Shout! Studios announced on Monday that they have acquired the worldwide home entertainment, broadcast, and digital distribution rights to the Pee-wee’s Playhouse television series.
The move will see Shout! once again acquire the rights to the program following a Blu-ray box set that Shout! released previously. Shout! also announced that they’ve acquired the rights to the AVOD, or advertising-supported video on demand rights. The company didn’t confirm whether or not any home releases were planned as of now, but did say that “special events will be announced later this year.”
“We were thrilled to work with Paul Reubens to release Pee-wee’s Playhouse: The Complete Series Blu-ray box set and are excited to release the show on additional platforms, honoring his memory and sharing his genius with an even wider audience,” said Shout! Studios SVP of Marketing and Product Management Michael Ribas. “Pee-wee’s Playhouse is an important touchstone of pop culture, and its incomparable offbeat humor continues to find new generations of fans.”
Pee-wee’s Playhouse ran for four years at CBS
Pee-wee’s Playhouse premiered in 1986 and ran for four years on CBS. The series starred Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, the iconic character that Reubens played throughout his career. The series featured 45 episodes plus a Christmas special.
The series was developed by Reubens based on the live stage show, The Pee-wee Herman Show, and debuted following 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. The show often featured Reubens’ Herman interacting with a variety of characters in his Playhouse, while also teaching audience members important lessons. The show incorporated a variety of different segments that included puppetry, video animation, claymation, and more.
