Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special (1988)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

You've gotta hand it to a holiday special from the late '80s to make all this stale Christmas material fun again; one that at least gives it just that weird spin to freshen things up. "Christmas at Pee Wee's Playhouse" packs in the guest stars, musical numbers and unwanted fruitcakes - it's got duds, sure, the Del Rubio sisters and KD Lang don't really fit. But get a look at Pee Wee in his (awesome) snow suit. My kid lives to see him spaz it up (we both kinda bond over this), and that alone makes this a fun special.The damn thing even comes with a message, and it's one that doesn't ruin the fun. Nice job.7/10

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 1/2 miles long, teaches Little Richard how to ice skate, goes for a sleigh ride with Magic Johnson, commands Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello to make 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! I understand some people may find Pee-wee annoying, and if that is the case, there is not much you are going to like about this. But if you like him, you will love this Christmas special. A crazy amount of guests, many who are abruptly cut off (which I find hilarious)... and even a little bit of that subversive humor sneaking in.It is still hard to believe all the people who got heir start off of Pee-wee Herman. Even just in this special, we see Laurence Fishbourne in his silly Cowboy Curtis persona which he probably would not do anymore.

Ever wondered what Pee-wee Herman does for Christmas? Wonder no more, thanks to this special Christmas Special. Pee-wee's got himself an all- star cast, as well as some famous people you might know, to help make the season bright. It begins with Pee-wee making out his list for Santa Claus. It ends up running a couple of miles long, and apparently this is one of TWO Christmas lists he's made, because later he tells Reba the Mail Lady to add this one to his other one. Miss Yvonne stops by, showing off a Christmasy dress and hair 'do, complete with a hanging sprig of mistletoe. She gives Pee-wee a gift, the ol' fruitcake. No, I'm not calling HIM a fruitcake. That's what she actually gave him. In return, he gives Miss Yvonne his own special brand of perfume. After that, Whoopi Goldberg calls to see if she can be on the Christmas special, but Pee-wee informs her that he's booked solid for the next two years, but suggests she try again then. Oh, the irony. Then it's virtual fun with the Magic Screen, featuring her cousin, Magic Johnson. When Pee-wee gets back, he realizes he doesn't have any decorations for the playhouse. He wishes for some from Jambi and requests an extra wish for later. Jambi reluctantly grants his request and first wish. Now the Playhouse looks mighty festive. Reba stops by so Pee-wee can give her his second list for Santa, as well as her present: press-on toenails. Reba gives him a fruitcake, as well as a giant crate originally meant for the White House. Inside it is Grace Jones, who sings a swinging rendition of The Little Drummer Boy. Pee-wee next commissions Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello to make him 1,000 Christmas cards. My, but Pee-wee has suddenly become quite the slavedriver. Then, Cher stops by to find out the secret word, which is "year", and then His Royal Majesty, the King of Cartoons visits to play for us a cartoon. From 1936, "Christmas Comes But Once a Year." Grampy, that lovable old Mr. fix-it stops by an orphanage where a group of sad children are stuck playing with broken toys for Christmas. Grampy quickly sets to right that wrong by making new toys out of household objects! So after Billy Baloney tries unsuccessfully to hijack the special, it starts to snow! Pee-wee goes outside to play. Cowboy Curtis stops by and he and Pee-wee build a snowman, then Pee-wee's ice skating double helps Little Richard on the ice. Back inside, an obviously drunk k.d. lang sings Jingle Bell Rock. I'm not trying to be mean, just look at her. Probably had a few too many glasses of egg nog before her song. And by the way, both King and Curtis give Pee-wee fruitcakes too. Then Dinah Shore calls up and sings the 5,000 Days of Christmas, so Pee-wee ducks out of the call just in time for a visit from Ricardo, who brings him a fruitcake and a Pinata. Charo sings Feliz Navidad as Pee-wee busts that sucker open. Man, what more could one ask for in a Christmas special? Songs, cartoons, guest stars, and I know what some people are thinking: some people don't celebrate Christmas. Why focus on just one denomination? Well for those who feel that way, Mrs. Renae visits Pee- wee and gives him 8 fruitcakes, because she's Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah. So for all the Hebrews in the audience, they give a little tribute to the Festival of Lights with a Dreidel song. So as night falls upon the Playhouse, Pee-wee and the gang eagerly await the arrival of jolly ol' Saint Nick. It's then that Pee- wee reveals what he's doing with all the fruitcakes his fans give him-- as somebody just flat out asks him--he's building a Fruitcake Room, made out of fruitcakes. How sweet. The gang pitches in to teach Randy the true meaning of Christmas by reminding him of the birth of Jesus Christ in the manger on that silent night many centuries ago... and now Santa Claus shows up in the Playhouse. Pee-wee presents him a mountain of cookies and asks about his gifts. Santa informs him that because his list was so big, he didn't have enough gifts for all the other children of the world. Great preparation there, Santa. So he requests Pee-wee give up ALL of them...yes, ALL of them...and in return, Santa invites him to help deliver them around the world. Pee-wee gets a heavy dose of Christmas spirit, remembering what he earlier said about what we can do for others, and agrees to Santa's offer. He bids all his friends a Merry Christmas and takes off with Santa in his sleigh.A very fun Christmas special, both for kids and adults. In fact, I think this special in particular may have been more aimed at the adults in the audience, as they're the only ones who will recognize the guest stars and some of the humor I think the adults would find funnier. And by adult humor, I don't mean anything dirty. I mean those types of jokes that family shows USED to have: the kids would mildly chuckle while their parents laugh themselves silly. Namely the fruitcake running gag. Of course, kids will really enjoy this special too. Plus, I think this special does its job very well. It includes a short mention of Hanukkah and it also mentions the true meaning of Christmas. It doesn't leave anything out, it's not JUST Santa Claus. I don't believe he would make Pee-wee give up ALL his gifts. I think he was just testing him, and probably at the end of the night, he gave Pee-wee a choice of ANY *one* gift he wanted. Anyway, if you grew up with Pee-wee and you saw this special once before, see it again. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Aaahh!

This is the best christmas special I have ever seen on TV and on VHS! This christmas has handful of special guest stars who are really great people. Pee-wee was hilarious and all the other characters in the playhouse were also funny. Pee-wee Herman is the funniest guy in the world and I wish he could come back and make brand new Pee-wee movies and bring back Pee-wee's Playhouse on the air again.