribute something to the show; namely, a really buff stud walking around in nothing but a bikini and flexing his muscles. Of course, you were either a housewife or gay to appreciate this, because to a kid he was pretty boring and lifeless.

Captain Carl - I'm actually surprised he didn't last on the show, considering he was in Pee-Wee's live show. However, Captain Carl as a character was a little out of place on Playhouse. His humor was fine, but it never really operated on a kid level. And Phil Hartman never seemed all that thrilled around kids screaming in his face.

Eventually, when the Playhouse is remodeled we are introduced to new cast members, and they all meshed great.

Ms. Rene - In a way, she's Mrs. Steve's replacement, in that she's Pee-Wee's portly neighbor who is gossipy and a definite clothes-horse. However, where Mrs. Steve was always negative and moody, Ms. Rene was incredibly happy and light-hearted, and very very funny! "I love the outdoors, As long as I'm on the indoors"

Ricardo - I guess you could say Ricardo was a replacement for Tito, but not really. Ricardo was into sports, mainly soccer, and he was always teaching Spanish. One thing I loved about Ricardo was the guy was always laughing, and he seemed to genuinely like being there.

Reba the Mail Lady - Reba, perhaps, could be considered a replacement for Captain Carl in the sense that she's the "straight man" who always reacts hilariously to Pee-wee's zany antics. I liked Reba a lot. She pretty much told Pee-Wee what she thought of him on a regular basis (he's insane) and that would egg him on to get her to join in his games. But one thing you could always say about Reba: She was DEDICATED to her job, and you have to respect that.

Jambi - My perceptions of him are radically different now as an adult than as a kid. He was obviously going for a homosexual undertone (One time he even said "Swish? Did someone say Swish?") and John Paragon is a brilliant actor when it comes to comedic timing. "Repeat after me in the ancient language of...Jambease!" (Ooooh! :P) Overall, I recommend this series for anyone who appreciates living outside the box and appreciating the artwork Ruebens, Paragon, and company have provided kids and adults.

I grew up watching this show. It was my favorite for three years. Now I would like to know, why do all kids shows filmed these days have to be so dull? YES, I know that Pee Wee Herman was a goofy guy, but he was just acting. If you watch this show, you'll see that he could be serious, and was when trying to make important points. This is one show that I can still enjoy, even being in my twenties. It's funny for kids, and it also teaches kids important facts, such as episodes where they talk about fire safety, health care, nutritious foods and many other things too numerous to mention. Not only that, but there is some great adult humor involved, which I can now understand MUCH BETTER!

It was STUPID of CBS to cancel this show just because of Pee Wee's arrest. They shouldn't have arrested him in the first place. It's not like he was in a kids' movie--he was at an all adult XXX rated movie. What harm did that have on kids who watch his show?

Just go to internet sites like e-Bay, and see how popular Pee Wee still is. Then see about other old kids stuff, like Power Rangers! Pee Wee's playhouse had a great plot, and was funny. Talking furniture, and goofy characters were fun to watch, and I will never forget the entertainment the Pee Wee provided me with! BRAVO, Herman!

The show that revitalized the essence of Saturday Morning was a landmark show that became one of the biggest hits to ever grace children's television during the mid-1980's all the way into the early part of the 1990's was a show called "Pee Wee's Playhouse". What can you say about a Saturday Morning show that was so "hip" and "innovative" that when it came out it astutely mined another nostagic mother lode: kids' variety shows with live hosts,a genre with roots stretching all the way back to the origins of television,and it was a comeback for the variety show format which disappeared during the 1970's and early 1980's. Pee-Wee's Playhouse was an invention of such staggering originality and creative genius that it quickly drew a substantial audience of adults and kids. Paul Reubens' established comic persona was amusing enough,but the show surrounded him with a remarkable set and fantastic special and visual effects. It was so good that even its first two seasons was a ratings winner: it garnered more Peabody and Emmy awards not to mention every educational and children's programming award in the history of the show's astounding five year-run on CBS. For its astounding and critical success,Reubens was not only the star of the show,but its creator,co-producer and co-writer not to mention executive in charge of production. In other words,he had full control of his own series,which was shown on Saturday Mornings. The show was a subversive delight and helped break down entrenched network resistance to original creative kidvid:meaning it shows what could be done if creative minds with a distinctive vision were able to put that vision on the screen without the interference of network flacks or having network executives take full control.

The show itself was a thrill to watch,with Reubens' characterization of Pee-Wee taking over in which the opening of the show started each day by an assortment of toys and creatures living in the house,most of whom were puppets. Then Pee-Wee would start up his robot friend who divulged the secret word of the day,when emitted from someone's mouth,prompted the cast to scream briefly. Then there were the assortment of memorable characters ranging from Jambi The Genie(John Paragon),Miss Yvonne(Lynne Stewart),Cowboy Curtis(Laurence Fishburne), Reba,the mail lady(S. Epatha Merkerson),Captain Carl(Phil Hartman),to Tito,the lifeguard(Roland Rodriguez),Opal(Natasha Lyonne),Dixie,the lady courier(Johann Carlo)to the King Of Cartoons(played by two actors: earlier episodes by Gilbert Lewis and the later on by William Marshall of "Blacula" fame). "Pee-Wee's Playhouse was so good that it spawned an hour-long Christmas special in prime-time called what else "Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special"(airdate:12/21/1988)with the array of special guest stars including Annette Funicello,Magic Johnson,Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey to name a few. Getting back to Pee-Wee's Playhouse,the show produced over 100 episodes running from the premiere episode on September 13,1986 to the final episode on July 20,1991 on CBS-TV. The show at the end of season five came to an sudden end when it's star was caught doing something he should have not done(Paul Reubens arrested for public exposure on himself in a Florida adult theater). Because of this incident,CBS immediately pulled the plug on this show. Getting back to the cast members of this very successful children's show from the 1980's,ONLY Laurence Fishburne,Natasha Lyonne,John Paragon,Lynne Stewart and even S.Epatha Merkerson went on to bigger and better things after there success on this show. Pee-Wee's Playhouse should have stay on the air another couple of years as I am concerned since it was among one of the finest programs ever associated with Saturday Mornings and we thank Paul Reubens for that accomplishment.

As a child growing up in the 1980s (born October 1982), you could not avoid watching "Pee-Wee's Playhouse." Originally airing on CBS from 1986-1990, it was a staple in the viewing habits of youngsters of all ages (and sometimes, their parents too!)

Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Rubens) has a wacky, funny playhouse. When we come to visit his playhouse, Pee-Wee treats the visitors (viewers) to games, cartoons, friends, and the "The Secret Word of the Day" (AHHHHH!) The presentations in his playhouse are always fun and educational, and tend not to drive the parents crazy. The guests are assorted oddballs, such as Captain Carl, Miss Yvonne, and Cowboy Curtis, as well as "The Salesman" ("I'm here to make you this one-time special offer--" "AAAAHHHH!").

This was by-far one of the greatest kiddie shows on television during my early years. If you ask anyone around my age, they will proudly tell you that they watched Pee-Wee. (In fact, my brother and I used to scream when they said the Secret Word of the Day) This was one of the most fun sows on TV, and was cancelled so abruptly after Ruben's rather interesting ordeal. My mom used to watch this with my brother and I when we were in pre-school, and continued to watch it with us when we started Kindergarten in 1988. I was saddened when it was cancelled after I finished first grade in 1990, as was many kids who idolized Pee-Wee, and looked up to him as our entertainment.

This a such a great and educational show, and I am sad to not be able to see the reruns (tragically, I don't have any on tape) and that future generations will never see what a great show this was. I'm hoping a children's networ will bring back the reruns. I'm hoping I will find videos somewhere, as I would like to be able to show my own children some day who this children's programming genius was. You know how big of a fan I am??? I have Pee-Wee Herman's scream on my AOL Instant Messanger.

The secret word of the day is "fun." "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" is the most "fun" you can have in a half-hour. "Ahhhhhhh!" Brings back old memories.