History Series / PeeWeesPlayhouse

Unusually, the show got a sitcom-level budget and creative control was left almost entirely to Reubens and his crew. Initially filmed in a converted New York loft for the first season (which, according to many past cast members, was a living nightmare to work in, as it was always hot), the show moved to a full-size set in Los Angeles for the second season onward, which is why the playhouse in the first season looks so much smaller than in later seasons. However, the production schedule for the show was still grueling (a single episode took 10 sixteen-hour days to shoot, at a cost of $350,000 per episode), and the show ended after filming ''Playhouse for Sale''.

The show focuses on Pee-wee's life at his luxurious playhouse, where everything is alive and anything could happen. It featured a large cast of colorful characters including a talking chair, a robot, a magic computer screen, a talking globe, and all sorts of puppets. The show also featured plenty of stop-motion animation sequences (many of which were provided by Creator/AardmanAnimations) as well as clips from Golden Age cartoons. Reubens was also able to cast several members of the The Groundlings who had worked with him on the original stage show including Creator/PhilHartman (Captain Carl) and Creator/LaurenceFishburne[[note]]Credited as "Larry" Fishburne.[[/note]] (Cowboy Curtis), as well as future stars Creator/SEpathaMerkerson, (Reba the Mail Lady), Johann Carlo (Dixie the Cab Driver)[[note]](who later went on to play a role in the movie Quiz Show)[[/note]] and Creator/NatashaLyonne (Opal, one of the members of the first season Playhouse Gang).

In its first year, the show won six Emmy awards. The show gained a following of both children and adults thanks to its nostalgia and excellent writing, prompting CBS to show some episodes during prime time as well as Saturday mornings. While Reubens tried to have the episodes based around moral lessons, heavy use of RuleOfFunny kept it from being [[{{Anvilicious}} preachy]].

The show ran on CBS from September 13, 1986 until November 17, 1990 and spanned five seasons, one of which (the third season) was comprised of only two episodes - three if you count the ChristmasSpecial - due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike and the production of Reubens' second Pee-wee movie ''Film/BigTopPeeWee''.

In 2011, Reubens staged a new [[Theatre/ThePeeWeeHermanShowOnBroadway live show]] integrating elements from the original as well as the TV show. All five seasons (and the ChristmasEpisode) have been released on DVD and have been added to Creator/{{Netflix}} in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

* ButteringUp: The episode "Luau for Two," when Pee-wee wins two tickets to a Hawaiian dinner. All his friends start kissing up to him in the hope of getting the spare ticket. [[spoiler:He finally gets so fed up that he angrily offers to give away ''both'' tickets and says he's sorry he won them in the first place.]]

* BigQUIET: Heard in "Luau for Two." However, Pee-wee's friends' bickering is so loud that they can't even hear him say this, so he secretly uses Tito's silver lifeguard whistle to silence everyone.

* EveryEpisodeEnding: Each episode ended with Pee-wee taking off on his motor scooter to parts and places unknown, with seasons 2 and beyond having him wear a one-eyed-monster helmet, and flying past Mt. Rushmore.
* ExcitedKidsShowHost: Pee-wee, obviously. So much so that Paul Reubens, as the story goes, began to suffer from burnout, forcing him to shelve the character for decades.
* FantasyHelmetEnforcement: Pee-Wee Herman started out not wearing a helmet on his scooter, but by Season 2 he got one. Appropriately, it was decked out with a cyclops eye and other impractical doodads.

* {{Flanderization}}: Pee-wee himself fell victim to this as the show went on. In the earlier seasons, there was a (paradoxical) maturity, as shown in the scene where he reprimands the original Playhouse Gang for being a bit too rambunctious ([[HypocriticalHumor only to engage in said rambunctious behavior himself moments later]]). It also showed that he was capable of being 'quiet' at times, too. By the later seasons, however, the character's voice and mannerisms became just plain annoying -- he'd lost the quieter moments and was reduced to shouting all the time, even when the secret word was said and thus screamed at, as in one episode where Pee-wee catches a cold and is greatly irritated by loud noises:

* HairTriggerAvalanche: In the episode where they redecorating the Playhouse, Pee-wee looks into the fridge for something to serve with tea, but finds nothing. He notices that the food are in an avalanche area and they must be quiet. Pee-wee whispers that he promises to keep things quiet around the Playhouse, but unfortunately it's part of the secret word ("house"), and of course, everyone screams. This triggers the avalanche and buries the food. All the sudden, Pee-wee goes into a panic attack about the ''Snack Emergency''. And Magic Screen suggested she can go to the supermarket and get some snack. Pee-wee wouldn't mind that Magic Screen goes grocery shopping.

'''Pee-wee Herman:''' OH, NO! SNACK EMERGENCY! SNACK EMERGENCY!\\

'''Pee-wee Herman:''' You wouldn't mind?\\

* KangarooCourt: The second half of the episode "Heat Wave" is this, with Pee-wee as the judge, Conky as the bailiff and Magic Screen as the court reporter. However, it doesn't help to stop Yvonne and Rene's bickering.

* LighterAndSofter: The TV show is a child-friendly adaptation of the more adult-oriented stage show.
* LiteralGenie / JackassGenie: Jambi, at times. In "Restaurant," for example, Pee-wee says, "I wish I knew what to wish for." Jambi grants him ''that'' wish, but not what he actually wished for. When Pee-wee learns his mistake and calls Jambi out on it, the genie simply holds him to the rule of only one wish per show. Cue a BigNo from Pee-wee.

* NotNowWereTooBusyCryingOverYou: In the episode "Reba Eats and Pterri Runs", the latter mentioned goes missing after having been reprimanded and picked on for the duration of the episode. Randy encourages him to run away, and Pterri comes to the realization that no one likes him. Pee-Wee sees the note Pterri wrote about his decision and him and the other characters go into mourning and begin blaming themselves for his departure. Pee-Wee begins gently sobbing after taking a look at a photo with him and Pterri together, and at that moment, gets a tap on the leg by Pterri, to which he responds, "Please, Pterri, not now."

* OncePerEpisode: Pee-wee played Connect the Dots with Magic Screen in nearly every episode. This is the idea behind Jambi's wishes, the King of Cartoons' arrival and the Penny cartoons, too.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Reba the Mail Lady in the later seasons. Earlier on, she was just as enthusiastic as the others.
** Although one season 1 episode had Pee-wee describing his adventure within the Magic Screen to her, to which she incredulously replies, "[[DeadpanSnarker Are you sure there's nothing wrong with you?]]"
* OverThePhoneGameShow: The ''entire'' plot of the episode "Luau for Two" is this, with Herman winning two tickets to a Hawaiian dinner for two at a Hawaiian restaurant in Puppeland called Kalani Lanai.
* OverlyLongGag: In one episode, Pee-wee fed his dog Roosevelt some dog food, and for about a minute and 40 seconds, the camera simply stays on Roosevelt eating his food.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot / PaintingTheMedium: The show marked its move from New York to Los Angeles with its second season premiere, in which the Playhouse Gang cleaned and redecorated the Playhouse, which now looked comparatively larger and more open than the Playhouse in the first season.

* ShoutOut: Jambi's incantation--"Meka-leka-hi-meka-hiney-ho" and "Meka-leka-hi-meka-channey-ho"--appeared in Music/WeirdAlYankovic's parody song "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi."

* ShowWithinAShow: The King of Cartoons' classic cartoons as well as the original Penny cartoons and the later ''El Hombre''. Additionally, Roger the Monster states in ''Monster in the Playhouse'' that everyone in Monsterland (where he is from) is a huge fan of ''Pee-Wee's Playhouse''.

* SignsOfDisrepair: The trope sparked off the series finale. Pee-Wee had a sign in two parts outside the playhouse--"LEMONADE FOR SALE"--but the first part blew away in a sudden gust of wind, leaving behind "FOR SALE." The supporting cast believed the playhouse ''itself'' to be for sale, and reminisced in his absence while he went looking for the first part of the sign.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Ricardo's reactions to Pee-wee trying to hit a pinata during the "Feliz Navidad" segment of the Christmas special.

* TinCanTelephone: The Picture Phone. Notable in that it works as an actual telephone, and, like Conky, seems to be a consumer good in the show's universe (the Christmas Special indicates that even Whoopi Goldberg and Dinah Shore have one, or else they're calling from a pay phone). Pee-wee's overlaps with BlandNameProduct -- the can is clearly a can of Del Monte mixed fruit, but the words "Del Monte" have been painted out of the logo!

* Big"QUIET!": Heard in "Luau for Two." However, Pee-wee's friends' bickering is so loud that they can't even hear him say this, so he secretly uses Tito's silver lifeguard whistle to silence everyone.

* Over-The-PhoneGameShow: The ''entire'' plot of the episode "Luau for Two" is this, with Herman winning two tickets to a Hawaiian dinner for two at a Hawaiian restaurant in Puppeland called Kalani Lanai.

-->'''Chairy''': You mean you are not selling the playhouse, Pee-Wee?\\
'''Pee-wee Herman''': No of course not, Chairy. I would never sell the playhouse for a million, trillion, zillion dollars. And besides, A playhouse is a place where anyone can play. ''[Everybody cheers]''\\
'''Dirty Dog''': We don't have to travel.\\
'''Cool Cat''': We don't have to roam.\\
'''Chicky Baby''': Be it ever some humble...\\
'''All three together''': There's no place like home.

-->''"Boy, Chairry, I sure got a lot of pen pal letters!"''\\
''"Why don't you read one?"''\\
''"I don't know, Chairry! Why don't I?"''

-->''Meka-leka-hi-meka-hiney-ho''\\
''Meka-leka-hi-meka-channey-ho''\\
''Mola-meka-channa-maka-mola-mala-hey!''

---> '''Pee-wee:''' What do you sleep in, Cowboy Curtis?\\

* OverThePhoneGameShow: The ''entire'' plot of the episode "Luau for Two," is this, with Hwerman winning two tickets to a Hawaiian dinner for two at a Hawaiian restaurant in Puppeland called Kalani Lanai.

* ButteringUp: The episode "Luau for Two". Herman eventually gets so angry that he [[spoiler:harshly hands the Hawaiian dinner tickets to his friends while yelling at them that he's sorry that he ever ''won'' the game show to begin with.]]

The show focuses on Pee-wee's life at his luxurious playhouse, where everything is alive and anything could happen. It featured a large cast of colorful characters including a talking chair, a robot, a magic computer screen, a talking globe, and all sorts of puppets. The show also featured plenty of stop-motion animation (think ''Gumby'') as well as Golden Age cartoons. Reubens was also able to cast several members of the The Groundlings who had worked with him on the original stage show including Creator/PhilHartman (Captain Carl) and Creator/LaurenceFishburne[[note]]Credited as "Larry" Fishburne.[[/note]] (Cowboy Curtis), as well as future stars Creator/SEpathaMerkerson, (Reba the Mail Lady), Johann Carlo (Dixie the Cab Driver)[[note]](who later went on to play a role in the movie Quiz Show)[[/note]] and Creator/NatashaLyonne (Opal, one of the members of the first season Playhouse Gang).

* ShowWithinAShow: The King of Cartoons' classic cartoons as well as the original Penny cartoons and the later ''El Hombre''. Additionally, Roger the Monster states in ''Monster im the Playhouse'' that everyone in Monsterland (where he is from) is a huge fan of ''Pee-Wee's Playhouse''.

* VideoPhone: Again, the Picture Phone is this kind of phone. Designed by Ric heirzman, the the the Picture Phone itself isw in the shape of a woman's head with brunette hair and full red lips (that serve as swinging doors). The viewscreen is a vintage RCA television set (specfically the RCA Victor 21-D-7445U Deluxe) with color electron guns for the video display and, as aforementioned, a tin can receiver.

* VideoPhone: Again, the Picture Phone is this kind of phone. Designed by Ric heirzman, the the the Picture Phone itself isw in the shape of a woman's head with brunette hair and full red lliups (that serve as swinging doors). The viewscreen is a vintage RCA television set (specfically the RCA Victor 21-D-7445U Deluxe) with color electron guns for the video display and, as aforementioned, a tin can receiver.

* VideoPhone: Again, the Picture Phone is this kind of phone.

* KangareooCourt: The second half of the episode "Heat Wave" is this, with Pee-wee as the judge, Conky as the bailiff and Magic Screen as the court reporter. However, it doesn't help to stop Yvonne and Rene's bickering.

In 1980, Creator/PaulReubens (after being turned down for a chance to be a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' cast member) created a stage show called ''The Pee-Wee Herman Show'', parodying the children's live action TV shows of the 1950s and '60s, with a subversive, playfully risque twist. After a successful {{Creator/HBO}} comedy special and years of performance, Reubens teamed with Creator/TimBurton to create the movie ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'', based on the title character. The surprise success of the movie got Creator/{{CBS}} interested in an animated version of the original stage show. Reubens eventually negotiated for a live-action version that was [[LighterAndSofter more kid-friendly]] than the HBO version, but [[{{Parental Bonus}} still had flashes of adult humor]].

* ButteringUp: The episode "Luau for Two". Herman eventually gets so angry that he <spoiler>harshly hands the Hawaiian dinner tickets to his friends while yelling at them that he's sorry that he ever ''won'' the game show to start with</spoiler>.

* ButteringUp: The episode "Luau for Two". Herman eventually gets so angry that he harshly hands the Hawaiian dinner tickets to his friends.

* DreadfulMusician / VocalDissonance: Miss Yvonne is revealed to be a bad singer, as shown in the episode "Tons of Fun". Conky is also revealed to be a ''very'' bad singer in "Just Another Day" (while he can play the guitar rather well, his "singing" is really just him talking),

The show focuses on Pee-wee's life at his luxurious playhouse, where everything is alive and anything could happen. It featured a large cast of colorful characters including a talking chair, a robot, a magic computer screen, a talking globe, and all sorts of puppets. The show also featured plenty of stop-motion animation (think ''Gumby'') as well as Golden Age cartoons. Reubens was also able to cast several members of the The Groundlings who had worked with him on the original stage show including Creator/PhilHartman (Captain Carl) and Creator/LaurenceFishburne[[note]]Credited as "Larry" Fishburne.[[/note]] (Cowboy Curtis), as well as future stars Creator/SEpathaMerkerson, (Reba the Mail Lady), Johann Carlo (Dixie the Cab Driver)[[note]](who later went on to play a role in the movie Quiz Show)[[/note]] and Natasha Lyonne (Opal, one of the members of the first season Playhouse Gang).

In 2011, Reubens staged a new [[Theatre/ThePeeWeeHermanShowOnBroadway live show]] integrating elements from the original as well as the TV show. All five seasons (and the ChristmasEpisode) have been released on DVD and have been added to Netflix in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* LargeHam: Just about the entire cast.

%%* WorldOfHam

* PrankCall: Randy made Pee-Wee make a prank phone call. And the female stranger is married to the police officer!

* SecretWord: At the start of every show Pee-wee informed the audience what "the secret word for today is", whivch was provided by Conky. He would try to make his guests say it, but they were not always that easily fooled and so sometimes Pee-wee accidentally said it himself. When the secret word was said all children were allowed to "scream real loud" while in Pee-wee's house itself an alarm went off while everyone in the Playhouse screamed.

** Magic Screen, in kind of a cute and special way. In the first episode she foreshadows GPS when Cpt. Carl is lost at sea, and in some episodes can play games with Pee-Wee and the others, such as checkers and TabletopGame/TicTacToe. She even plays video.

** Magic Screen, in kind of a cute and special way. In the first episode she foreshadows GPS when Cpt. Carl is lost at sea, and in some episodes can play games with Pee-Wee and the others, such as checkers and tic-tac-toe. She even plays video.

* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: Both Pterri and the dinosaur family.

* {{Gainaxing}}: In one episode, Miss Yvonne did a clog dance. The resulting jiggle was ''very'' restrained (her dress deserves an award), but quite visible.

* {{Nice H|at}}elmet: Pee-Wee's overly-decorated red helmet, which featured after Season 1.