The influence of Pee-wee Herman—née Paul Reubens—can’t be understated. And in the wake of Reubens’ passing on Sunday night, at the age of 70, it’s an appropriate, if saddening, time to emphatically remind everyone of it. While Reubens’ and Pee-wee’s ubiquity waned following the character’s late-’80s and early-’90s heights, the impact that they left reverberates today in all matters of subversively sweet, cross-generational comedy.
Originating in the late-’70s as part of Reubens’ stand-up act, Pee-wee went on to become an offbeat late-night guest; leading man of an iconically strange, funny, endlessly quotable film; and, most importantly to me, the host of one of the most unique children’s shows ever made.
Premiering on CBS in 1987, Pee-wee’s Playhouse capitalized on the character’s childlike energy to make him enjoyable for children. The result was a colorful, boisterous, surreal, absurd, and completely delightful television show—one whose influence can still be felt in the many children’s shows and cartoons that followed in its footsteps.
