We were just reading some of the stirring and emotional tributes to Paul Ruebens and especially one of his last videos he gave to the world. In it, he apologized for not coming out to the media about his brain tumor, that he didn’t want to let everyone down, or want people to fear for him, or feel sorry for him, or anything like that.
We think he also didn’t want the little children to feel sad.
Well, we are sad. We’re about as heartbroken over Pee-Wee’s death as we were over Jim Henson’s, or Fred Rogers’, or Shari Lewis ‘. Incredible individuals that tried to make the world a little less fearing and unknown and chaotic, and were determined to make their own worlds, where peace, harmony and kindness and love could exist and always.
We were staunch and devoted fans of “Pee Wee’s Playhouse”. Every Saturday morning, it was fun to get up early, so that we could tune in after a hectic work-week, and forget about our world for a little while and be within his. It was never boring in the Playhouse; never. it was always different and weird and amusing and educational. People of all walks of life were included, and we didn’t just experience the lives of children on our own shores, but from all corners of the globe as well. There were cartoons, and special guests like Cher, Oprah Winfrey, Bette Midler, Grace Jones, and of course Lawrence Fishbourne as the reoccurring Cowboy Curtis.
Is it any wonder this series won 15 Emmys? Of course not. We’re surprised it didn’t win a lot more.
And we know this sounds very strange saying this now but…we really miss our Playhouse. We guess we miss a world where everyone was happy and had parties and celebrated life and love and belonging. We miss a place where we could escape from the horrors or misfortunes of real life and see what a true world should be.
Folks, listen to us because we’re telling you something very important now. We need that Playhouse again. We need to create this amazing world where everyone gets along, everyone accepts people as they are, and tolerates when our viewpoints or ideals differ. We need to bring that innocence we all felt when we were nothing but little children, opening young eyes and young ears, developing young hearts and cultivating young minds.
The very last line of the series finale “Playhouse for Sale”, laid it all out for us.
“The Playhouse will always be here for everyone to play in, forever and ever and ever. On that, you have my…WORD.” (“word” was the secret word that last show)
The Playhouse is there, fellow human beings.
It’s always been there.
Pee Wee left it for us.
It’s his legacy.
We are, the entire human race, the heirs to it.
Let’s go back to it.
Just follow us…
We know the way…
Paula and Paul
.
