Christmas at Pee Wee's Playhouse (1988)

Pee-wee Herman and pals are celebrating Christmas in the Playhouse in their own creative ways: Pee-wee makes a list for Santa Claus 1 1/2 miles long, teaches Little Richard how to ice skate... See full summary »

Directors:

Wayne Orr, Paul Reubens

Writers:

John Paragon, Paul Reubens

Stars:

Kevin Carlson, Laurence Fishburne, Aaron Fletcher

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Carlson	...	Clockey / Conky / Floory
Laurence Fishburne	...	Cowboy Curtis (as Larry Fishburne)
Aaron Fletcher	...	Santa Claus
Ric Heitzman	...	Cool Cat / Fish / Flower / Mr.Window
Suzanne Kent	...	Mrs. Rene
William Marshall	...	King Of Cartoons
George McGrath	...	Cowntess / Fish / Flower / Globey
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Reba
Alison Mork	...	Chairry / Chicky Baby / Magic Screen
John Paragon	...	Jambi / Pterri
Lynne Marie Stewart	...	Miss Yvonne (as Lynne Stewart)
Vic Trevino	...	Ricardo
Wayne White	...	Dirty Dog / Fish / Flower / Mr. Kite / Randy
Charlie Tickner	...	Hans
Paul Reubens	...	Pee-wee Herman

Storyline

Pee-wee Herman and pals are celebrating Christmas in the Playhouse in their own creative ways: Pee-wee makes a list for Santa Claus 1 1/2 miles long, teaches Little Richard how to ice skate, goes for a sleigh ride with Magic Johnson, commands Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello to make Christmas cards, receives a long phone call from Dinah Shore, even has more musical fun with k.d. lang, the Del Rubio Triplettes and Charo! Finally, Big Red arrives and announces that Pee-wee's Christmas list was so big, he didn't have enough presents for all the children of the world. Will Pee-wee follow his own advice and help others?

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | present | sleigh | santa claus | milk and cookies | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Musical

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Christmas Special

Company Credits

Production Co:

Binder Entertainment,Pee Wee Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

49 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cher's cameo was taped in only 25 minutes as she was whisked in and out of the studio due to a heavy schedule for a promotional tour at the time.

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Quotes

Pee-wee: I was kind of hoping maybe you'd give me an extra wish.
Jambi: Extra wish? You want an extra wish? What do you think this is, Christmas?
Pee-wee: Well... Yeah.
Jambi: Oh. Okay.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, Dinah Shore continues to sing "Twelve Days of Christmas" and after the credits, she asks where Pee-Wee has gone because the mannequin dressed as Pee-Wee does not respond.

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Connections

Spoofed in Movie Nights: Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (2011)

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Soundtracks

Dradel, Dradel, Dradel
Performed by Mrs. Renae

User Reviews

Encapsulates everything likable about the series

You've gotta hand it to a holiday special from the late '80s to make all this stale Christmas material fun again; one that at least gives it just that weird spin to freshen things up. "Christmas at Pee Wee's Playhouse" packs in the guest stars, musical numbers and unwanted fruitcakes - it's got duds, sure, the Del Rubio sisters and KD Lang don't really fit. But get a look at Pee Wee in his (awesome) snow suit. My kid lives to see him spaz it up (we both kinda bond over this), and that alone makes this a fun special.

The damn thing even comes with a message, and it's one that doesn't ruin the fun. Nice job.

7/10