Inspirado: Pee Wee's Playhouse

Oh, Pee Wee. I was a child of the 80’s and as such I LOVED Pee Wee’s Playhouse. I remember a few specific things about it, #1: how much it annoyed my parents and #2: that I had honest to God nightmares for many, many years over the big headed salesman. The one who would knock on the door and talk really fast and everybody in the playhouse would scream. That puppet tormented my childhood imagination for years!  

I sat down and watched a bunch of Pee Wee’s Playhouse when I started forming ideas for Seas Of Science. I realized watching it that it was (and is) a really sound children’s television show. There are life lessons like sharing, being nice to people, standing up to bullies, and the episode I love where the playhouse gang makes friends with that scary one eyed monster.  I was cracking up over the snack time segments (parfait!) and of course the word of the day.

Something else that caught my attention was that although it's Pee Wee's Playhouse, it isn’t necessarily about Pee Wee all the time. It’s about his friends too. I think in some subtle way that instilled in me the importance of inviting your friends to participate in all the fun you're having.

Visually, Pee Wee’s Playhouse is delightful. My favorite segments are the clay animation toys and the puppet band. The attention to detail in the set and puppet design are especially impressive. Friends of mine who went to art school know much more about the history and the artists behind the show, I’m not very knowledgeable in that arena. But I will say that the feel of the show, the charm, and the look of Pee Wee’s Playhouse are all inspiring to me. I’m definitely keeping in mind all those aspects while shaping SOS.

And because it is so great, here's a clip of the show's theme song. Sorry, Mom and Dad.