Pee-wee's Playhouse - TV-PG
TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: Cartoon Network Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Paul Reubens, John Paragon
Genre: Children's Live Action
Available on: 
DVD
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Pee-wee often behaves disagreeably. He is greedy (when friends come over with presents, he tells them to "fork it over!") and often rude to those who visit his playhouse. Some of the show's humor is a bit subversive, but that part will probably go right over most kids' head.
Families can talk about whether Pee-wee's behavior is suitable. Is he a role model for kids? Should he be? How could kids approach a situation differently, and why shouldn't they emulate his rudeness?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Joyce Slaton
It's practically impossible for an adult viewer to watch PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE and not remember the reason it was canceled in 1991 (when star Paul Reubens was arrested in a compromising position in an adult theater). But whatever Reubens' private proclivities, campy family-friendly fun was the order of the day on his wildly popular Saturday morning TV show, which ran for five seasons on CBS.
The magic of Playhouse was its dual audience: Children noticed only the show's imaginative whimsy, while adults warmed to the sly subversiveness of many of the characters and situations. Pee-wee's Playhouse pulled off a kind of Bugs Bunny trick -- it entertained the kiddies while giving grownups something to smirk at. For a few years in the late 1980s, Pee-wee was required viewing for both those on college campuses and those in elementary school.
Still airing in repeats and available on DVD, the now-vintage Playhouse episodes hold up beautifully. Mixing live animation, puppetry, animation, and vintage cartoons, the show centers around Pee-wee (Reubens), a smirking man-boy who lives in a playhouse that's equipped with a bewildering variety of toys and gadgets (such as Chairry, the talking chair, voiced by Alison Mork) and visited by a variety of Pee-wee's oddball friends.
Speaking of those friends, it's a hoot to see well-known actors like Laurence Fishburne saunter in playing Cowboy Curtis, or Law & Order's S. Epatha Merkerson show up as Reba the Mail Lady.
Most of the Playhouse gags still seem amazingly innovative when compared to the stale Saturday morning shoot-outs available on the networks today -- Pee-wee's cooking segments are particularly choice, as are any interactions with Jambi the Genie (John Paragon). Parents will still giggle over Pee-wee's double entendres while wee ones will lap up all the weirdness -- this is one Playhouse where everyone can frolic.
Fans might also like the more-straightforward but still-entertaining classic Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and the tamer but still-somewhat-surreal Wonder Pets!
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Sexual ContentOnly adults will be able to decipher the witty, hidden innuendoes. |
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Social BehaviorThough some anti-authoritarian messages lurk around the periphery, the straightforward themes circle around those familiar from other children's shows, such as the need to share and cooperate. |
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