Sitcom: Pee-wee’s Playhouse (I know, it’s not technically a sitcom; but my obsessive blogging, my rules.)
Episode: Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special
Year: 1988
Story line: Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello join Pee-wee to celebrate Christmas.
Details: This hour-long special has it all, including awesome cameos from Grace Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, Magic Johnson, Joan Rivers, Cher, Little Richard, k.d. lang, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Dinah Shore and Santa. The secret word is “Year.” The animation is amazingly cool. And the Pee-wee induced antics are hilarious. This is what Christmas is all about.
Killer quote:
“You’re the best Santa there is,” Pee-wee tells Claus.
“I know you are, but what am I?,” Santa responds without missing a beat. Nice.
Killer quote II: “Meka Leka Hi Meka Hiney Ho. Meka Leka Hi Meka Ho Ho Ho.” Jambi the Genie, riffing on his usual chant to reflect the holidays.
Killer quote III: “This was supposed to go to the White House, not the Playhouse.” Reba the letter carrier, who notices the box containing Grace Jones was delivered to the wrong address. Grace jumps out anyway and sings a bizarre version of the Little Drummer Boy for Pee-wee and friends.
Ebenezer alert: Randy the red-headed bully, of course. He spends much of the special dissing Christmas. But a special Ebenezer shout-out also goes to Pee-wee, who forces poor Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello to create and mail hundreds of Christmas cards, turning the Playhouse into a Christmas sweatshop. He also plays a cruel trick on poor Dinah Shore as she sings the 12 Days of Christmas via videophone.
Childhood memory: Well, this is more of a 20-something memory, but I vividly recall rushing to get the Albuquerque Tribune typeset so my friend Juliette Torrez and I could sneak into the conference room on Saturday mornings to watch Pee-wee’s Playhouse between editions. No specific recollection of this special, but if I missed it the first time around, I’m glad Tivo gave me this second chance. I still laugh out loud every time I watch Pee-wee.