Inside Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Phenomenon Paperback – November 1, 2011

Being 25 years old and having been a fan of Pee-wee Herman since I watched Pee-wee's Playhouse and Pee-wee's Big Adventure from my playpen, I can't believe I've went this long without all of this information. Never before have I been able to find so many facts about the birth and resurrection of Pee-wee Herman all in one place than this book. It really shows how many people went into making the Playhouse be the success it was, and without each and every one of these individuals it just wouldn't have been everything it was. A lot of times with many names and titles it's hard to keep track of who's who, but Caseen Gaines writes in such a way that's easy to follow and never makes you look back in the book to see exactly who the person is that he's referring to. Many times a book full of facts can be boring or even make it feel like you're reading a list, but Caseen makes this a very interesting read and really sucks you in. More than a few times I found myself stopping in the middle to say to my girlfriend "oh wow I never knew that....." in reference to something he wrote about the Playhouse (and I had thought myself something of a Pee-wee expert already!).Especially when referring to the latest run of The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway, it brought me right back to those seats and the curtain waiting to be opened that I sat in front of myself, I love that I now have that experience documented in this book.The episode guide also has so many interesting fun facts that I never would've been able to find without the help of Caseen.I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Pee-wee, or been curious of the character at all, it will not disappoint...and I guarantee no matter what level of a Pee-wee fan you are, you will be learning a lot of facts about the process of this show that you never knew before!

This is a great book for any fan of the show. It details the history of the Playhouse, including the animation, puppets and puppeteers, and all the various artistic talents that had a part in making the show. Or should I say "shows?" The original show at the Music Box, the Pee-Wee movies, the kid's T.V. show, and Pee-Wee's Broadway comeback are all covered here. And there is a little on Pee-Wee's plans for new projects. There is a handy episode guide in the back, making this a good gift also for those who are new fans of Pee-Wee.The entire book is chock full of pictures. Many have never been published before. There are interviews with various people involved with the show(s) and it is a very entertaining read.When it first arrived, I was a little worried reading all about the making of the show would take away some of its magic, or that it would be like watching how sausage is made, but really, it just left me absolutely fascinated by the whole process by which the show came about. I feel we are darn lucky the show even came to be!A "must read" for Pee-Wee fans both new and from back in the day. Thanks, Caseen, for helping record the history of the show for all to see. They just don't make kid's shows like they used to and they probably never will again.

I come from a family who LOVES Mr. Herman. My mom grew up on it, as did I, and now my two year old is hooked. So in my curious nature, I picked this up to learn some history about my favorite childhood program.This was a delightful insight to the creation of the beloved Herman, along with Chairy, Ms. Yvonne, and The Cowtess. Gaines definitely is a fan of the show, and I feel like there was no nook or cranny left untold. As other reviewers have said, some of the stories about Mr. Reubens may seem negative, but there's always a positive story to follow, and to be honest- he sounds like a perfectionist, which isn't a terrible thing. This show was his creation, and he worked hard and relentlessly to keep it his own. There was so much I had no idea about, such as the time and effort that went into the opening credits, the creation of the "Dinosaur Family" and what really happened to Mrs. Steve.Wonderful, insightful book to go with a show of the same degree. Pick it up for your favorite Pee Wee pal :)

I bought this book for Kindle after reading some of the reviews, and I have to say it did not disappoint. I loved hearing all of the back stories about Pee-Wee's various shows and the actors/writers/animators involved. Of course, I am a fan of his movies and the kids' show, so I may be more interested than the average person.The author, Caseen Gaines, really did his homework - I'm sure it was a ton of work combing through the vast amounts of interviews and articles, but the payoff is great. The information is detailed and all inclusive. Questions I've always had were answered, and some captivating insider knowledge was divulged, which always makes for a fun read. He also made the wise choice of limiting the pages that focus on Pee-Wee's unfortunate mistakes. He didn't capitalize on his misfortune as so many others in the media have over the years. Fans aren't interested in that, yet it had to be mentioned for it to be an authentic story.I'm really happy I got this. It reinvigorated my interest in Pee-Wee Herman and I'm about to go buy the Playhouse DVD set so I can show it to my kids!

I love everything about this book.It has all kinds of fun filled facts about the popular peewees playhouse tv series.Including the air dates,for each season.Bryce Garrett.

Looooove! I love Pee Wee, & I loved this book! Huge fan! Good to know some behind the scenes details LOL!

Caseen Gaines has done a great job with "Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse." He gives all the detailed information on just about every aspect of anything to do with anything what we love about Pee-wee. There are so many photos in the book of the cast and crew, plus of Paul Reubens himself. So many things I never knew, but because of this book, I know it now. It is well written, easy to understand and worth the time to read. My daughter won't let it go, so I have to read it when she's not home. I love the little descriptions of each of the "Playhouse" shows also. I purchased this book from Amazon, so it was an Amazon Verified Purchase. Mr. Gaines, you definitely have a hit!

A nice well written book on the Pee-Wee Herman phenomena from long time fan Caseen Gaines. It doesn't go into a huge amount of depth, but this is more than compensated by hundreds of great photographs. The episode guide in the last 70 pages is not particularly special, apart from having lots more great photos.

Viele schöne, teils nirgendwo anders gesehene Fotos von hervorragender Qualität. Einige sehr wissenswerte Hintergrundinformationen. Und die Übersicht über die einzelnen Folgen, chronologisch geordnet, ist auch sehr interessant.Nachtrag/ additional commentI got a defective copy!Pages 25 - 56 are double and the pages 57 - 88 are missing :-(Make sure, you get a complete copy!Bad publisher.

This book is just as clean and in excellent condition as if I bought it off of a bookshelf.