Pee-Wee's Playhouse

Pee-wee's Playhouse
Title card
Created by	Paul Reubens
Presented by	Pee-wee Herman
Starring	Laurence Fishburne Lynne Marie Stewart Phil Hartman S. Epatha Merkerson John Paragon
Theme music composer	George McGrath, Mark Mothersbaugh, & Paul Reubens
Opening theme	Mark Mothersbaugh
Ending theme	Mark Mothersbaugh
Composer(s)	Mark Mothersbaugh The Residents (2.1, 2.9, 3.2) Danny Elfman ("Monster", "Cowboy and Cowntess", "The Gang's All Here" "Store", "Pee-wee Catches a Cold") Mark Snow (5.1, 5.8, "Love That Story") Tom Snow (4.4) Ron Grant (5.6) Todd Rundgren (1.11, 1.13) George S. Clinton (5.5, "Dance Music"; only episode) Gleen A. Jordan Dweezil Zappa (3.1, 4.1, 4.2) Scott Thunes (3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 4.8) Jeff Baxter Bruce Roberts (5.2) Jonathan Sheffer (5.2) Stanley Clarke Van Dyke Parks (Christmas special) Cliff Martinez (2.5) Mitch Froom ("Now You See Me, Now You Don't")
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	45 + Christmas Special (list of episodes)
Production
Location(s)	480 Broadway, New York City, New York (1986) Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, California (1987-1988) The Culver Studios, Los Angeles, California (1989-1991)
Camera setup	Film (principal photography) Videotape (post-production) Single-camera
Running time	23-24 minutes
Production company(s)	Pee-wee Pictures (entire run) Broadcast Arts Productions (1986) Binder Entertainment (1987-1988) BRB Productions (season 2 reruns) Grosso-Jacobson Productions (1989-1990)
Release
Original network	CBS
Picture format	NTSC (480i)
Audio format	Mono (Seasons 1-4) Stereo [CBS Stereosound] (Season 5)
Original release	September 13, 1986 (1986-09-13) – July 27, 1991 (1991-07-27)
Chronology
Related shows	The Pee-wee Herman Show
External links
Website

Pee-wee's Playhouse is an American children's television program starring Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-wee Herman which ran from 1986 to 1991 on Saturday mornings on CBS. The show was developed from Reubens' popular stage show and the TV special The Pee-wee Herman Show, produced for HBO, which was similar in style but featured much more adult humor.

In 2004 and 2007, Pee-wee's Playhouse was ranked #10 and #12 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.

The Pee-wee Herman character was developed by Reubens into a live stage show entitled The Pee-wee Herman Show in 1980. It featured many characters that would go on to appear in Playhouse, including Captain Carl, Jambi the Genie, Miss Yvonne, Pterri the Pterodactyl and Clocky. While enjoying continuous popularity with the show, Reubens teamed with young director Tim Burton in 1985 to make the comedy film Pee-wee's Big Adventure. It became one of the year's surprise hits, costing a relatively modest $6 million to make but taking in $45 million at the box office.

After seeing the success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, the CBS network approached Reubens with an ill-received cartoon series proposal. In 1986, CBS agreed to sign Reubens to act, produce and direct his own live-action Saturday morning children's program, Pee-wee's Playhouse, with a budget of $325,000 per episode, (comparable to that of a half-hour prime-time sitcom) and full creative control (although CBS did request a few minor changes over the years).

Reubens assembled a supporting troupe that included ex-Groundlings and cast members from The Pee-wee Herman Show, including Phil Hartman, John Paragon, Lynne Marie Stewart, Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson. Production began in New York City in the summer of 1986 in a converted loft on Broadway, which one of the show's writers, George McGrath, described as a "sweatshop". Reubens moved the production to Los Angeles for season two in 1987, resulting in a new set and a more relaxed work atmosphere

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