On July 30, 2023, Paul Reubens, the actor who created and famously portrayed Pee-wee Herman for over four decades, passed away at the age of 70. Throughout his career, he has played a variety of roles in different film and television genres, won several daytime Emmys for Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and has faced career-threatening hardships and setbacks that come with the business.
Despite his publicized troubles, he was able to resurface from the pit of disgrace and continue doing what he does best—entertain. He and his famous doppelganger continued charming the fans through television and film without succumbing to the humiliation brought on by the public and maybe even his subconscious. Whereas a typical person would stay hidden for the rest of their days, Reubens persevered and continued making people smile.
Pee-wee Herman, an Unorthodox Introvert
Pee-wee Herman’s gift of invoking laughter and enjoyment has reached millions of fans worldwide, recognizing him as an icon of pop culture and children’s entertainment.
His first movie, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, started as a cult hit and quickly became a film favorite to a larger audience. It delivered memorable moments, such as the revealing of Large Marge’s true form, and charming lines like I know you are but what am I.
Although Big Top Pee-wee did not meet fans’ expectations, Pee-wee continued to showcase some of the residual silliness we’ve come to love while revealing a more mature version, reminding his audience that the cartoon-like character is human and humans evolve as they get older.
Pee-wee Herman is loud, animated, and isn’t afraid to show the world how looney he can be. He also possesses a kind heart, is willing to help others in trouble, and doesn’t shy away from large crowds.
It is easy to distinguish him as an extrovert based on these qualities, especially for being loud and animated, but on a deeper level, it is these characteristics, as well as others, that reveal an introvert who has utilized his extraordinary talents to succeed in his creator’s imaginary life.
Here are some examples of Pee-wee Herman’s introverted behaviors in both of his hilarious films.
1. Loner/Rebel
“I’m a loner Dottie. A rebel.”
The popular line from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure solidifies him in the eyes of his fans as a total badass, despite him walking away from Dottie and giggling like a fool. Nevertheless, he is definitely a loner and plays by his own rules.
In the first film, he lives alone with his dog in a playhouse full of toys and wacky inventions. To an adult, it’s silly and preposterous; to him, it’s fun and logical. It makes him happy and allows him to enjoy life based on his authentic taste.
He can take any trivial moment and turn it into a joke. His joy exerts an infectious laugh which makes the audience laugh along with him. Many of us do not have the advantage of encountering this type of person during our daily lives—someone with the innate ability to make us laugh by being themselves and disregarding the dull societal norms.
In Big Top Pee-wee, we see him living alone on a farm in a town consisting mostly of cranky old adults. Instead of falling into the trap of cynicism, he remains a boy in an adult’s body who chooses to be happy.
He is also a scientist with his own lab where he conducts experiments in solving the world’s food crisis. His dedication to his work has resulted in the creation of the Hotdog Tree. Think of the other possibilities that could be in store if he furthers his research.
2. Prefers the Company of Non-humans
The tendency to avoid human interaction can seem off to some people. Seeking the companionship of animals, plants, and other non-human lifeforms can seem equally off, but there is nothing wrong with being around living beings that help relieve stress and promote a joyous attitude.
That includes bicycles as well.
In Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, his bicycle is his reason for getting out of bed every morning. Like a child who is gifted his first bike on Christmas, it is his best friend, the possession in his life that brings him rapturous joy. And like Andy’s toys from Toy Story, his bike will always be there for him and will never disappoint him. It also probably has its own adventures while Pee-wee is asleep.
He also owns a dog named Speck who unfortunately is placed second in his life behind his bicycle. Nevertheless, Speck is still loved. In the second film, he lives with his farm animals who display human qualities to help him carry on normal conversations as if he were speaking to actual humans. And in a town over-filled with cranky, old geezers he has no choice but to find solace in his animal friends.
Pee-wee does have human friends in both films. He even has a fiance but then falls in love with another lady, much to his fans’ surprise. So he has not completely ruled out developing friendships with humans.
Connecting with non-humans can serve as conversation training to prepare introverts for engaging with actual humans in the real world. As we’ve seen at the end of both films, Pee-wee came out just fine.
3. Unique Vision of the World
It is safe to say based on his cartoon-like everyday appearance, his laughable antics, and his unusual yet joyous living environment that Pee-wee Herman has a clear sense of who he is and a clear vision of the world in which he wants to live. He is a boy who will never grow up living in an amusement park house where he can laugh and play all day.
Introverts daydream during their moments alone—even in groups—allowing the opportunity to understand themselves and/or invent new ideas for future endeavors. Although Pee-wee’s past was never revealed to his fans, it can be deduced that as a child he dreamt of being a kid forever, like Peter Pan.
He dreamt of wearing one set of clothing like popular cartoon characters every day. And instead of being hitched to a “yucky” girl for the rest of his life, he chose to live among his toys and pets.
In Big Top Pee-wee, that all began to change. We see a more mature version of our hero working hard every day as a farmer and a scientist. The amusement park home setting was replaced with a farm and science lab, yet he still kept his cartoon-like image to show off to the world.
In the first film, settling down with a girl never crossed his mind, but we see our hero taking the next step in adulthood in the second film, and again still keeping his cartoon-like image. He refuses to allow adult maturation to kill off his childish nature.
4. Strong Bonds with Few People
In both films, Pee-wee makes friends with a biker gang, an aspiring traveler, an escaped convict, circus performers, and other individuals carrying extraordinary personalities. We never see him bond with “normal” people, people bound by basic living and social conventions.
The main thing he has in common with his confidants is that they are misfits like himself.
An introvert’s friendship circle is expected to be small, containing one to five other people who share either similar or different characteristics. Although the two biker circles in the first film and the Cabrini Circus comprise 10 or more members, Pee-wee converses mainly with the leaders of the three groups, proof that he is either not completely comfortable surrounded by multiple parties, or he just doesn’t have the energy to get to know everyone on a personal level. Both behaviors are introverted traits.
Despite the seeming snub, he considers everyone in those circles his friend. One can form friendships with others they may talk rarely with or not at all. They can also become friends with others whose faces they’ve never seen, as it is widely practiced in today’s social media world.
Friendships can be formed on the merits of how special both recipients feel about the other based on their actions towards one another or their brief dialogue. In an example from Big Top Pee-wee, Pee-wee gave the Cabrini Circus a place to stay when a storm lifted them off course and wrecked their equipment. The good deed was then reciprocated when the crew helped him fulfill his lifelong fantasy of becoming a circus performer.
Other Movies Featuring Paul Reubens
Pee-wee’s Big Holiday - 2016
Dunston Checks In - 1996
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 1992
Batman Returns - 1992
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas - 1992
Mystery Men - 1992
Flight of the Navigator - 1986
Meatballs Part II - 1984
The Blues Brothers - 1980
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Rated PG
Paul Reubens, E. G. Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger
Director, Tim Burton
Big Top Pee-wee
Rated PG
Paul Reubens, Kris Kristofferson, Penelope Ann Miller, Valeria Golino
Director, Randal Kleiser
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