Hey everyone,
With the passing of the iconic Paul Reubens, I wanted to take a moment to look back on fun and joy he brought into our lives, particularly through his famous Pee-Wee Herman character. I'm a child of the 80s, and to me his weirdo charm, infectious laughter, and innocent whimsy were one of the cornerstones of my childhood. He shares a place with Fred Rogers, Bob Ross and Jim Henson in shaping my imagination and heart, if not a generation's.
I found some full episodes of Pee-Wee's Playhouse on YouTube, and decided to show my kids to see what they thought. They loved it, which is a testament to the show's timeless appeal. Times have changed though, and a show of this nature might not be created today, but I think the unique charm of Pee-Wee remains undiminished. It was, an emblem of a more innocent era.
Arguably my favorite moment across all the films, when he expertly spaz-dances his way out of being murdered by bikers.
Every kid wanted one of these machines. We even had the Mr. T cereal in our house, but it cut the roof of your mouth like Captain Crunch.
I'll be honest, this scared the shit out of me as a kid.
I think the first time I ever saw him outside of the Pee-Wee context was the movie Matilda. I had little sisters so it was on all the time, but it took me a while to recognize him without the voice and the suit. I'm not sure why it surprised me that he had a real voice, but it did.
If you were in high or middle school when this movie came out, The Spleen was one of your favorites. Probably because we were awkward and oily too.
Farewell to a legend.
With the passing of the iconic Paul Reubens, I wanted to take a moment to look back on fun and joy he brought into our lives, particularly through his famous Pee-Wee Herman character. I'm a child of the 80s, and to me his weirdo charm, infectious laughter, and innocent whimsy were one of the cornerstones of my childhood. He shares a place with Fred Rogers, Bob Ross and Jim Henson in shaping my imagination and heart, if not a generation's.
I found some full episodes of Pee-Wee's Playhouse on YouTube, and decided to show my kids to see what they thought. They loved it, which is a testament to the show's timeless appeal. Times have changed though, and a show of this nature might not be created today, but I think the unique charm of Pee-Wee remains undiminished. It was, an emblem of a more innocent era.
Arguably my favorite moment across all the films, when he expertly spaz-dances his way out of being murdered by bikers.
Every kid wanted one of these machines. We even had the Mr. T cereal in our house, but it cut the roof of your mouth like Captain Crunch.
I'll be honest, this scared the shit out of me as a kid.
I think the first time I ever saw him outside of the Pee-Wee context was the movie Matilda. I had little sisters so it was on all the time, but it took me a while to recognize him without the voice and the suit. I'm not sure why it surprised me that he had a real voice, but it did.
If you were in high or middle school when this movie came out, The Spleen was one of your favorites. Probably because we were awkward and oily too.
Farewell to a legend.
