Pee-wee's Playhouse: Seasons 1 & 2 - Special Edition [DVD]

My then-4-year old daughter and I used to faithfully watch Pee Wee's Playhouse every Saturday morning with glee. I recently discovered this set (and #2) and bought them both for her 35th birthday. She is thrilled and now plays them to enjoy with her little daughter. Timeless innocence and entertainment.

The discs come in plastic snap cases. The discs play fine.I loved the first two seasons. I like fun, oddball stuff, series that are different. Weird stuff you might not of heard of like The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Danger 5, Eerie, Indiana, Galavant, and The Middleman. I did get bored watching seasons 3 through 5 of Pee-Wee's Playhouse though.If you're looking for something more mature you might like a couple of space race shows. I spent a month on a space race binge. First I read Space by James A. Michener. Then I watched two movies, The Right Stuff (1983) and Apollo 13 (1995), and then two great series, From Earth to the Moon (1998) and The Astronauts Wives Club (2015). They’re a great combination.If the above shows don’t sound interesting here are a few of the series I really enjoyed watching more than once. I love good miniseries like Band of Brothers (2001), Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000), Into the West (2005), Lonesome Dove (1989), Pride and Prejudice (1995), Taken (2002) and The 10th Kingdom (2000) because they have beginnings, middles and endings, like a good novel.Other shows I’ve really enjoyed include Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009), Breaking Bad (2008-2013), Cowboy Bebop (1998), Downton Abbey (2010-2015), Firefly (2002), Game of Thrones (2011-2019), The IT Crowd (2006-2013), Jericho (2006-2008), Lost (2004-2010), Merlin (2008-2012), Rome (2005-2007), Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011), Spartacus: Blood and Sand (2010), Stargate: SG-1 (1997-2007), Stargate: Atlantis (2004-2009), Star Trek The Original Series (1966-1969) and Star Trek Voyager (1995-2001). I didn’t list any contemporary series I’m following that don’t have an end date yet, not conducive to binge watching from beginning to finish, or the hundreds of other fantasy and science fiction shows I’ve watched.If you like reading try some of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi authors: Richard Adams, Palo Bacigulupi, Suzanne Collins, Abe Evergreen, Diana Gabaldon, Hugh Howey, George Martin, Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi, and Andy Weir.

Pee-Wee's Playhouse box set #1 contains all 23 episodes, including two lost episodes never seen before from seasons 1 & 2. The 23 episodes are spread over 5 single sided discs and each disc comes in its own thin snap case with great artwork. The discs are coded region 0 (ntsc format). The video transfer is truly amazing and the Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is very good, but the sound should have been in digital 5.1. Overall the video and audio of this set is the best I've ever seen or heard.The set contains no extras or bonus material; it's just the episodes the way they were shown on television. The 1988 Pee-Wee Herman Christmas special isn't included in this set either, so you'll have to buy that separately. Rumor has it that Pee-Wee Herman is going to release a complete set of his amazing show with ton's of bonus material sometime in the future. Until that day comes, this set is the only way to go. Can you say the secret word?Come join Pee-Wee and his friends Chairry, Conky the Robot, and Pterry for a hilarious good time!Paul Reubens.... Pee Wee HermanLynne Marie Stewart....Miss YvonneJohn Paragon....Jambi, the GenieGeorge McGrath....GlobeyAlison Mork....ChairryGregory Harrison....Conky, the RobotPhil Hartman.... Captain CarlLaurence Fishburne.... Cowboy CurtisNatasha Lyonne.... OpalWilliam Marshall....the King of CartoonsShirley Stoler...Mrs SteveS. Epartha Merkerson....Reba the Mail LadyEpisodes:Ice Cream SoupLuau for TwoRainy DayNow You See Me, Now You Don'tJust Another DayBeauty MakeoverThe RestaurantAnts in Your PantsMonster in the PlayhouseThe Cowboy and the CowntessStolen ApplesThe Gang's All HerePartyOpen HousePuppy in the PlayhouseStorePee-Wee Catches a ColdWhy Wasn't I Invited?Tons of FunSchoolSpringPajama PartyPlayhouse in Outer Space

This show deserves infinity out of 5 stars but I'm afraid I have to give the DVD sets only 1/5. I'm cutting the difference and calling it a 4. Why? The transfer quality is not what you'd hope for, unfortunately. I realize that this show was likely shot on video rather than film, given the budget and time period, but so were many of my other favorite late 80's/early 90's TV programs and I've seen better results on DVD re-releases than this, the technology exists to clean them up better than this, you could easily forget that you are watching a digital format and not VHS. More importantly, there are also no extras - no commentary, documentaries, production photos, interviews - zip, zilch, nada.This show was the highlight of my week as a young child, is brilliantly cracked entertainment for me as an adult, and will always hold a special place in my heart, but this DVD release doesn't quite do it justice. The supposed 2005 version mentioned in other reviews has not materialized even now in 2010, but hopefully with Paul Reubens back on stage performing as Pee-Wee, renewed interest in the character will result in the better release it deserves.

For some reason in the UK Pee Wee Herman's cult TV show was never shown meaning we missed out on one of the most significant artifacts of American popular culture ever. Pee Wee's Playhouse follows on from his successful stage show (which is also available on DVD) and two movies, the first one Pee Wee's Big Adventure being Tim Burton's directorial debut (and arguably his best film) and completely without fault, the second, Big Top Pee-Wee falling quite a bit short of the mark. Pee Wee's Playhouse is a return to form, taking characters from the stage show and bringing in great artists like Gary Panter and animators like Aardman studios (presumably they repay a debt with the Penny cartoon we get in most shows for stealing the opening scenes of Pee Wee's Big Adventure in every Wallace and Gromit adventure). Much of the show is predictable, but knowing what is going to happen is part of the fun - the show normally starts off with Pee Wee getting the "secret word" from his robot Conky and when the secret word is said everyone screams real loud, the picture phone might ring, there is snack time which involves opening the fridge to find the contents involved in some bizarre claymation shenanigans, the King of Cartoons will arrive to present a short cartoon, normally from Max Fleischer in the early series and Ub Iwerks in the later series, his friends will drop in - "the most beautiful woman in puppetland" Miss Yvonne, Cowboy Curtis, Jambi the genie, Reba the mail lady - and various puppet characters will get up to something, all mixed up with the usual bunch of Pee-Wee-isms! Finally at the end he will leave on his scooter dropping the magic word...This set is region free so you don't have to worry about this stupid regioning business that is supposed to make our DVD experience a happy one, so there is really no excuse not to get this!

Me and my best friend used to watch this whilst intoxicated. pure genius and give you the mega giggles!this guy is two sandwiches short of a picnic! check out the elastic bands on his face in the opening credits!

Pee-Wee's Playhouse set #1 contains all 23 episodes, including two lost episodes never seen before from seasons 1 & 2. The 23 episodes are spread over 5 single sided discs and each disc comes in its own thin snap case with great artwork. The discs are region 0 (NTSC format). The video transfer is truly amazing and the digital 2.0 sound is very good, but the sound should have been in Dolby Digital 5.1. Overall the video and audio of this set is the best I've ever seen or heard. The set contains no extras or bonus material; it's just the amazing shows. Sadly the 1988 Pee-Wee Herman Christmas special isn't included in this set either; you'll have to buy that separately. Rumor has it Pee-Wee Herman is going to release a complete set of his amazing show with ton's of bonus material in the future. Until that day comes, this incredible set is the only way to go. Say the secret word!Episodes Include:Ice Cream SoupLuau for TwoRainy DayNow You See Me, Now You Don'tJust Another DayBeauty MakeoverThe RestaurantAnts in Your PantsMonster in the PlayhouseThe Cowboy and the CowntessStolen ApplesThe Gang's All HerePartyOpen HousePuppy in the PlayhouseStorePee-Wee Catches a ColdWhy Wasn't I Invited?Tons of FunSchoolSpringPajama PartyPlayhouse in Outer Space

Excellent quality. Picture and sound fantastic. What a wonderfully creative show from the 80s which is timeless. My kids who are now in their 30s loved this when they were small. Great entertainment which is fun and educational for any child. Highly recommended.

Pee-Wee's Playhouse was a fantastic Saturday morning show with an amzing array of recurring characters; some animated, some puppets and some live actors. I was really looking forward to re-living the madness with this DVD set. Unfortunately the quality of the transfer to DVD is the worst I have ever seen. The image is blurry and the colours are dull. The overall effect is worse than an old VHS recording made in Super Long Play mode on a cheap tape (or a bad YouTube clip). This takes away tremendously from the presentation of the show.