Pee-wee's Playhouse

Pee-Wee and the playhouse puppets in "Put Down the Ducky"

Pee-Wee's Playhouse (1986-1991) is a children's series combining live action, puppetry, and animation, starring Pee-Wee Herman, the fictional alter ego of Paul Reubens. The series had its roots in Reubens' stage shows, and a more adult 1981 special The Pee-Wee Herman Show was the first attempt to bring the playhouse to television.

Pee-Wee himself guest starred on Sesame Street, on his playhouse set and surrounded by the show's puppet characters, in an alphabet insert and in the celebrity version of "Put Down the Duckie".

The series was spoofed in the Muppet Babies episode "Gonzee's Playhouse Channel."

Connections

• Sandra Bernhard played the Picturephone operator in an unaired episode
• Craig Bartlett animated some of the "Penny" segments
• John Canemaker animated the Magic Screen segments
• Kevin Carlson performed Clocky, Conky, and Floory
• Cher appeared in Pee-Wee Herman's Christmas Special (1988)
• E. G. Daily played Dottie in Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
• Laurence Fishburne played Cowboy Curtis
• Whoopi Goldberg appeared in Pee-Wee Herman's Christmas Special (1988)
• Kris Kristofferson played Mace Montana in Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
• k.d. lang appeared in Pee-Wee Herman's Christmas Special (1988)
• Cyndi Lauper performed the theme song (credited as "Ellen Shaw")
• Edie McClurg played Hermit Hattie in The Pee-wee Herman Show (1981)
• Alison Mork performed Chairry, Magic Screen, Chandelier, and Chicky Baby, and appeared in the episode "Rainy Day" as the policeman's wife
• Mark Mothersbaugh composed the theme song
• Little Richard appeared in Pee-Wee Herman's Christmas Special (1988)
• Joan Rivers appeared in Pee-Wee Herman's Christmas Special (1988)
• Dinah Shore appeared in Pee-Wee Herman's Christmas Special (1988)
• Jimmy Smits appeared as Your authorized conky repairman in the episode "Conky's Breakdown" (1989)
• Oprah Winfrey appeared in Pee-Wee Herman's Christmas Special (1988)