Like Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Pee-wee's Playhouse was an award-winning children's show. But this short-lived series was so inventive and unusual that it captured the hearts of kids and adults alike. With a bag of tricks that included puppets, cartoons, and giant underpants, Pee-wee managed to strike a balance between wide-eyed innocence and winking innuendo. The show was abruptly cancelled in 1991 after Herman (a.k.a. Paul Reubens) was arrested for indecent exposure in a Florida movie theater.

Tony Peltier