BLASTER'S UNIVERSE

BLASTER’S UNIVERSE
(CBS, September 4-November 27, 1999)
 
Nelvana, Hong Guang Animation, CBS Productions, Knowledge Adventure

 

 

MAIN CAST:
Jonathan Wilson – Max Blaster
Maryke Hendrikse – GC
Juan Chioran – MEL
 
 

            Educator Jan Davidson always sought to get her students more involved in the learning process. When the personal computer came around in the 1970s, she decided it would be a useful tool for that methodology since it required people to actively use one. However, by that time, there were no software offerings to fit her needs. So, she decided to create her own. With the help of a contracted programmer, her first game was Speed Reader designed to help kids learn how to read quicker. Then came Math Blaster and the vocabulary game Word Attack. Shortly after, she and her husband, Bob, created their own publishing company, Davidson & Associates, Inc., to continue to develop computer games and turn PCs into a valuable educational tool.

The original Math Blaster.

            Their most popular software line was the Blaster series, known as the Blaster Learning System, developed out of the original Math Blaster game. The game initially featured a stick figure man in a circus-like setting having to be maneuvered over the cannon under the correct answer to the problem, in which he would then fall into and be shot out of. A seal bouncing a ball served as a timer, with the added challenge of the man having to keep a balloon from landing on a nail on the other side of the screen. A revision was made in 1987 called Math Blaster Plus!, which replaced the non-descript player character with a little alien in a green space suit (although it was purple in the actual game) called the Blasternaut and the cannons with rocket ships, space stations they could blast off to, and a countdown timer. The second revision in 1990, New Math Blaster Plus!, changed things up entirely with better graphics, animations and four separate mini-games. In Plus!, the player needed to solve problems correctly to build his ship, power a tractor beam to pull in space trash that would then be recycled into fuel, and then using an anti-gravity pad to zip up to one of the waiting space stations to stop the alien invasion that now represents the timer. A bonus level was included that allowed the player to control Blasternaut on his jetpack to collect some items for points. This formula would become the standard for the Blaster series of games featuring the Blasterpals. Two spin-offs, Alge-Blaster Plus! and Math Blaster Mystery, were released in 1989.

Victory screen from the home console version of Episode I, featuring Blasternaut, Spot, G.C. and the trash alien.

            In 1993, the original game was revised again as Math Blaster Episode I: In Search of Spot, this time introducing Blasternaut’s (Mark Sawyer) companion, an alien robot named Spot (also Sawyer using a Brooklyn accent), and boss/best friend, Galactic Commander aka G.C. (voiced by Laura Boedeker, the three known collectively as the Blasterpals), the leader of the Galactic Patrol to which Blasternaut belonged. The major difference in the game was the addition of the narrative to rescue spot from an evil trash alien (also Sawyer), as well as a platforming segment that required Blasternaut to have a particular number to continue onward (changed by positive or negative numbers that appeared as water droplets). 1994’s Episode II: Secret of the Lost City was geared towards an older age group and featured the characters in 3-D models during cutscenes for the first time. Math Blaster Jr. in 1996, made for pre-schoolers, returned to a purely sprite-based design and depicted Blasternaut, G.C. and Spot as kids. The Blasterpals would expand beyond basic math into Reading Blaster, Spelling Blaster and Science Blaster, sometimes facing off against appropriately-themed foes. Davidson also dabbled with other characters in other Blaster entries, including little green monster Rave, round alien Cosmic MC, and human girl Andi, but the Blasterpals were the most prominent throughout the line.

Spot, Blasternaut and G.C. learning they're about to be replaced.

            The Blaster Learning System was a major success, pulling in millions of dollars for Davidson & Associates. Naturally, the company used that to grow itself by purchasing software firms and studios (at one point they owned what would become Blizzard Entertainment), becoming publicly traded on the stock market, and creating their own distributor in partnership with Mattel. In 1996, CUC International bought Davidson & Associates and eventually combined it with another acquisition, former competitor Knowledge Adventure (now JumpStart Games, Inc.), under which all future Blaster games would be released. Along with that change came another: the decision to revise the Blaster characters.

G.C. and Blaster admiring their new creation, MEL.

            Taking a cue from the various Junior games in the series, the Blasterpals were reduced to childhood age. C.G. (Jennifer Hale) kept the purple hair she eventually wound up with through design revisions, but her skin was changed from green to lavender and her suit to orange. Blasternaut became a human boy named Max Blaster (Dee Bradley Baker) from a futuristic planet Earth. While he retained his green space suit (which now gave him enhanced strength and the ability to fly), he was given a clear bubble helmet. Spot was replaced by a robotic dog the pair built named MEL (Mechanically Enhanced Lapdog, voiced by Michael Gough). From 1999-2006, the new Blasterpals would adorn all of the future Blaster packaging and star in several games of their own; however, the original Blasterpals would remain included in future re-releases of previous games.

Blaster and G.C. doing some futuristic skateboarding on Earth.

            To promote the new Blaster era, Nelvana was commissioned to produce an animated series starring the characters developed by Jamie Tatham and Dale Schott. Set in the year 2222, Blaster (Jonathan Wilson) was best friends with G.C. (Maryke Hendrikse), a princess from the planet Omega who teleported to Earth via the ring she wore daily to attend Earth school as she loved learning—in stark contrast to the more free-spirited Blaster. When she held her ring towards Blaster’s watch, it allowed Blaster to go to teleport with her and gain his green spacesuit. While other aliens were aware of Earthlings, it seemed as if Earth was unaware of aliens as G.C. tried to pass herself as an ordinary Earth girl. Together, they built MEL (Juan Chioran) who often aided them in their studies and adventures when not maintaining his cover as a common dog. And those adventures often saw them going up against villains (some directly from the games) who threaten the universe with their educational-themed crimes: the history-loving (and altering) Major History; the word-stealing Illitera; the mathematical fiend Number Cruncher; and mad scientist Dr. Dabble. Because the series was produced in Canada, a Canadian voice cast had to be used instead of the games’ already established cast. To combat these foes, the Blasterpals had to rely on their brains and various things they had learned, cementing the educational message of the show.

Illitera up to no good.

            Blaster’s Universe debuted on CBS on September 4, 1999, as part of the programming block CBS Kidshow that was programmed by Nelvana. It was written by Schott along with Hugh Duffy, Ben Joseph, Dave Dias, Kim Thompson and Ken Ross, with Duffy serving as story editor. Miki Baumgarten, PhD was retained as the educational consultant to ensure it met the educational requirements expected of children’s television at the time. Ray Parker and Tom Szczesniak composed the series’ music, while Grayson Matthews for Tantrum Productions did the theme. Hong Guang Animation (now Brilliant Pictures) handled the animation duties.

MEL, Blaster and G.C. learning they're about to be replaced.

            Blaster’s Universe only ran for a single season, airing on Teletoon in early 2000 shortly after its CBS run concluded. Reruns were sparse and home media non-existent. In 2013, Russian-dubbed episodes found their way to YouTube followed by several of the English versions. For a time, Bell Media offered the entire series for viewing in Canada with a paid subscription on their website.

The current Math Blaster, Blaster Prime.

            In 2006, the Blaster series got another revamp with yet another new Blasternaut. This time it was Blaster Prime (Scott Allen Katz), the newest member of the long-forgotten Blaster Corps and the only living being who remembers math in the universe. With the aid of an AI program named AIMEE (Karen Strassman), Prime was on a mission to restore math and free the galaxy from the powerful Cyclotron X (Kevin Delaney), a math-teaching program that became sentient. The new 2.5-D platforming series began with Master the Basics before jumping over to Nintendo DS with 2008’s In the Prime Adventure. Since 2013, the Blaster series has been relegated to mobile devices and a via a subscription on the official Math Blaster website. As for the Davidsons, after they left their company in the late 90s, they started up the Davidson Institute for Talent Development; a nonprofit that ensures the nation’s most gifted and talented kids are supported and nurtured so that they can develop their talents and make a positive difference.

 
 
EPISODE GUIDE:
“You’re History” (9/4/99) – Major History intends to rewrite history with himself as a central figure, forcing Blaster and G.C. to use history against him.
 
“A Bridge Too Weak” (9/11/99) – Nothing is as it seems as the Number Cruncher plans to spoil G.C.’s father’s ceremony to open a new bridge.
 
“Misplaced Weekend” (9/18/99) – Only Blaster seems to realize the weekend completely disappeared, and he intends to find out why.
 
“A Spot of Trouble” (9/25/99) – MEL’s dog act suddenly becomes real, bringing him to the attention of Omegan Dog Catcher Von Shtoopenscooper.
 
“Uncool Copycat” (10/2/99) – Artist Deja Vu decides to make life-sized copies of everything, but when he copies the Blasterpals and the Commander it almost leads to an intergalactic war.
 
“Mind Over Manners” (10/9/99) – Illitera eliminates politeness across the universe, which could end up leading to war unless the Blasterpals can get her to return it.
 
“Body Electric” (10/16/99) – Illitera decides to get revenge on a childhood of losing spelling bees to the Commander by shrinking down and manipulating him from the inside.
 
“Hero Today, Gone Tomorrow” (10/23/99) – When it comes to a choice between cleaning his room and chasing a pirate ship, Blaster chooses the ship.
 
“Sound Advice” (10/30/99) – G.C. can’t wait to see her favorite musician in concert, but The Maestro may have other plans.
 
“Math Schmath” (11/6/99) – Blaster and G.C. are tasked with tutoring their bully in math just as the Number Cruncher issues a challenge for the fate of the galaxy.
 
“Nowhere to Hide” (11/13/99) – When Blaster accidentally breaks a statue in the Omegan library, he decides to hide it and avoid trouble only to find that it’s been stolen.
 
“Gym Nausium” (11/20/99) – Blaster and G.C. get conscripted into a high stakes boat race, but their recent bout of laziness leaves them in little shape to compete.
 
“Buggin’ Out” (11/27/99) – Blaster’s fear of bugs is challenged when the Exterminator appears and threatens to re-release the dreaded Y2K bug.

KORG: 70,000 B.C.

 

KORG: 70,000 B.C.
(ABC, September 7-December 21, 1974)
 
Hanna-Barbera Productions
 
 

MAIN CAST:

Jim Malinda – Korg

Bill Ewing – Bok

Naomi Pollack – Mara

Christopher Man – Tane

Charles Morteo – Tor

Janelle Pransky – Ree

Burgess Meredith – Narrator

 

 

 

            Korg: 70,000 B.C. was one of three “serious” programs made for ABC by Hanna-Barbera, as well as one of the studio’s rare live-action efforts. Created by Fred Freiberger, the series was meant to be an educational dramatization of Neanderthal life based on what science currently knew at the time. The American Museum of Natural History and The Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History served as consultants.

The family: Mara, Ree, Tane, Korg, Bok and Tor.

            The Neanderthals in question were the family of the titular Korg (Jim Malinda), comprised of his mate, Mara (Naomi Pollack), his brother, Bok (Bill Ewing), and children Tane (Christopher Man), Tor (Charles Morteo) and Ree (Janelle Pransky). They were followed on their adventures foraging for food to survive, making sense of the world through their limited understanding, and dealing with other people they might encounter. Burgess Meredith provided occasional narration to set the scene and give an educational explanation into the characters’ thinking. Despite all the attempts at authenticity, the characters did speak regular English to each other for the audience’s benefit.

Home sweet cave.

            Korg: 70,000 B.C. debuted on ABC on September 7, 1974. The series was written by Freidberger, Willie Gilbert, Bernard M. Kahn, Maurice Tombragel, Oliver Crawford, Peter Dixon, David Dworski, Len Janson, Ian Martin, Chuck Menville, Dick Robbins and Henry Sharp, with Freidberger and Myles Wilder serving as consultants. Hoyt Curtin and Paul DeKorte composed the music with Pat Abbott, John Norin and Bob Westmoreland handling the special make-up and hair. Unfortunately, Korg fared as poorly in the ratings as the other “serious” shows, Devlin and These are the Days; especially in light of the fact that more action-oriented prehistoric fare debuted in the forms of Valley of the Dinosaurs and Land of the Lost. It was cancelled after its sole season, although it remained on the network schedule until August.

On the hunt.

            Two board games were released based on the show; one by Milton Bradley in the United States, and the other by John Sands Pty, ltd. in Australia. A ViewMaster reel set was released with stills from “The Picture Maker”. A tin lunchbox was released by Thermos depicting the family fighting off a wooly mammoth and fleeing a volcano in the distance. Charlton Comics published a 9-issue comic book series that ran from 1975-76. In 2012, Warner Archive released the complete series to DVD.

 

 

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Trapped” (9/7/74) – Ree and Tor must fend for themselves when the rest of the family ends up trapped in a cave because of an earthquake.
 
“The Blind Hunter” (9/14/74) – Tor is forced to lead a blind hunter that captured him back to his tribe.
 
“The Exile” (9/21/74) – Korg believes he’s cursed when he accidentally kills a woodpecker.
 
“The Running Fight” (9/28/74) – A snake bite causes Bok to hallucinate and believe his family are enemies.
 
“Bok Loses Courage” (10/5/74) – Korg devises a sneaky plan to restore Bok’s confidence in hunting after he’s wounded by a bear.
 
“The Hill People” (10/12/74) – When a neighboring tribe loses one of their hunters, Bok finds himself competing against the brother for his widow.
 
“The Eclipse of the Sun” (10/19/74) – Tane and Tor believe they angered the sun god when an eclipse happens after they enter a forbidden valley.
 
“The Big Water” (10/26/74) – Migrating for a new food source, Korg’s family discovers the ocean and Mara’s ankle becomes trapped as the tide begins to come in.
 
“The Beach People” (11/2/74) – A local tribe watches in amusement as Korg’s family struggles to survive in their new environment.
 
“The Web” (11/9/74) – A spider’s web gives Korg an idea on how to defeat the bear that trapped his family in a cave.
 
“The Picture Maker” (11/16/74) – Korg’s family meets a mute boy who communicates by drawing with pictures.
 
“The Ancient One” (11/23/74) – Korg, Bok and Tane meet a tired old man who waits in his own grave for death.
 
“The Story of Lumi” (11/30/74) – Korg’s family takes in a lost girl during a drought, but when her relatives arrive to retrieve her they also take Korg’s water supply.
 
“Tor’s First Hunt” (12/7/74) – Korg and Bok decide that Tor is now old enough to join them on the hunt.
 
“The River” (12/14/74) – Mara is afraid to cross a wide river with the rest of the family after two failed attempts.
 
“Ree and the Wolf” (12/21/74) – The family is uneasy about the wolf Ree frees and befriends.

HOT DOG

HOT DOG

(NBC, September 12-December 5, 1970)

Lee Mendelson-Frank Buxton Joint Film Productions

MAIN CAST:

Tom Smothers – Host (pilot)

Jonathan Winters – Host, various

Woody Allen – Host

Jo Anne Worley – Host

            In 1969, NBC commissioned several one-hour specials to serve as pilots for their next potential educational series. The winner was Hot Dog, whose pilot aired on March 28, 1970. Hot Dog was an edutainment documentary series created by Frank Buxton, inspired by his travels as a comedian and as a host of ABC’s Discovery. Hot Dog was described as a “program about stuff” and took a comedic look at explaining everyday things and/or how they were made (plywood, bicycles, baseballs, spaghetti, etc.), as well as answered kids’ questions about them.

            Hot Dog debuted on NBC on September 12, 1970. It was hosted by Jo Anne Worley, Woody Allen (before he became notable in film), and Jonathan Winters, who replaced Tom Smothers from the pilot. The three hosts each had their own particular style: Winters often humorously portrayed characters that were related to the topic being discussed; Allen gave bizarre responses; and Worley strove to give correct answers. But it was through a combination of their antics and creative editing, music and imaginative cinematography that the real answers would reveal themselves. Some of the footage included visits to various factories and kids being quizzed on the items in question.

            The series was co-produced by Lee Mendelson and featured a large number of editors including Bill Westwick, Chuck Barbee (also the director of photography), Gerald K. Wolf, Don Wiley, Pat Johnson, Bill Bishop, Sandy Nichols, Ben Maiden and Charlie Peterson. Ed Bogas and The Fillmore Coporation handled the music direction, and some music was provided by The Youngbloods. 70 topics were covered over the course of 13 episodes, with upwards of 5 being covered per episode.

Promo for Hot Dog.

The series was positively reviewed and lauded, winning a Peabody Award for “Best Children’s Series”. Unfortunately, it failed to draw in a suitable viewing audience. Mendelson blamed it on the time slot NBC put it in, which resulted in its being constantly preempted on the West Coast for baseball. Hot Dog continued to air in reruns until the fall of 1971, and was later syndicated during the 1977-78 season to coincide with Allen’s rising movie career. Individual topic segments were sold to schools on 16mm film and were used on the local Los Angeles children’s program, That’s Cat. A book based on the show was published in 1971 by Grosset & Dunlap and written by Jean Lewis. Before Buxton’s death in 2018, plans for a DVD release of the series was in the works, according to his website.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Unavailable.

WATCH MR. WIZARD / MR. WIZARD

WATCH MR. WIZARD / MR. WIZARD

(NBC, March 3, 1951-June 27, 1965, September 11, 1971-September 2, 1972)

National Broadcasting Company

MAIN CAST:

Don Herbert – Mr. Wizard

            Don Herbert was a science and English major from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse that had an interest in drama. After serving in World War II as a B-24 bomber pilot, Herbert joined Chicago radio station WMAQ where he acted in children’s programs such as the documentary series It’s Your Life, created by the Chicago Industrial Health Organization. During this time, Herbert got the idea of using the new medium of television to bring science to the masses. He pitched his idea and it was accepted by Chicago’s NBC station, WNBQ (now WMAQ-TV).

Don Herbert with one of his books looking on at an experiment.

            Watch Mr. Wizard debuted on March 3, 1951. Filmed live, the series starred Herbert as Mr. Wizard, a science hobbyist, who would show either a little boy or girl a science experiment. To hook the audience, Herbert would show the results of the experiment, then proceed to explain how it was done and the science behind it. The experiments seemed extremely complicated at first, but ended up being simple and easily re-created by viewers at home. In fact, to keep the show accessible, Herbert refused to don a lab coat and performed his experiments in a garage or kitchen-like setting with everyday household items (which also helped stretch the practically non-existent budget).

Mr. Wizard demonstrating an experiment to one of his young female assistants.

The series proved a hit, drawing in millions of viewers.  It was broadcast live by 14 stations by 1954, and an additional 77 stations aired the show via kinescope recordings. It also netted a Peabody Award and three Thomas Alva Edison National Mass Media Awards. By 1956, over 5,000 Mr. Wizard science clubs were created with an estimated membership of more than 100,000 people (that number increased to 50,000 clubs within the next decade). Teachers had also begun incorporating the experiments from the show into their lesson plans. Initially, the show was sponsored by The Cereal Institute until 1955. NBC took over financing by classifying it as a public affairs program from its news division. The series also moved production from Chicago to New York. 

Science!

After 547 episodes, NBC cancelled the series in 1965; feeling that it had run its course and audiences weren’t tuning in to be educated. However, Herbert wasn’t done with edutainment yet. He produced an 8-film series called Experiment: The Story of a Scientific Search that aired on public television through grants from the National Science Foundation and the Arthur P. Sloan Foundation, as well as Science 20, which were 20-minute films of experiments designed for use in classrooms. In 1968, Herbert formed Mr. Wizard Enterprises, Inc. to raise money for production and distribution of his classroom films. He also penned numerous articles and opened a Mr. Wizard Science Center in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

After five years off the air, NBC decided to produce a revival of the series. Production was done in Ottawa, Canada and in color for the first time. Renamed simply Mr. Wizard, the revival debuted on September 11, 1971 and ran for a single season of 26 episodes. Additionally, Herbert produced 50 Mr. Wizard Close-Ups which were 30-second spots that would also air on NBC Saturday mornings, and later on ABC-affiliated stations. The Close-Ups would receive a nomination for “Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children’s Programming” from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Herbert continued producing educational content, including one last revival of Mr. Wizard as Mr. Wizard’s World on the then-fledgling Nickelodeon network in 1983.

Behind the scenes photo during Mr. Wizard's NBC tenure.

Herbert is often credited with inspiring scientific interest and curiosity within generations of children, with some of them going on to careers in science themselves. Further, Herbert’s legacy continues to be recognized in pop culture: such as having the penguin puppets named after him on similar science program Beakman’s World, a mention of his program in the “Weird Al” Yankovic song “Cable TV”, and most recently as the inspiration for the Professor Proton character played by Bob Newhart on The Big Bang Theory. 

Later edition of one of Herbert's books.

During his career, Herbert had published several books expanding on the science he taught about, including Mr. Wizard’s Science Secrets from Popular Mechanics (which also came with a science kit), Mr. Wizard’s Experiments for Young Scientists from Doubleday, Mr. Wizard’s 400 Experiments in Science from Book-Lab, Inc., and Mr. Wizard’s Supermarket Science from Random House. In 1952, a Mr. Wizard home science kit was released in stores and later reissued in 1999. Before his death in 2007, Herbert personally curated a selection of episodes from his various runs for release on DVD through his Mr. Wizard Studios. 32 episodes from the original run were released across 8 volumes either individually or as a set. Additionally, two coffee mugs featuring the logos from his first and last series were offered.

EPISODE GUIDE:

N/A

PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE

PEE-WEE’S PLAYHOUSE

(CBS, September 13, 1986-November 10, 1990)

Pee-wee Pictures, Broadcast Arts Productions (season 1), Binder Entertainment (season 2-3), BRB Productions (season 2 reruns), Grosso-Jacobson Productions (season 3-5)

MAIN CAST:

Paul Reubens – Pee-wee Herman, Billy Baloney

Laurence Fishburne – Cowboy Curtis

Phil Hartman – Captain Carl (season 1)

Lynne Marie Stewart – Miss Yvonne, Yvona

S. Epatha Merkerson – Reba the Mail Lady

Gilbert Lewis (season 1) & William H. Marshall (season 2-5) – The King of Cartoons

Roland Rodriguez – Tito (season 1)

Vic Trevino – Ricardo (season 2-5)

Alison Mork – Chairry, Magic Screen, Chicky Baby, Light Blue Dinosaur, Chandelier

John Paragon – Jambi, Pterri (season 1 & 3-5)

George McGrath – Globey, Dog Chair, Red Dinosaur, Flowers, Yellow Fish, Cowntess, Zyzzybalubah, Pterri (season 2)

Ric Heitzman – Mr. Window, Cool Cat, Blue Dinosaur, Flowers, Purple Fish, Salesman, Execise Belt

Kevin Carlson – Clockey, Pink Dinosaur, Floory, Conky 2000 (season 2-5), Knucklehead (season 2)

Gregory Harrison – Conky 2000, Knucklehead (both season 1)

Wayne White – Dirty Dog, Mr. Kite, Randy, Flowers

Avriel Hillman – Penny

Johann Carlo – Dixie (season 1)

            Comedian Paul Reubens joined the Los Angeles improvisational team The Groundlings in the 1970s. In 1977, The Groundlings staged a performance where their members would portray characters one might encounter in a comedy club. Reubens decided to use his weakness of being unable to remember punchlines or tell comedic stories in sequence to depict the one guy everyone knew would never make it as a stand-up comedian. That character would begin the slow evolution towards becoming Pee-wee Herman.

Pee-wee Herman.

            Pee-wee, named after a Pee-weiny herman brand miniature harmonica and an energetic boy Reubens grew up with, was a fun-loving child-like man with effeminate mannerisms and quirky facial expressions. Herman’s traditional outfit consisted of a gray glen plaid suit that was first borrowed from Groundlings director Gary Austin and a red bow tie given to him by an acquaintance. The refined costume and his persona were closely modeled after 1950s children’s television host Pinky Lee. Reubens also added short black hair, pale skin, red rouge and red lipstick to round out the appearance. Amongst Herman’s signatures were his distinctive laugh and chuckle, and his go-to comeback “I know you are, but what am I?”

Pee-wee with Cheech Marin.

            In 1980, Pee-wee made his national debut in a cameo role in Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie. That same year, Reubens auditioned for the upcoming season of Saturday Night Live, the first of the five infamous years without showrunner Lorne Michaels that almost ended the show, but lost out to Gilbert Gottfried. Fearing his career was over, Reubens made one last ditch effort at success by bringing Pee-wee to the stage. With $3,000 of funds partially contributed by his parents, 60 people and his fellow Groundling and friend Phil Hartman (who would go on to become part of SNL himself), Reubens created the show with Dawna Kaufmann.

            Debuting at the Groundlings theater in 1981 before moving to the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, The Pee-wee Herman Show centered around Pee-wee hanging out with his friends in his Puppetland playhouse in an homage to low-budget 1950s kiddie shows. Pee-wee really wanted to fly after genie-in-a-box Jambi (fellow Groundling John Paragon) grants him a wish, but Pee-wee decided to give that wish to Miss Yvonne (Lynne Marie Stewart), “the most beautiful woman in Puppetland”, so that she could make gruff-yet-shy sea captain Carl (Hartman) like her. HBO recorded one of the performances and released it as a special later that year, while Fatima Recordz released the cast recording on a 12” vinyl record. While the show was successful in its own right, Reubens often credited his character’s popularity to his appearances on Late Night with David Letterman beginning in 1982.

            Warner Bros. took notice and brought Reubens in to write a script for a full-length Pee-wee movie. Reubens initially planned to do a remake of Pollyanna, his favorite film, but changed his mind when Warner Bros. gave him a bike to get around the studio backlot at his request. Reubens became inspired and rewrote the film to become a loose adaptation of The Bicycle Thief; dealing with Pee-wee’s love of his bike and the lengths he’d go to to retrieve it when it ends up stolen. He and the producers fell in love with the work of Tim Burton, particularly Vincent and Frankenweenie, and hired him to direct the film. The script was reworked between him, Reubens, Hartman and Michael Varhol to become Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. The film opened in 1985 and became a financial success, launching the career of Burton and making Pee-wee a household name. That year, Reubens finally made it to SNL--hosting an episode as Pee-wee.

Pee-wee in his scooter helmet with Pterri and the outside of the Playhouse.

            After the film’s success, CBS approached Reubens about turning Pee-wee into a cartoon for their Saturday morning line-up. Reubens, however, wanted to honor the children’s programs of his youth that mixed live-action with cartoons—Mickey Mouse Club, Howdy Doody, Captain Kangaroo—and pushed to become the host of his own live-action program in a similar vein. CBS relented and production began on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, which would be similar to The Pee-wee Herman Show with content toned down for a younger audience and Pee-wee becoming the best role model for children possible. Reubens was given full creative control (although they would request some changes down the line) and an initial budget of $325,000 per episode.

Pee-wee with Reba and Cowboy Curtis.

            Reubens assembled most of his supporting cast from The Pee-wee Herman Show and the Groundlings. Hartman, Stewart and Paragon returned to their respective roles, with Paragon serving as a regular writer with Reubens, Varhol, George McGrath and Max Robert. Joining the live actors were a pre-movie star Laurence Fishburne as 1950s-esque Cowboy Curtis and a pre-Law & Order S. Epatha Merkerson as the sassy mail lady Reba. The Playhouse set was designed by a troupe of artists including Wayne White, Gary Panter, Craig Bartlett, Richard Goleszowski, Gregory Harrison, Ric Heitzman and Phil Trumbo in a converted New York loft on Broadway. The Playhouse was a psychedelic blend of art styles and motifs and filled with talking objects, furniture and fixtures, as well as some non-flesh and blood characters.

Dixie introduces the King of Cartoons.

            Amongst the regular supporting cast was the talking armchair Chairry; Magic Screen, which could show films and allow Pee-wee to jump in to interact with the fantasy land inside her (both Alison Mork); Pterri (Paragon and McGrath), a green Pteranodon who was afraid of thunderstorms; Conky 2000 (Gregory Harrison and Kevin Carlson), a robot made from various old electronics; bullying marionette Randy (Wayne White), who liked to cause trouble around the Playhouse; Cowntess (McGrath), a talking cow with an elegant accent; the King of Cartoons (Gilbert Lewis and William H. Marshall) who would introduce the episode’s cartoon; Mr. Window (Heitzman), who announced visitors to the Playhouse; Clockey (Carlson), a clock shaped as a map of the United States who could sometimes manipulate time; and Globey (McGrath), a globe with a French accent who helped teach Pee-wee about geography. There was also a jazz-playing and rhyming puppet band comprised of Dirty Dog (White), Cool Cat (Heitzman) and Chicky Baby (Mork); the weather-reporting Mr. Kite (White); the Claymation Dinosaur Family; Pee-wee’s flowers and fish; and Knucklehead (Harrison and Carlson), a large fist with googly eyes and lipstick that told bad knock-knock jokes.

            Pee-wee’s Playhouse began on September 13, 1986 with a theme song composed by Mark Mothersbaugh. Reubens’ friend Cyndi Lauper performed the opening theme doing an impersonation of Betty Boop. She was credited as “Ellen Shaw” since she felt the public couldn’t accept her doing something silly at the same time as her releasing her serious-toned album True Colors. Just before the theme played a prelude showing Pee-wee entering the Playhouse set to an interpretation of Les Baxter’s “Quiet Village”. Other composers for the series included The Residents, Todd Rundgren, Danny Elfman, Mitchell Froom, Van Dyke Parks, George S. Clinton, Dweezil Zappa and Scott Thunes (as Scott Tunis). Mothersbaugh also contributed music throughout episodes, once stating that he would be sent an episode to score and return it within four days before it went to air.

"Wish? Did someone say 'wish'?"

            Each episode consisted of several recurring gags. At the start of each episode, Conky would tell the audience the day’s “secret word” and that everyone should scream loudly upon hearing it. Naturally, the word would be said several times including when Pee-wee departed the Playhouse at the end of the episode. Jambi would also grant Pee-wee a wish per episode with the words “Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho”, though they would never turn out exactly as Pee-wee planned. Dixie the cab driver (Johann Carlo) would introduce the King of Cartoons, who would then play all or part of a public domain cartoon from the Golden Age of Cartoons. Several segments featured Claymation, including shorts starring Penny (Avriel Hillman), a little girl with American pennies for eyes, and the Dinosaur Family, as well as the intro prelude. Some of the Claymation was rendered by Goleszowski and Nick Park, the creators of Wallace & Gromit.  Episodes would end with Pee-wee launching himself and his scooter out of the Playhouse and riding along footage of various roads and highways as the credits played. Both Penny and Pee-wee would appear in PSA commercials.

Cooking with Miss Yvonne.

            The show didn’t talk down to children and had enough adult-oriented jokes for parents that the series became a hit with all audiences. As a result, it was easily renewed by the network. For the second season, the show moved production to Los Angeles; receiving a larger set and new designs for the puppets. Several cast members changed as well: Captain Carl was retired when Hartman stayed in New York for SNL; William H. Marshall replaced Gilbert Lewis as the King of Cartoons; the recurring character of lifeguard Tito (Roland Rodriguez) was replaced by coach Ricardo (Vic Trevino); and Carlson took over Harrison’s roles. After the second season, the recurring characters of The Playhouse Gang, a group of children who visited Pee-wee, were removed.

Pee-wee shares the word of the day with Cher.

            In 1987, Reubens was approached to make another Pee-wee movie by Paramount Pictures. Production on Big Top Pee-wee, coupled with the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike, resulted in the third season being comprised of only two episodes and a primetime Christmas special. The special featured a collection of celebrity guest-stars, including Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, Grace Jones, k.d. lang, Dinah Shore, Little Richard, Cher, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Joan Rivers, Magic Johnson and Charo. Other celebrities who have appeared during the regular show included a mixture of unknowns (at the time) and established talent, such as Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Bernhard, Jimmy Smits, Bernard Fox and Calvert DeForest. Behind the camera, some of the crew would also go on to have prominent careers: in particular a production assistant named Robert Cummings (or maybe you know him as Rob Zombie) and security guard John Singleton.

The Playhouse with Chairry, Clockey, Dog Chair, Mr. Window, and Magic Screen.

            Reubens and CBS mutually agreed to end the show after the fifth season due to Reubens feeling burnt out from all the work involved and wanting to pursue other projects. The fourth and fifth seasons were filmed back-to-back without the usual break in between and the series officially ended on November 10, 1990. During the show’s run, it was nominated for 22 Emmy Awards and won 11 of them. Pee-wee also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. CBS kept the show going in reruns and planned to do so until the fall, but Reubens’ arrest for indecent exposure in July of 1991 caused them to pull the show shortly after as did Toys ‘R Us with any Playhouse merchandise. Many of Reubens’ friends, co-stars and fans came out in support of the star and protested CBS’ cancellation of the planned reruns. Pee-wee would make two final post-arrest appearances at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards and a 1992 Grand Ole Opry tribute to Minnie Pearl.

            As the 90s went on, Reubens came out of his self-imposed exile and took various on-camera and voice-over jobs. It wouldn’t be until 2007 that Pee-wee would return to television on Spike TV’s 2007 Guys’ Choice Awards. Pee-wee began making the rounds on the talk show circuit, starring in shorts and even appearing on WWE Raw leading up to the revival of The Pee-wee Herman Show. The stage show featured most of the same cast and crew as the original production, with the notable exception of Cowboy Curtis replacing Captain Carl and being played by Phil LaMarr. As far back as 1999 during promotion for Mystery Men, Reubens announced plans for a third Pee-wee movie. After two different ideas, Reubens settled on a story set in the real world similar to the 1980s films and released Pee-wee’s Big Holiday on Netflix in 2016.

            During the show’s run, a wave of merchandise filled the store shelves featuring the title and characters. Amongst them were a line of action figures and a fold-out Playhouse playset by Matchbox, lunchboxes, dolls, bed sheets, party favors, trading cards, watches and other knickknacks. From 1988 to 1990, Hi-Tops Video released 13 episodes to home video, along with the Christmas special and two collections containing several episodes. Hi-Tops also released two-episode collections and the special to laserdisc. In 1996, MGM/UA Home Video released 16 two-episode volumes to VHS, along with the special on both VHS and on laserdisc. In 2004, Image Entertainment released the entire series on two DVD volumes and the special on a separate DVD. In 2010, the special was combined with the two volumes and released as The Complete Collection. In 2014, Shout! Factory released The Complete Series to remastered Blu-ray, as well as re-released remastered versions of Image’s previous DVDs. In 2011, for the show’s 25^th anniversary, ECW Press published Inside Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Culture Phenomenon by Caseen Gaines.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Ice Cream Soup” (9/13/86) – Captain Carl ends up lost on the way to some fun in the pool, and Pee-wee makes the gang some ice cream soup when the rain spoils their fun.

Cartoon: Fresh Vegetable Mystery

“Luau for Two” (9/20/86) – Pee-wee wins a dinner for two and he can’t decide who to take.

Cartoon: Ants in the Pants

“Rainy Day” (9/27/86) – A rainy day has Pee-wee bored inside until Randy talks him into prank calling strangers.

Cartoon: Summertime

“Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” (10/4/86) – Pee-wee impresses the gang with his ability to make himself disappear, but finds he can’t make himself reappear.

Cartoon: Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!

“Just Another Day” (10/11/86) – Cowboy Curtis and Pee-wee show each other how to do routines in their respective lives.

Cartoon: Old Mother Hubbard

“Beauty Makeover” (10/18/86) – Mrs. Steve becomes the unwitting target of Miss Yvonne’s desire to give someone a makeover.

Cartoon: The Three Bears

“The Restaurant” (10/25/86) – Pee-wee makes believe he runs a restaurant that only serves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches while Dixie has a bad day.

Cartoon: Molly Moo-Cow and the Butterflies

“Ants in your Pants” (11/1/86) – The ants escape and trample all over everyone on their way to steal cake from the Dinosaur Family’s home.

Cartoon: Flip the Frog: Puddle Pranks

“Monster in the Playhouse” (11/8/86) – A giant, one-eyed monster arrives at the Playhouse.

Cartoon: Jack Frost

“The Cowboy and the Cowntess” (11/15/86) – Cowntess attempts to help Cowboy Curtis overcome his jitters about his pending date with Miss Yvonne.

Cartoon: Mary’s Little Lamb

“Stolen Apples” (11/22/86) – Randy steals Mrs. Steve’s apples and she asks Pee-wee to help her find them.

Cartoon: Somewhere in Dreamland

“The Gang’s All Here” (11/29/86) – Pee-wee invites everyone over to sketch him, and after he gets stuck in a mouse hole Jambi shrinks his head to help him escape.

Cartoon: Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!

“Party!” (12/6/86) – Pee-wee throws a party at the Playhouse and everyone’s invited.

Cartoon:  Bunny Mooning

Season 2:

“Open House” (9/12/87) – Pee-wee tricks his friends into doing all his chores and they make new friends in the process.

Cartoon: Philips Broadcast of 1938

“Puppy in the Playhouse” (9/19/87) – Cowntess shows off some video from her world cruise while a puppy finds its way to the Playhouse, causing Pee-wee to fall in love with the lost dog.

Cartoon: To Spring

“Store” (9/26/87) – After Pee-wee and Cowboy Curtis have an adventure in Magic Screen, Curtis and Miss Yvonne go shopping at Pee-wee’s “department store.”

Cartoon: Making ‘em Move

“Pee-wee Catches a Cold” (10/3/87) – Miss Yvonne and Ricardo take care of a sick Pee-wee.

Cartoon: The Sunshine Makers

“Why Wasn’t I Invited?” (10/10/87) – Pee-wee’s flowers are unhappy with an uninvited caterpillar and the Cowntess doesn’t invite Pee-wee to her birthday party.

Cartoon: Piano Tooners

“Tons of Fun” (10/17/87) – A day of singing to old records is capped off by the choice between two desserts.

Cartoon: Philips Broadcast of 1938

“School” (10/24/87) – Pee-wee turns the Playhouse into a school and educates his friends.

Cartoon: Pagan Moon

“Spring” (10/31/87) – It’s spring time: Pee-wee plants a seed and doesn’t make the baseball team, while The King of Cartoons introduces his family.

Cartoon: Svatba v koralovem mori

“Playhouse in Outer Space” (11/7/87) – The Playhouse is abducted into space and taken over by a lonely alien.

Cartoon: Ship of the Ether

“Pajama Party” (11/14/87) – Pee-wee and Miss Yvonne hold a pajama party and Pee-wee marries fruit salad since he loves it so much.

Cartoon: Musical Memories

Season 3:

“Reba Eats and Pterri Runs” (9/10/88) – Pee-wee has Jambi summon Reba on her day off so he can mail a letter, and Pterri runs away after Pee-wee punishes him.

Cartoon: Farm Foolery

“To Tell the Tooth” (9/17/88) – Pee-wee’s toothache means he needs to face his greatest fear: the dentist.

Cartoon: Christmas Comes But Once a Year

“Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special” (12/21/88) – Pee-wee’s star-studded Christmas party gets a damper when Santa tells him he must shorten his list or other kids won’t get presents.

Cartoon: An Elephant Never Forgets

Season 4:

“Dr. Pee-wee and the Del Rubios” (9/9/89) – Pee-wee plays doctor for a sick Reba and the Del Rubio Triplets stop by for a visit.

Cartoon: Hunky and Spunky

“Fire in the Playhouse” (9/16/89) – Randy decides to burn Miss Yvonne’s baked bread, leading her to develop a crush on Fireman Frank when he arrives to talk about fire safety.

Cartoon: The Stork Market

“Love That Story” (9/23/89) – The Playhouse gang tell each other their favorite stories.

Cartoon: Spring Song

“Sick, Did Someone Say Sick?” (9/30/89) – When Jambi gets sick Pee-wee calls in a genie-ologist whose bedside manner is lacking.

Cartoon: To Spring

“Miss Yvonne’s Visit” (10/7/89) – Pee-wee invites Miss Yvonne to stay with him while her house is painted and finds she’s a pain as a houseguest.

“Rebarella” (10/14/89) – The Playhouse crew pretend to take a trip around the world, and later Pee-wee and Miss Yvonne chaperone Reba’s date.

Cartoon: The Kids in the Shoe

“Heat Wave” (10/21/89) – Pee-wee presides as the judge over the case of Miss Yvonne and Mrs. Rene’s same one-of-a-kind dress.

Cartoon: The Song of the Birds

“Chairry-Tee Drive” (10/28/89) – Searching for the Cowntess’ pencil sharpener leads Pee-wee and the gang to assemble items they don’t need any more to donate to charity.

Cartoon: In A Cartoon Studio

“Let’s Play Office” (11/4/89) – Pee-wee and Miss Yvonne play office, but when it’s time for Yvonne to be the boss Pee-wee goes on break.

Cartoon: Little Lambkins

“I Remember Curtis” (11/11/89) – Finding Cowboy Curtis’ magic lasso leads the gang to remember all the fun they’ve had with him.

Season 5:

“Conky’s Breakdown” (9/8/90) – Conky breaks down and Pee-wee calls in a repairman, but Miss Yvonne’s crush on him may keep him from finishing fixing Conky.

Cartoon: One More Time

“Mystery” (9/15/90) – Pee-wee’s stuff begins mysterious disappearing around the Playhouse.

Cartoon: Farm Frolics

“Front Page Pee-wee” (9/22/90) – Pee-wee publishes a Playhouse newspaper, but Randy messes around with it after Pee-wee goes to bed.

Cartoon: The Little Red Hen

“Tango Time” (9/29/90) – While Mrs. Rene learns how to tango Cowboy Curtis recalls his first and last time using roller skates.

Cartoon: Freddy the Freshman, Humpty Dumpty

“Playhouse Day” (10/6/90) – Pee-wee creates a new holiday so that his friends can get time off of work to hang out.

Cartoon: Fin ‘n’ Catty

“Accidental Playhouse” (10/13/90) – Oki Doki visits from Japan and teaches Pee-wee about his culture.

Cartoon: Sinkin’ in the Bathtub

“Fun, Fun, Fun” (10/20/90) – Miss Yvonne teaches the gang how to make cheese balls.

Cartoon: Freddy the Freshman

“Camping Out” (10/27/90) – Pee-wee and Cowboy Curtis go camping, leaving Mrs. Rene in charge of the Playhouse.

Cartoon: Allegretto, Balloon Land

“Something to Do” (11/3/90) – Jambi gives Pee-wee a list of things to do on a boring day.

“Playhouse for Sale” (11/10/90) – Miss Yvonne is surprised when she visits the Playhouse and finds a “for sale” sign on it.