A Look at Why Pee-Wee Herman Continues to Endure

Scene from Pee-Wee's Big Holiday

This Friday, Netflix marks the latest release from the immortal child character Pee-Wee Herman with Pee-Wee's Big Holiday. Considering other recent releases such as Bill Murray's A Very Murray Christmas, it only continues the novelty that the streaming service has of relying on familiar and beloved properties of the past. However, there's something arguably more endearing about the return of Pee-Wee Herman. Save for a comeback stage show a few years back, he hasn't been seen too much since his last big gig Pee-Wee's Playhouse back in the early 90's. But the bigger question is why he should even come back at all. In all honesty, he's just too endearing to ever be ignored entirely.

On paper, the very idea of Pee-Wee Herman in 2016 is a little confusing. Paul Reubens is 63-years-old, which is a far cry from what Pee-Wee is supposed to be. The character is known for having a childlike sense of wonder, yet a man that is 50 years older than his character still feels very strange, considering that Pee-Wee has been around for more than 30 years. It could just be that Reubens has yet to make a character as iconic and everlasting, but it's sometimes hard to look at anything related to the character in recent years and not wonder why. Why is Reubens bringing back a character that would need serious black hair-dye to look remotely like the young spry character that we saw back in the 80's doing risque stage humor?

The answer is difficult, especially since his target audience for his most recent stage show was a Pee-Wee's Playhouse setting with allusions to then topical conversations such as gay marriage. For some, there's no denying that Pee-Wee is not the same. However, there's something to that show at hand that gives a strong sense of why he endures. Considering the modern political climate that has recently dealt with gun control and an increasingly grim political race, there's a certain optimism that can be found in someone who is optimistic. Entertainment, time and again, has turned to cynicism to reflect the modern climate. Compare that to Pee-Wee Herman. What does he care about? He enjoys the simple things in life, which includes driving his novelty and outsized car while embracing friends that range from a talking chair to The King of Cartoons.

Of course, the legacy of Pee-Wee Herman explains his initial appeal better than what became of him as the decades progressed. Before he got his own children's show, he was a character best known for performing subversive humor. He was the quintessential manchild, who was both innocent and willing to play into the provoking nature of men. He would make entendres and sing songs. It was surreal even at the beginning because of his ability to become an embodiment of optimism. His naivety lead him to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman while wearing homemade costumes and having comical, selfish breakdowns. The bigger question was not why he was dressed like that, but why weren't you laughing?

Things only became more elaborate in the years since. He made his mark with the Tim Burton film Pee-Wee's Big Adventure: a film that is solely about a man trying to get his bicycle back. From the iconic opening that features both a Rube Goldberg machine making breakfast and Danny Elfman's phenomenal score; to the conclusion where Pee-Wee says "I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel." - there's a sense that this character has a sustainability that wasn't entirely clear. He was transcendent between adult audiences who relished in his subtle humor and children who merely enjoyed his enthusiasm and ability to talk to them without talking down.

It's hard to believe now, but this was a real character that performed in comedy clubs and wasn't initially as kid friendly as most children's show hosts would be. Yet he ended up making Pee-Wee's Playhouse, which is arguably among the highest caliber shows of its kind for its ability to stick to a strict formula while creating an interactive, cult-like wonderland. You knew when you tuned in that there would be secret passwords, cartoons, and even sometimes connecting of the dots. It was a show that embraced the creative side of culture, and by doing so created a program that both embodied what made Pee-Wee work on a base level as well as why he was so important to children's entertainment. One could easily do full essays on the architecture and design of the show - which itself was a fascinating mix of constructs.

Pee-Wee was rarely a problematic entity. Outside of the lackluster Big Top Pee-Wee, he was the enthusiastic presence that would closet Reubens from having a lasting career in other roles. Even as he tried with work in Blow and on 30 Rock, there was something that brought him back to the character. It could just be that he was an integral outlet for a lot of creativity and optimism in the culture, of which has rarely been matched in impact. Whatever the cause, his fans remained there and Pee-Wee's Big Adventure only became more appreciated with time. It may have been a narcissistic character, but it was also a smart and optimistic one who wanted a better world while sometimes aping 50's conservative behavior. 

The truth is that he is a character that never felt appropriate to one era. Even when he was new in the 80's, he felt like a retro concept. It was an inventive one, and something that is only seen on period dramas like Mad Men. He was a relic of the past, and one that continually perplexed audiences thanks to his glaring familiarity but ability to subvert everything underneath. He could never be simply called a screaming child, no matter how much that perfectly fits his best jokes. He was someone who longed for happiness in slapstick ways. Thankfully, he clicked with audiences in ways that showed that maybe we as a society could use some cheering up.

Pee-Wee's Big Holiday will likely appease fans when it drops on Friday. There's hope that it actually matches the enthusiasm that the character has brought to most of his career. More surprisingly, Reubens has yet to tire of the role, despite showing his age and maybe be a little too much of a juxtaposition at times. Still, there's a reason that the name still draws an audience. He manages to bring optimism to his comedy, and I hope I'm wrong in suggesting that he mostly appeals to older audiences. Hopefully Pee-Wee's Playhouse has hit some child's eyes and filled them with joy. It only seems right.