Pee-wee's Playhouse
| Pee-wee's Playhouse | |
|---|---|
 The Pee-wee's Playhouse logo. | |
| Created by | Paul Reubens |
| Starring | Paul Reubens Laurence Fishburne Lynne Marie Stewart S. Epatha Merkerson John Paragon |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 45 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 13, 1986 – July 27, 1991 |
Pee-wee's Playhouse was a children's television program starring Pee-wee Herman (played by Paul Reubens) that aired on Saturday mornings on CBS. The show originally ran from September 13, 1986 to July 27, 1991, and was enormously popular with both children and adults. It introduced several major new actors and greatly expanded the range of acceptable characters and themes for children's television. The show is currently shown on Adult Swim weeknights at midnight EST.
Creation
The Pee-wee Herman character was created by comedian Paul Reubens. One commentator described the character as combining "a transgressive sexuality, unabashed materialism, obsessive neatness, and a sly anti-authoritarian pose, dressed up in a distinctive costume of white shoes, white socks, red bowtie, tight plaid suit, rouge, and lipstick."
Pee-wee first appeared as a cameo character in a revue that was staged while Reubens was a member of the Los Angeles-based comedy troupe The Groundlings. The character first appeared on film in Cheech & Chong's Next Movie. Reubens then developed a live stage show starring Pee-wee entitled The Pee-wee Herman Show which featured many characters that would go on to appear in Playhouse, including Captain Carl, Jambi the Genie, Miss Yvonne and Clocky. When it became successful, he sold it to HBO in 1981, where it was filmed as an adult comedy special.
He teamed with young director Tim Burton in 1985, and they made the comedy film Pee-wee's Big Adventure. It became one of the year's surprise hits. It was hugely profitable—costing a relatively modest US $6 million to make, but taking in US $45 million at the box office.
Thanks to the movie's runaway success, in 1986 CBS offered Reubens a Saturday morning TV timeslot, total creative control and a huge budget of US $325,000 per-episode (a figure usually reserved for prime-time sitcoms). The result was a children's show, combining live action, video effects, animation, puppetry, and vintage cartoons.
The Art of the Playhouse
The creative design of the show was concocted by a slew of artists including Gary Panter (the art director), Craig Bartlett, Richard Goleszowski, Greg Harrison, Ric Heitzman, Phil Trumbo, and Wayne White. Several filmmaking styles and techniques were featured on the program including chroma key, stop-motion animation, and claymation (designed by Aardman Animations).
Cast and Crew
Many now-well-known TV and film actors received their major breaks on the show, including Sandra Bernhard, Laurence Fishburne, Phil Hartman, Steve James, Natasha Lyonne, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jimmy Smits, and Lynne Stewart. Future heavy metal musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie was also a production assistant.
The music for the show was provided by artists including Mark Mothersbaugh, The Residents, Todd Rundgren, Danny Elfman, Mitchell Froom, Van Dyke Parks, George Clinton, and Dweezil Zappa.
The opening prelude theme is an interpolation of Martin Denny's "Quiet Village." The theme song (which originally followed the prelude) was performed by Cyndi Lauper (credited as Ellen Shaw).
Human characters
| Character | Played by | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cowboy Curtis | Laurence Fishburne | A cowboy with western attire from the 19th century. He also has his hair in a jheri curl mullet. |
| Captain Carl (first season only) |
Phil Hartman | A gritty, unshaven sea captain with a gruff voice, but a somewhat shy demeanor. He came by the playhouse to show him interesting things from the ocean. His tolerance for Pee-wee's antics was often tested whenever he stopped by. |
| Miss Yvonne | Lynne Marie Stewart | A woman obsessed with beauty and cosmetics, who often flirted with Pee-wee and many of the other male characters on the show. She was given the title "the most beautiful woman in Puppetland" by the puppet characters (especially Mr. Window, who would usually introduce her). Yvonne wore a large brown wig, gaudy dresses and heels, and her appearance was always accompanied by some sort of theme music. She, like Ricardo, also has a medical background, as evidenced by her nurse get-up and actions in "Pee-wee Catches a Cold". |
| Reba the Mail Lady | S. Epatha Merkerson | A mail carrier who was often confused with the playhouse rules. At one point in the series, she had a boyfriend named Derek (who was played by martial arts movie actor, Steve James). She also has a pet dog which Pee-wee gave her when she lost him. |
| The King of Cartoons | Gilbert Lewis (first season); William H. Marshall (subsequent seasons) |
He showed a brief cartoon during his segment. His catch phrase was "Let the cartoon begin!" The original King of Cartoons used a film projector to show the cartoons (which he would aim at the lens of the camera shooting the actual show). On later seasons, the King would turn on a television set with a remote control. |
| Tito (first season only) |
Roland Rodriguez | The Hawaiian playhouse lifeguard. He usually came into the house during snack time or during a gathering. |
| Ricardo | Vic Trevino | A Latino soccer player with an apparent medical background. He replaced Tito after the first season. |
| Mrs. Steve (first season only; mentioned in an episode of a later season) |
Shirley Stoler | A frequent visitor to the playhouse during the first season. Enjoyed eating and "snooping around" when Pee-wee isn't seen. |
| Mrs. Renee | Suzanne Kent | A neighbor of Pee-wee's. She replaced Mrs. Steve after the first season. |
| Dixie (first season only) |
Johann Carlo | A taxi driver who introduced the King of Cartoons in the first season by playing her trumpet (frequently referring to him as "King Cartoon"). |
| The Playhouse Gang (first season only) | Natasha Lyonne (Opal); Shaun Weiss (Elvis); Diane Yang (Cher) |
Three children who interacted with Pee-wee during the first season. They were replaced by three other children for the subsequent second season. |
| The Playhouse Gang (second season) | Vaughn T. Jelks (Fabian); Alisan Porter (Li'l Punkin); Stephanie Walski (Rapunzel) |
Three children who interacted with Pee-wee, but only in two episodes of the second season. |
Puppet and object characters
| Character | Voiced by | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Jambi | John Paragon | A blue-faced (later green) genie who lived in a jeweled box. Appeared once per show to grant Pee-Wee a wish, often with unexpected results. His catchphrases included "Wish? Did somebody say 'Wish'?", and the magic words "Mecca-lecca-hi, mecca-hiney-ho" (which got more complicated as the show progressed). |
| Chairry | Alison Mork | A bluish-green armchair with eyes on the chair back, a mouth between the seat cushions, and armrests that flapped around and occasionally hugged Pee-wee when he sat on her. |
| Magic Screen | Alison Mork | A screen on rolls that slightly resembled an Etch-A-Sketch, it flashed in an array of colors when not in use; it also showed films, and Pee-wee would frequently jump into the screen itself to interact with a fantasy land inside, usually to "connect the dots" (see below). Magic Screen once mentioned having a relative, Movie Screen. In the Christmas Special, Magic Johnson stated that he and Magic Screen were cousins. |
| Pterri | John Paragon (Seasons 1, 3 — 5); George McGrath (Season 2) |
A green pterodactyl and one of Pee-wee's closest friends; he usually acted like a young child. Pterri is afraid of thunderstorms and was very sensitive. He was often picked on by Randy. He sometimes hangs out with Globey. In the HBO special, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, he worked for Captain Carl. |
| Mr. Window | Ric Heitzman | The window to the left of the playhouse door when inside the playhouse; he had googly eyes and talked by moving his yellow window pane up and down. His role on the show was to introduce other characters (usually Miss Yvonne), and occasionally serve as a means for Pterri to enter and exit the playhouse (though Mr Window would only open up his "mouth" about half to two-thirds of the time). |
| Clocky | Kevin Carlson | A yellow and red clock shaped like a map of the United States; he often introduced "Penny" cartoons and the like by asking Pee-wee "Do you know what time it is?... Time for a Penny cartoon (etc.)!." He originated in the HBO special acting in a similar manner. |
| Conky | Gregory Harrison (Season 1); Kevin Carlson (subsequent seasons) |
The playhouse robot, who gave Pee-wee the "secret word" each week and served as a "brain" element in the show. He spoke with a stutter, and was made from various parts of old electronics, including an old camera attachments (eyes), a boombox (chest), phonoagraph (torso), and a typewriter with no keys (head). The robot referred to himself as "Conky 2000" (after the first season) when Pee-wee turned him on. |
| Globey | George McGrath | A spinning globe with a large face on his side. Globey spoke with a French accent and would often help Pee-wee out with geography questions. He sometimes hangs out with Pterri. |
| Puppet Band | Wayne White (Dirty Dog); Ric Heitzman (Cool Cat); |
Three puppets forming a jazz combo in a stage set to resemble an alley. They normally spoke in rhyme. |
| Mr. Kite | Wayne White | A pink kite that occasionally appeared in one of the playhouse windows. |
| Randy | Wayne White | A red-headed string puppet who served as the playhouse bully, usually making life miserable for Pee-wee and the playhouse characters. Once talked Pee-wee into prank-calling police officer "Daryl" (George McGrath) on the Picturephone. |
| Billy Bologna | Paul Reubens | A hand puppet, slightly resembling Randy in appearance (but blonde), who Pee-wee himself operated on occasion. |
| Dog Chair | None. | A white chair, similar to Chairry but resembling the face of a dog. He sat next to Chairry, but was used and referred to much less often. |
| Ant Farm | None. | Occasionally, Pee-wee would check to see what the ants were up to; a short close-up sequence would follow which featured the ants engaging in some "human" activity. On one occasion, they actually managed to get out of the farm. |
| Dinosaurs | Neli Jana | A den of miniature, claymation dinosaurs who lived in a mouse hole in the playhouse. The dinosaurs would frequently be zoomed in on to see what they were doing. |
| Food | None. | The contents of Pee-Wee's refrigerator. Various claymation food items including pizzas, vegetables, French fries and others that would dance and juggle to Pee-wee and friends's amusement. |
| Fish and Flowers | Ric Heitzman, George McGrath, Wayne White | The fish lived in the playhouse aquarium, and the flowers were in a flower bed in the window to the right of the playhouse door. After Dixie left the show, the flowers introduced the King of Cartoons. The fish would each make a remark, and then would laugh, similar to Statler & Waldorf from The Muppet Show. |
| Penny | Anna Seidman | A claymation short featuring a blonde girl with pennies for eyes, who described some situation in her life. She would reappear later outside the show on public service commercials. |
| Knucklehead | None. | A large image of a side view of a fist, with "googly eyes" and lipstick, who told bad knock-knock jokes. He had a bit part in the HBO special, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, but as a sock puppet who acted and sounded differently. |
| Cowntess | George McGrath | A life-sized, talking cow that spoke in an elegant accent. |
| Door-to-Door Salesman | Ric Heitzman | A caricatured salesman, dressed in a tacky suit and a humongous head, who rang the doorbell and shouted "I'm going door to door to make you this incredible offer!" (occasionally he could be heard starting another sentence, "I'm sure by now you have realized-") while a horror movie-style effect played in the background. This caused Pee Wee to slam the door and scream, occasionally frustratedly saying, "Salesman!" This character was retired after the first season. |
| Floory | Kevin Carlson | A section of the playhouse floor that stood up and talked. For the first season he was covered by Pee-Wee's tepee, but after Pee-Wee and his friends remodeled the playhouse, he emerged. |
| Chandelier | Alison Mork | A talking chandelier with a French accent who appeared in later seasons. |
| Exercise Belt | None. | A vintage vibrating belt exercise machine |
Memorable one-offs
| Character | Played by | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Yvona | Lynne Marie Stewart | A female alien, who was captured by Zyzzybalubah and locked in a cage. Bears a striking resemblance to Miss Yvonne. |
| Zyzzybalubah | George McGrath | A malevolent male alien, who hypnotized Conky into making his own name the secret word and launched the Playhouse into space. He calls anyone he captures his "friends" but Pee-wee sets him straight. |
| Conky Repairman | Jimmy Smits | Fixed problems with Conky, the playhouse robot. |
| Rhonda | Sandra Bernhard | Picturephone operator. |
| Roger | Voiced by Wayne White | A large, green monster that invaded the playhouse. He resembled a giant eyeball, had several mouths and one leg, and spoke in a language incomprehensible to Pee-wee until he wished he could understand the monster (at which point he learned his name in English). During this episode, Roger talked to his mother on the Picturephone; during the conversation, Roger's mother said the Secret Word in their language, at which point they both screamed while a bunch of symbols appeared on the screen. At the end of the episode, Roger left the Playhouse with Pee-Wee on the back of Pee-Wee's scooter. |
| Rusty | Calvert DeForest | He joined the Playhouse Gang for one episode. Was treated rather horribly by Pee-wee. Was never seen again, or mentioned by name. |
| Derek | Steve James | Reba's boyfriend, a fireman. |
Recurring gags, themes, and devices
Characteristic of the show were its gags and other humor bits that occurred regularly. Some of them included:
- Secret Word: At the beginning of each show, viewers were told the day's "Secret Word" and were instructed to "scream real loud" every time a character on the show said the word, which was given to Pee-wee by Conky. Immediately after receiving the Secret Word, Pee-Wee almost always tricked someone in the playhouse to say it, usually followed by Pee-Wee accidentally saying the word himself. The word was always used numerously throughout the show, and Pee-Wee always accidentally said it right before he got onto his scooter at the end of the show. Screaming only seemed to happen if the Secret Word came at the end of a sentence, though on one particular occasion it happened at the beginning ("Randy, what... are you doing?"). The purpose of the Secret Word was probably to teach kids (and adults in some respects) to be more aware of the vocabulary they used in everyday speech, as they were usually simple words that might otherwise go unnoticed in normal conversation.
- Connect the Dots: Most episodes would involve Pee-wee leaping into Magic Screen, tossing a number of dots from his pocket, and playing a connect-the-dots game with them. He would then interact with the object the dots had formed in a cartoon environment, eventually leaping out of the screen and landing safely on Chairry, who would usually proclaim, "Gotcha!". However, on at least one occasion, Pee-wee landed on the floor, in which case Chairry exclaimed "Safe!" and held her arms out like a baseball umpire.
- Role Playing: Pee-wee often claimed the Playhouse and everything in it to be his (usually because it actually was), and he often played the role of an authority figure to prove his point—exaggerating the role to an extreme scale (a judge, a boss, and a librarian, to name a few). During these games, he gave everyone else "inferior" positions in each game. The tables were eventually turned once and for all in the final episode, when Miss Yvonne said "How could you even think of selling the Playhouse without first consulting us? It belongs to all of us! You just remember that, Pee-wee, it's all our Playhouse!"
- "Marry It" Joke: Pee-wee or another character would say that he or she loved something, to which someone else would reply, "Then why don't you marry me/him/her/it?". This joke was last used in the "Sleepover" episode, where Pee-wee finally did marry a bowl of fruit salad in a formal ceremony.
- Gifts: Every time Pee-wee was given a gift, he never gave someone time to explain what the gift was upon showing him the box or bag; he usually simply told the giver(s) to "fork it over".
- Snack Time: Most episodes had a recipe segment called "Snack Time," in which Pee-wee taught kids how to make a simple dish for themselves; although, in early episodes, Snack Time was a short segment involving one character teasing another character with food. The segment often began with Pee-wee opening the refrigerator and catching the food off-guard, dancing and having a good time in a claymation kind of animation, exposing the secret life of the fruits and veggies in the fridge. The food items quickly settled down once they realized they had been caught. Snacks ranged from French toast to popsicles to something as simple as a banana.
- Eating gag: When Pee-wee ate or tasted something, typically during Snack Time, he often exclaimed enjoyment by saying, "Mmm, (object)-y!". For example, he would say "Mmm, lemony!" when tasting something with a lemon flavor. This gag was later used on The Simpsons by Homer and by Johnny Bravo in the Cartoon Network cartoon of the same name. An example of the joke being used during other situations was an innuendo, where Pee-wee was describing the bust that Dirty Dog made for Miss Yvonne in the episode Playhouse in Outer Space; he said "Mmmm, busty!" and laughed.
- Foil and Rubber Band Balls: Occasionally during the first season, someone would give Pee-wee a piece of aluminum foil, at which point he would exclaim, "Let's see how big my foil ball is today!" The ball was rolled out, and Pee-wee attached the new piece in sheer delight. Pee-Wee stopped using the foil ball in the first season, citing the fact that it became too big to keep in the playhouse. He donated it to the foil museum. It was replaced by a ball comprised almost entirely of rubber bands in the second season; the gag was continued by someone occasionally giving Pee-wee a rubber band (at which point he would exclaim "Wow! A rubber band for my rubber band ball!" before putting it on).
- Can I? Gag: When ever someone in the playhouse asked Pee-wee a question that started with "Can I...", he would respond with, "I don't know, can you?" Usually following this, the person would ask the question again with "May I..." in front.
- Beg Me, On occasion, when someone asked Pee-wee if they could do something, he normally said no, followed by him saying Beg me.
- Picturephone and Picturephone calls: A videophone called "Picturephone" was a prominent feature on the show, remaining virtually unchanged throughout the series, except for the phone's ringing and interior. A large photo booth-like area in the shape of a woman's head was the exterior. The lips served as saloon doors that could be opened and closed at will. Inside was a TV monitor, a tin can handset, several controls for the user to pull, press and twist, and lights to brighten the inside. Also, a pull-down drape was often seen; it parodied a lot of modern-day artwork, such as American Gothic. On some occasions, Pee-wee wore a goofy hat that matched the drape's theme. The phone's "ringing" was accompanied by a flash of shapes and patterns on the monitor. The interior only had one seat, but three people could get inside it. The "conversations", which implied the existence of other "Picturephones", were actually pre-recorded video films of any character that Pee-wee "called". He would usually call "I'll get it, I'll get it!" and "Pee-wee's Playhouse. Pee-wee speaking." before the caller's image would appear on the monitor.
- Pen Pal Letters: When Reba arrived with mail for Pee-wee, it would usually be letters from his international pen pals. Pee-wee would then sit down on Chairry and read them. He started with the country or state (China, New York, Australia, etc.), followed by Globey pointing them out on his head. On one particular occasion, however, Pee-wee recieved no pen pal letters at all (because he didn't write any letters himself), which caused him to go into an infantile tantrum. One of the few complaints of the show was that the children portrayed in the pen pal letters were often very stereotypical of their native country.
One-time gags
Each episode usually contained a running gag particular to that episode, and/or a specific occasion that would send Pee-wee into an emotional frenzy. Some of these gags and moments included:
- In the episode "Luau For Two", Pee-wee put Scotch tape on his face, similar to a scene in Pee-wee's Big Adventure.
- In the episode "Party", the food in Pee-wee's freezer is found dancing to the song "Tequila" in a manner almost identical to a dance Pee-wee did to the song in Pee-wee's Big Adventure, even going so far as wearing the exact same platform shoes Pee-wee did in that scene.
- In the episode "Fire in the Playhouse", Pterri incorrectly said Jambi's name as "Zombie". Later, in "Front Page Pee-wee," Pterri said Jambi's name correctly. Interestingly, both Pterri and Jambi are played by the same actor (namely, John Paragon).
- In the episode "Stolen Apples", the flashing word on the screen and the bell sounds fizzled out when Pee-wee "screamed" in exasperation over not getting any pen pal letters, a clear indication of his infantile behavior.
- In the episode "The Gang's All Here", Pee-wee slowly got really annoyed at having the Playhouse Gang around, and ultimately asked the kids to leave for unacceptable behavior. Once they left, however, Pee-Wee proceeded to do everything he claimed they were wrong for doing (running around, jumping on furniture, etc.), and the gang then returned, as they had hidden behind Mr. Window and seen Pee-Wee go against his own words.
- In "Sick? Did Someone Say Sick", Randy the Bully changed the Secret Word rules, to where everyone had to bark like a dog instead of screaming when the word was said. This outraged Pee-wee.
- In the episode "Why Wasn't I Invited?", Pee-Wee missed the secret word "ALL". After becoming frustrated that he hadn't been invited to Cowntess' birthday party, he threw a tantrum in which he exclaimed at the end, "It isn't fair at all!". Neither Pee-Wee nor the remaining friends at the Playhouse took notice.
Critical praise
The show was notorious for its campy undertones and double entendre. However, it would clearly influence future children's programs like Blue's Clues.
As soon as it first aired, Pee-wee's Playhouse fascinated media theorists and commentators, many of whom championed the show as a postmodernist hodgepodge of queer characters and situations which appeared to soar in the face of domineering racist, sexist, and heterosexist presumptions. For example, three of Pee-wee's closest human friends, Cowboy Curtis, Reba the Mail Lady, and the King of Cartoons, were black.
In its entire run, the show won 22 Emmys as well as other awards.
"I'm just trying to illustrate that it's okay to be different—not that it's good, not that it's bad, but that it's all right. I'm trying to tell kids to have a good time and to encourage them to be creative and to question things," Reubens told an interviewer in Rolling Stone.
Episode guide
| First season: 1986-87 | Episode title | Secret word | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ice Cream Soup | DOOR | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| 2 | Luau For Two | FUN | Todd Rundgren |
| 3 | Rainy Day | HELP | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| 4 | Now You See Me, Now You Don't | LITTLE | Mitch Froom |
| 5 | Just Another Day | BACK | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| 6 | Beauty Makeover | TIME | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| 7 | The Restaurant | DAY (also "Today" and "Days") | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| 8 | Ants In Your Pants | WHAT | Todd Rundgren |
| 9 | Monster In the Playhouse | LOOK | Danny Elfman |
| 10 | The Cowboy and the Cowntess | GOOD | Danny Elfman |
| 11 | Stolen Apples | THERE | Todd Rundgren |
| 12 | The Gang's All Here | OKAY | Jay Cotton |
| 13 | Party! | THIS | Todd Rundgren |
| Second season: 1987-88 | Episode title | Secret word | Scored by |
| 1 / 14 | Open House | HOUSE (and PLAYHOUSE) | The Residents |
| 2 / 15 | Puppy In the Playhouse | OVER | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| 3 / 16 | Store | MORE | Danny Elfman |
| 4 / 17 | Pee-wee Catches a Cold | OUT | Danny Elfman |
| 5 / 18 | Why Wasn't I Invited? | ALL | Cliff Martinez |
| 6 / 19 | Tons of Fun | COOL | Jeff Baxter |
| 7 / 20 | School | EASY | Glenn Jordan |
| 8 / 21 | Spring | BEGIN | Stanley Clarke |
| 9 / 22 | Playhouse In Outer Space | ZYZZYBALUBAH | The Residents |
| 10 / 23 | Pajama Party | WATCH | The Residents |
| Third season: 1988-89 | Episode title | Secret word | Scored by |
| 1 / 24 | Reba Eats and Pterri Runs | NOW | |
| 2 / 25 | Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special | YEAR | |
| 3 / 26 | To Tell the Tooth | IT | |
| Fourth season: 1989-90 | Episode title | Secret word | Scored by |
| 1 / 27 | Dr. Pee-Wee and the Del Rubios | WELL | |
| 2 / 28 | Fire In the Playhouse | ONE | |
| 3 / 29 | Love That Story | END | |
| 4 / 30 | Sick? Did Somebody Say Sick? | GO | |
| 5 / 31 | Miss Yvonne's Visit | NICE | |
| 6 / 32 | Rebarella | STOP | |
| 7 / 33 | Heat Wave | HERE (and HEAR) | |
| 8 / 34 | Chairry Tee Drive | WAIT | |
| 9 / 35 | Let's Play Office | THAT | |
| 10 / 36 | I Remember Curtis | REMEMBER | |
| Fifth season: 1990-91 | Episode title | Secret word | Scored by |
| 1 / 37 | Conky's Breakdown | GREAT | |
| 2 / 38 | Mystery | AROUND | |
| 3 / 39 | Front Page Pee-wee | HOW | The Residents |
| 4 / 40 | Tango Time | FAST | |
| 5 / 41 | Playhouse Day | THING | |
| 6 / 42 | Accidental Playhouse | PLACE | |
| 7 / 43 | Fun, Fun, Fun | ON (and NO) | |
| 8 / 44 | Camping Out | SHOW | |
| 9 / 45 | Something To Do | DO | |
| 10 / 46 | Playhouse For Sale | WORD | |
Later airings, home video and DVDs
- On August 15, 1998, the show returned to television in reruns on Fox Family Channel, only to go off the air once again the following year.
- Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block began airing the show Monday through Thursday on July 10, 2006. After the first week only the "Quiet Village" part of the opening was shown, leaving out the Cyndi Lauper vocal. "Quiet Village" was not part of the first week of broadcasts. Adult Swim has slated to end airings of the show on October 19, 2006. [1]
- Several episodes were initially released on video in 1988. They were then reissued on video in 1996, along with several episodes that were not released on video the first time. Finally, all 45 episodes (plus the Christmas special) were released on DVD by Image Entertainment in 2004.
Changes to the show
Several notable changes to the show's characters, cast, or set occurred over the years. At the start of season two, the show moved from its New York City warehouse studio to facilities at the Hollywood Center Studios, creating changes in personnel and a change to the set that allowed the show to take advantage of the additional space. In addition to the personnel changes mentioned in the character tables above, the following also happened:
- In the first season, Chairry was next to Mr. Window, with Dog Chair to the viewer's left of her; in subsequent seasons, Dog Chair was placed by the window.
- Before Clocky was put into the Playhouse, his space (in the wall behind Chairry) was occupied by a large smiley face with movable shelves where Pee-Wee's toys resided.
- Globey's facial features changed somewhat, and his body changed from gold to black.
- Dixie, Tito, Mrs. Steve, the Salesman, Captain Carl, the original Playhouse Gang, and the original King of Cartoons were replaced or removed from the show entirely. Also a Tito replacement who was a Mexican Soccer Star appeared.
- The two fish changed in appearance.
- The flowers' voices changed from distorted and robotic to more normal-sounding female (or falsetto, since they were all played by males) voices.
- During the first season, Conky's secret words were printed on regular strips of paper; in later seasons, they were printed on small white pieces of card stock.
- The scooter eject ending scene was changed. During the 1986-1987 season, Pee-Wee opened the door hiding his scooter by raising an iron on an ironing board. In subsequent seasons, Pee-Wee pulled the arm on a small statue to reveal the scooter (which apparently was behind a different door as well.) Pee-Wee also began wearing a helmet that looked like a one-eyed monster. Additionally, whereas in the first season Pee-wee landed on the road upon departing the Playhouse, later seasons showed him flying past Mount Rushmore after leaving the house and before hitting the road.
- Several characters, including Clocky and Floory, did not debut until the second season (after the playhouse had been remodeled.)
- A cartoon that starred a hispanic hero named El Hombre ("the man") was added in the later seasons, usually as a substitute for the Penny cartoons, though some episodes either had both cartoons or neither.
- There was also a real life male dog in the playhouse after the episode, "Puppy in the Playhouse".
- Magic Screen's border has appeared to change from white to pink.
- Conky's Scratch board on his lower body changed in appearance a little.
- When Pee-Wee put the secret word away in the first season, he put it in his pants pocket; in subsequent seasons he put it in his inside jacket pocket.
References and homages on other shows
- The show was referenced in an episode of the Teen Titans series (the first episode of the fourth season). However, the secret word was called the "sloppy mess word" instead.
- In the Family Guy episode Peter Griffin: Husband, Father...Brother? Peter Griffin spends his reparation money to convert his den into a replica of Pee-wee's Playhouse, calling it "Peter's Playhouse." Brian plays the role of Jambi, saying "Mecca-lecca hi, Mecca hiney-oh god, I hate you so much" [2], and the secret word is "RIDICULOUS."
- Pee-wee and his playhouse have been referenced a number of times on the series "Full House," usually because the child-like character Joey loved the program.
- John Travolta imitated Pee-wee in Look Who's Talking Too.
- A photo comic on X-Entertainment revolves around Skeletor hiding out from He-Man in the Playhouse in order to avoid having his arms cut off by Leonardo and Raphael of the Ninja Turtles.
- On the popular web cartoon website, Homestar Runner, some toons make a reference to the show, including one Halloween toon in which Strong Bad dressed up as Jambi the Genie.
- In "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi," Al sings "Mecca-lecca hi, mecca hiney hiney ho" within the first 10 seconds of the song, famous magic words from Jambi the Genie. He also sings "Mecca-lecca hi, mecca lecca channey ho" about halfway through the song.
- In the flash animation "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny," Jambi the Genie and Cowboy Curtis are two of the many who slaughter Chuck Norris.
- In the Simpsons episode Marge Gets a Job, an episode of Krusty the Clown features a "secret word" ("loud") that scares a timber wolf and sends him running out of the studio.
- In a episode of SpongeBob SquarePants where Plankton switches lives with Mr. Krabbs to see what it is like, an alarm goes off shortly before a naked Mr. Krabbs attacks. Plankton asks SpongeBob "Did I say the secret word?"
- In a episode of Ed, Edd, n' Eddy, when the Eds get stuck in Johnny's wall, they are forced to tell Johnny a bedtime story. After hearing their different versions, Johnny says he wants a "real" story with Mr. Kite.