While Pee-wee's Playhouse was hardly the first show to blend animation, puppetry, and liveaction - pbs's Sesame Street had crossed that bridge almost 20 years earlier - it added a subversive, hipster sensibility to the format, providing a gust of fresh air to a tired timeslot reserved for the stale ideas of network execs. Into the Saturday morning television war zone stepped Pee-wee Herman, the man-child in a too-small gray suit of armor, a soldier of a new era of creative children's programming. Television as we knew it would be forever changed. With the scrutiny of children's television increasing, President Ronald Reagan established National Children's Television Awareness Week that October, a month after the new season of Saturday morning programming debuted. Peggy Charren, the founder and president of Action for Children's Television, claimed that Saturday morning tv was "filled with do-goody nonsense" and she urged networks to introduce shows with more educational value. Critics described the networks' lineups as being filled with "program-length commercials" for merchandising like Pound Puppies, G.I. As children urged their parents to empty their wallets for toys based on their favorite Saturday morning cartoons, some parents began paying closer attention to children's programming, and many didn't like what they saw. There were superheroes ( Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians ), animated adaptations of live-action movies and tv shows ( It's Punky Brewster, Star Wars ), new shows with established characters ( Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Smurfs ), and even a show starring a larger-than-life wrestling personality ( Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling ). The three major television networks, abc, cbs, and nbc, aired cartoons that lacked in originality and, for the most part, had no educational value. In the spring of 1986, Saturday morning children's television was popular, profitable, and predictable. Complete with an episode guide, biographical information about the cast and key members of the show's creative team, never-before-told anecdotes, and previously unpublished photos. On the 25th anniversary of the show "Pee-wee's Playhouse," the behind-the-scenes story is being told for the first time by those who experienced it. Reubens, Paul, - 1952- Reubens, Paul, - 1952- Pee-Wee's playhouse (Television program) Pee Wee's playhouse (Television program) Children's television programs - United States. Saved in: Bibliographic Details Author / Creator:
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