Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special
Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special
| 21 December 1988 (USA)
Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special Trailers

Pee-wee Herman and pals are celebrating Christmas in the Playhouse in their own creative ways: Pee-wee makes a list for Santa Claus 1.5 miles long, teaches Little Richard how to ice skate, goes for a sleigh ride with Magic Johnson, enslaves Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello into making Christmas cards, receives a long phone call from Dinah Shore, even has more musical fun with k.d. lang, the Del Rubio Triplettes and Charo! Finally, Big Red arrives and announces that Pee-wee's Christmas list was so big, he didn't have enough presents for all the children of the world. Will Pee-wee follow his own advice and help others?

Reviews
MistyNoble1987

Let me start by saying I have very fond memories of watching Pee Wees Playhouse when I was younger, so needless to say this has been a staple in our family since the year it came out. Staying tried and true to the quirkiness that is Pee Wees Playhouse, come join Pee Wee, Globey, Chairry, Randy and the rest of the magical objects, characters, celebrities, and musical guests as they take you through a world of imagination, love, comical quips and enjoy being a kid again through the wonder world that is Pee Wees Playhouse. Teaches kids a great lesson about the gift of Christmas. Another thing I like about this show is it has the right amount of adult humor (Nothing over the top, though) that makes it just as enjoyable to watch it as an adult as it was to watch when I was a kid. Admit it, you know you want to travel through the wonderful wacky world of Pee Wees Playhouse!

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johnstonjames

" Merry Christmas everybody! Merry Christmas everyone!" screams PW and 'The toys 4 Tots' Marines. and the sincerity and warmth of the sentiment are adeptly and beautifully expressed in what is probably one of the cheeriest Christmas specials i've ever seen.it doesn't hurt to be a PW fanatic either. i absolutely love all of PW's work. i have all the Plathouse shows on DVD and both movies as well as this wacky, but sweet and cute, Christmas special.it pretty much seems like everybody is here. but for me what makes this special so "special" for me, is the strangely soulful and affecting musical numbers. K.D. Lang's jubilant and over the top rendition of 'Jingle Feet', Grace Jones's mysterious and awe inspiring 'Little Drummer Boy', and what i felt was surprisingly the best, was Charo's simple and touching guitar version of 'Feliz Navidad'. the only fault with these excellent musical carols, is that they are woefully too short. i know they had time limitations but these performers are so good here you can't help but wish the music was at least a couple of minutes longer since the none of the numbers lat any longer than a minute. unfortunately Cher makes an appearance and doesn't sing. probably contractual since Cher was one of the biggest names in entertainment at the time.there is so much here that is sweet and adorable like the 'Dradel Song' and so on, and there is a co-starring role for my favorite media sweethearts Frankie and Annette. but rather than hear about it everyone should just see it. it truly has the spirit of the season in over flowing abundance.

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moonspinner55

Watching Pee-wee Herman's Christmas special 21 years after it first aired, many thoughts go through the viewer's mind as to what transpired in comedian Paul Reubens' life and career up to this point--and what has happened since (indeed, in his DVD commentary, Reubens is soft-spoken and even contrite concerning the past two decades). Reubens' creation was originally a naughty one-act for grown-ups, his material laced with innuendo, so it has always stumped me why he chose to be a kiddie entertainer. Apparently, his heart was really in it, and the results are there on the screen...yet when hunky construction workers are seen building the fruitcake room, one may sense a wink and a nudge from the old days. Many guests join Pee-wee at his Playhouse to help usher in the Christmas cheer, including a fleeting Cher, a colorful Little Richard, a tormented Frankie Avalon & Annette Funicello, a very young k.d. lang, a scarily elegant Grace Jones, a saucy Charo, and all of Herman's friends from his weekly television program (including co-writer John Paragon as Jambi, with incredible make-up). It's very light and easy, obviously put together rather quickly, and lacking a bit in high-end laughter. Pee-wee's newfound penchant to be educationally sound detracts from the fun, as does the proverbial meaning-of-Christmas speech which comes off a little heavy. Still, it moves along at a merry pace, Pee-wee is occasionally a funny jerk, and the celebrities all seem remarkably in step with the fanciful humor at hand.

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mateuschler

Pee Wee Herman, many of the Playhouse regulars and a load of celebrities celebrate the holidays in a grand and glorious way. Among the many funny skits is an interminable rendering of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' by Dinah Shore on Pee Wee's multi-media phone device. The celebrities are too numerous to mention, and all are very good sports. In the end, Pee Wee (and the viewers) learn a wonderful lesson about selflessness and sharing.Regardless of his press in recent years, Pee Wee is a comic genius who tickles the funny bones of children as well as adults. Well worth viewing.

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