Paul Reubens Pee-wee Herman Memorabilia Auction: Top Highlights and Details

Julien’s Auctions will host Paul Reubens’ Big Auction at the Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles on Oct. 28, offering fans the opportunity to bid on 439 items from the late actor, comedian, and writer’s collection, latimes.com reported.

Bidding Details and Exhibition Access at the Groundlings Theatre

The auction features 439 items spanning Paul Reubens’ life and career, including costumes, props, and personal memorabilia. Tickets for the live event at the Groundlings Theatre sold out within a day on Friday, but the public can participate in the auction online through juliensauctions.com, latimes.com reported. Anyone holding a Groundlings show ticket can view the physical exhibition at the theatre until Oct. 28, according to latimes.com. The memorabilia on offer originates from Reubens’ major television series and feature films, encompassing “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” “Big Top Pee-wee,” and “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday,” latimes.com reported.

Six Highlight Lots From the Collection

The auction catalog includes several standout items with estimated bidding ranges provided by Julien’s Auctions. The items highlight different eras of the actor’s iconic character development:

• “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” Hero Suit: The slate gray glen plaid suit worn by Paul Reubens in his 2016 Netflix film, which includes a white shirt, red bow tie, pocket square, and white loafers, carries an estimate of $8,000 to $10,000, latimes.com reported.
• “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” Fridge Food: A collection of 12 prop food items from Pee-wee’s refrigerator, featuring a claymation red pepper, bacon with armature arms, olive barbells, frozen food boxes, and desserts, is estimated at $800 to $1,000, latimes.com reported.
• 1989 JCPenney 40-Inch Limited-Edition Doll: A large Pee-wee Herman doll made by Carousel for Reubens’ late-1980s JCPenney-exclusive line is estimated at $300 to $500, latimes.com reported. Only 2,000 of these dolls were manufactured in 1989, with some deployed as store displays, and this specific lot remains in its original box with the factory shipping carton, latimes.com reported.
• Paul Reubens’ “Pee Wee” Harmonica: A vintage “Pee Wee” brand harmonica made in occupied Japan between 1945 and 1951, complete with its original box and personally owned by Reubens, carries an estimate of $100 to $200, latimes.com reported. Reubens previously cited this specific brand as the direct inspiration for his character’s moniker, latimes.com reported.
• “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” Replica Bicycle and Award: A full-scale replica of the iconic red Schwinn DX bicycle, which Reubens rode at the 2011 Spike TV Scream Awards to accept the honorary Visionary Award (also included in the lot), is estimated at $5,000 to $7,000, latimes.com reported.
• Production Scripts and Storyboards: Multiple lots estimated between $500 and $700 each include a collection of 13 Season 1 scripts from “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” (1986), a “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” script credited to Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens, and Michael Varhol containing minor differences from the final film, a “Big Top Pee-wee” script featuring barnyard and farm animal artwork, and Season 4 storyboards for “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” latimes.com reported.

Paul Reubens Created the Pee-Wee Herman Character

Paul Reubens created the Pee-wee Herman character in 1978 while performing as a member of the Groundlings company, latimes.com reported. “The Pee-wee Herman Show” originated at the Groundlings Theatre before transferring to the Roxy Theatre on Sunset Boulevard and eventually airing as an HBO special in 1981, latimes.com reported. Reubens used that success to make the 1985 feature film “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” which marked Tim Burton’s feature film directorial debut, latimes.com reported. Produced on a $7 million budget, the film grossed more than $40 million, latimes.com reported.

The Saturday-morning television series “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” subsequently ran from 1986 through 1990, earning multiple Daytime Emmy Awards and helping launch the early careers of notable actors including Phil Hartman, Laurence Fishburne, and S. Epatha Merkerson, latimes.com reported. Feature films “Big Top Pee-wee” followed in 1988, and “Pee-wee’s Big Holiday” premiered on Netflix in 2016, latimes.com reported. Before his death on July 30, 2023, at the age of 70, Reubens recorded interviews for the 2025 Emmy-winning documentary miniseries “Pee-wee as Himself,” latimes.com reported.

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