I am not ashamed to admit I loved to watch Pee-wee Herman back in the day. First his big adventure, then at his playhouse. This month, the Playhouse is airing on Adult Swim and it’s blast from the past.
Granted, it’s the not-too-distant past, but all the same…and it’s great. It’s unfortunate that the Pee-wee franchise has gotten tarnished thanks to Pee-wee’s “mishap” in getting caught for not being master of his domain.
Now, I agree that was sick, wrong, and everything else - I had the same reaction as the rest of you. And with that event the empire that was Pee-wee crumbled with one…hehe…stroke.
However, that downfall does not - and should not - take away from the fun, laughter, and stupidity that made Pee-wee fun to watch when he was at his prime. The jokes are still funny.
It’s interesting watching shows from your childhood when the last time you actually saw the show was when you were a child. I haven’t see Pee-wee’s Playhouse since it went off the air in 1991.
The Playhouse, surprisingly enough, is a great kids show. It’s kiddy chaos with a lot of fun and some (very little) learning. The show had to have kicked off a trend in sheer randomness - as Pee-wee goes from talking to a cow, to watching ants dance, then playing Connect the Dots (la la lala).
The characters were quite memorable as well, besides Pee-wee. You had the talking chair, Chairy; Jombi the genie; Randy the bully puppet; the food in the fridge; the floor; Konky; Magic screen…the list goes on - all quite distinct and creative, if not name terribly well.
And then of course, everyone knows the early soon-to-be-famous crowd that started with Pee-wee. Laurence Fishburne, Phil Hartman, Jimmy Smits, and in a more indirect fashion, Rob Zombie.
Some of the most memorable things of Pee-wee was the music, both on the show and from his movies. It’s great, happy music, even with the pictures.
So, go forth and watch Adult Swim weeknights at 11p (through September). I’ll see you at the Playhouse.
