Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse by Caseen Gaines

Peggy Charren, the founder and president of Action for Children’s Television, claimed that Saturday morning tv was 'filled with do-goody nonsense' and she urged networks to introduce shows with more educational value. Critics described the networks’ lineups as being filled with 'program-length commercials' for merchandising like Pound Puppies, G.I. As children urged their parents to empty their wallets for toys based on their favorite Saturday morning cartoons, some parents began paying closer attention to children’s programming, and many didn’t like what they saw. There were superheroes (Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians), animated adaptations of live-action movies and tv shows (It’s Punky Brewster, Star Wars), new shows with established characters (Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Smurfs), and even a show starring a larger-than-life wrestling personality (Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling).

The three major television networks, abc, cbs, and nbc, aired cartoons that lacked in originality and, for the most part, had no educational value. Gaines unearths a significant moment in pop culture with the care of an archaeologist, and the vibrant humor of Pee-wee himself.In the spring of 1986, Saturday morning children’s television was popular, profitable, and predictable. “Caseen not only reveals the genius behind Paul Reubens’ pop culture creation, but also takes us inside Pee-wee’s Playhouse to meet the fascinating team that brought it to life.” -Noah Levy, senior news editor, In Touch Weekly

Caseen Gaines has crafted a meticulously researched look at the origin, production, and legacy of this landmark series that is every bit as educational and entertaining as the show it chronicles.” -Jeremy Kinser, senior editor, The Advocate “With his inspired, lunatic Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Paul Reubens showed a generation of television viewers that it’s okay to be different. For five years, Saturday morning television infect nearly ten million people a week with Pee-wee Fever.įollowing the twenty-fifth anniversary of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, the behind-the-scenes story of this groundbreaking, successful, and still revered children’s program is told for the first time by those who experienced it, with never-before-seen photos.Ĭome on in and take a look Inside Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Symptoms included talking to furniture, checking the refrigerator for signs of life, and a desire to SCREAM REAL LOUD every time a “secret word” was spoken.

Pull up a Chairry and enjoy” (Michael Musto, Village Voice).īetween 19, a pandemic swept the nation. “Gaines thoroughly explores the innerworkings of the most grownup kiddie show in TV history.

Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse by Caseen Gaines