Podcaster BJ Colangelo took to social media yesterday to share a glimpse at Pee-wee Herman’s iconic bicycle, propped up against a building in the rotating cityscape seen on Roku devices. The city, which changes periodically, typically features things like King Kong atop the Empire State building, the Back to the Future clock tower, and the Daily Planet building, all in silhouette, so they are at least in theory, not violating anybody’s trademarks. The city recently updated, and Pee-wee’s bike is now there, which obviously hits a little different following the recent passing of Paul Reubens, who played the character.
There were four of the iconic cruiser bikes created for Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and of the four, one of them is actually currently on display to the public — at Bicycle Heaven, a museum in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood, where it’s on loan from owner Craig Morrow, according to WTAE.
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You can see the image below.
Reubens passed away following a long battle with cancer — something he never made public during his lifetime. Public tributes have been pouring in from friends, collaborators, and even the Cabazon dinosaurs, who were featured in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” Reubens wrote, in a note shared to his Instagram last week. “I have always felt a huge amount of love and respect from my friends, fans and supporters. I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”
Reubens launched “The Pee-wee Herman Show” in LA’s Roxy Theater in the early 1980s, after infamously getting rejected from Saturday Night Live (who gave Reubens’ slot on the cast to comedian Gilbert Gottfried that year). After selling out both late-night shows (for adults) and matinees (for kids), HBO featured The Pee-wee Herman Show on their uncensored stand-up series On Location. Reubens leaned into playing Pee-wee in public outings, appearing in movies like the Cheech & Chong films before getting his own film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, in 1985. Big Adventure made $40.9 million on a $7 million budget and gained a big cult following for Pee-wee Herman, leading to CBS developing Pee-wee’s Playhouse with Reubens as a live-action children’s program. Pee-wee’s Playhouse ran from 1986-1991 and became Reubens’ biggest success and most legacy in the entertainment industry, winning 15 Emmy Awards, inspiring generations of children, and even helping launch the careers of actors like Laurence Fishburne.
