Pee-wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special (1988) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language

1988 · 49 mins · English

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Directed by

Wayne Orr

Starring

S. Epatha Merkerson, Grace Jones, Laurence Fishburne, Cher, Oprah Winfrey, Dinah Shore

Pee‑wee Herman and his Playhouse friends celebrate Christmas with over‑the‑top antics. He writes a 1.5‑mile list for Santa, teaches Little Richard to ice‑skate, rides a sleigh with Magic Johnson, gets Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello to cut Christmas cards, fields a long call from Dinah Shore and shares musical numbers with k.d. lang, the Del Rubio Triplettes and Charo. When Big Red appears and says the list is so huge there aren’t enough gifts for every child, Pee‑wee must decide whether to follow his own advice and help others.