Deep Thoughts about Pee-Wee's Playhouse with Mallory Henson

Deep Thoughts About Stupid Sh*t: A Pop-Culture Podcast

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That’s so funny I forgot to laugh!

On this week’s episode, Emily and Tracie welcome Mallory Henson to talk about her reverence for the TV show Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Mallory introduces the sisters to the path Paul Reubens took to develop the character of Pee-wee Herman and how the show recreated the joyful chaos of a child’s mind while also teaching intentional lessons on acceptance and intercultural curiosity. While not everything has aged perfectly–there was a misogynistic and fatphobic joke from the first season of the show that stuck like a splinter in little 8-year-old Emily’s mind–it’s clear that Reubens was a loving and joyful entertainer who delighted in making his fans happy.

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For more from Mallory, check out her Instagram

Content warning: Discussions of fatphobia
Mentioned in this episode
https://hommes.studio/journal/what-is-memphis-design-style/
Our theme music is "Professor Umlaut" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Chapter

1. Deep Thoughts About Pee-Wee's Playhouse (00:00:00)

2. Exploring Child Characters in TV (00:14:09)

3. Promoting Joy and Acceptance in Creativity (00:27:19)

4. Unpacking Inappropriate Comedy in TV (00:31:06)

5. Discussion on Body Image in Media (00:34:36)

6. Lesson of Acceptance and Community (00:42:51)

7. Analysis of Pee Wee Herman's Influence (00:46:04)

8. Reflections on Pee Wee's Playhouse (00:50:41)