Paul Reubens’ remarkable stage presence during Pee-wee Herman’s move into the actor’s beautiful home — and this month, fans of the late actor can bid on 439 items from his collection.
Julien’s Auctions is hosting the Paul Reubens Grand Auction at the Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles on October 28 to celebrate the life and career of the late comedian, actor, and author. Tickets sold out during the day on Friday, but the public can participate in the auction online at juliensauctions.com. Anyone with a ticket to the Groundlings show can view the exhibition until October 28th.
The auction includes Pee-wee’s iconic gray suit and other costumes, red Schwinn bicycles, dolls, puppets, clay figures, scripts and more. The memorabilia come from Reubens’ major films and TV shows, including “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” “Big Top Pee-wee” and “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.”
Reubens created the character Pee-wee Herman in 1978 while he was a member of the Groundlings company. “The Pee-wee Herman Show” began at the Groundlings Theatre, moved to the Roxy Theater on Sunset Boulevard and aired as a 1981 HBO special. Reubens parlayed the show’s success into the 1985 hit movie “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.” The film, Tim Burton’s feature directorial debut, had a budget of $7 million and grossed more than $40 million.
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Actor and comedian Paul Reubens, known for portraying the character Pee-wee Herman on stage and screen, has passed away. He was 70 years old.
Then came the Daytime Emmy-winning series “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which ran from 1986 to 1990 and helped launch the careers of now-established stars like Phil Hartman, Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson. The feature films “Big Top Pee-wee” (1988) and “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” (2016) followed. Before his death on July 30, 2023, Reubens recorded interviews for the 2025 Emmy-winning documentary miniseries “Pee-wee as Himself.”
Here are the six highlights of the auction:
“Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” Hero Pee-wee Herman Suit
“Pee-wee Herman” hero troupe.
(Julien’s Auctions)
The iconic slate gray glen plaid suit worn by Paul Reubens in the 2016 Netflix movie, complete with white shirt, red bow tie, pocket square and white loafers. ($8,000-10,000)
“Pee-wee’s Theater” Refrigerator Dinner
12 pieces of “food” were found in Pee-wee’s refrigerator.
(Julien’s Auctions)
A collection of 12 accessory food items from the “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” refrigerator, including clay-made chili and armature-sleeved bacon, olive dumbbells, frozen food boxes and desserts. ($800-1,000)
Pee-wee Herman 1989 JCPenney 40 Inch Limited Edition Doll
Large Pee-wee Herman doll from the late 1980s.
(Julien’s Auctions)
The 40-inch doll, made by Carousel for the JCPenney exclusive line of Reubens in the late 1980s, is one of Pee-wee Herman’s rarest collectibles. Only 2,000 were produced in 1989, and some were used as store displays. The doll is in its original box with original factory shipping carton. ($300-500)
Paul Reubens’ “Pee Wee” Harmonica
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(Julien’s Auctions)
A vintage “Pee Wee” brand harmonica made in occupied Japan (circa 1945-1951), in its original box, personally owned by Reubens, who cites that brand as the inspiration for his character’s name. ($100-200)
“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” Replica Bicycle, which was awarded the 2011 Visionary Spike TV Scream Award
A full-scale replica of Pee-wee’s red Schwinn DX bike.
(Julien’s Auctions)
A full-scale replica of Pee-wee’s iconic red Schwinn DX was driven by Reubens at the 2011 Spike TV Scream Awards, where it received the honorary Visionary Award (also included in the auction). ($5,000-7,000)
Production scripts and storyboards
1981 production script of “The Pee-wee Herman Show” with revision pages.
(Julien’s Auctions)
- “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” Season 1 scripts (a collection of 13 pieces, one for each episode of Season 1 in 1986)
- The “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” script, credited to Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens and Michael Varhol, contains minor differences from the final film, including a deleted magic shop scene
- “Big Top Pee-wee” featuring farm and livestock artwork
- “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” Season 4 storyboards
(each lot range: $500-$700)