Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his two television series and film series during the 1980s. The child-like Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that quickly led to an HBO special in 1981. As the stage performance gained further popularity, Reubens took the character to motion picture with Pee-wee's Big Adventure in 1985, toning down the adult innuendo for the appeal of children. This paved the way for Pee-wee's Playhouse, an Emmy Award winning children's series that ran on CBS from 1986-1991. Another film, Big Top Pee-wee, was also released in 1988.

Reubens' arrest on July 26, 1991 caused a media frenzy over the actor and his Pee-wee Herman character. Reubens, who had begun to tire of the character, used the media attention to shelve his alter ego during the 1990s until his gradual resurrection the following decade. It was during this time that Reubens addressed plans to write a new Pee-wee film, Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Movie, which was greenlit in summer of 2006. In June 2007, Reubens appeared as the Pee-wee Herman character for the first time since 1991 at Spike TV's Guys' Choice Awards. Guy's Choice Awards - Clips - Pee Wee Returns! - SPIKE Powered By IFILM

Origin

In the 1970s, Reubens joined the Los Angeles-based improvisational comedy team The Groundlings and remained a member for six years, working with Bob McClurg, John Paragon, Susan Barnes, and Phil Hartman. Hartman and Reubens became friends, often writing and working on material together. Reubens wrote sketches and developed his improvisational skills. He also forged a significant friendship and working relationship with Hartman, with whom he developed the Pee-wee Herman character.