Love him or hate him, if you were alive in the 1980s you can’t have missed American comedian Paul Reubens in the guise of his alter-ego Pee-wee Herman. Star of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, an enormously successful and groundbreaking Saturday morning television show for kids in the US, worldwide audiences were first introduced to him via Tim Burton’s debut film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which turned the road movie on its head and Pee-wee Herman into a cult favourite.
The last couple of decades have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Reubens, both professionally and personally, but finally, Pee-wee Herman is back with a hit show on Broadway starring all the old Playhouse gang, so to celebrate (as I love Pee-wee to bits) I thought it would be fun to look back at this vintage Matchbox Pee-wee Herman action figure that was issued at the height of Pee-wee mania in the late 1980s.
Pee-Wee Herman with Famous Scooter and Helmet Matchbox 1988 New Sealed
🇺🇸 Price: US $39.99
Buy It Now
Life-Size Scooter Pee-Wee Herman Playhouse 1988 Matchbox UNOPENED ORIGINAL ~RARE
🇺🇸 Price: US $1,200.00
Buy It Now
Pee-Wee's Playhouse PEE-WEE HERMAN w/ Scooter & Helmet 1988 Matchbox Vtg NEW
🇺🇸 Price: US $69.99
Buy It Now
Vintage 1988 PEE-WEE HERMAN Playhouse CHAIRRY Matchbox Plush Toy!
🇺🇸 Price: US $90.00
Buy It Now
Vintage 1987 Pee-wee Herman Talking Pull String (NON-WORKING) Doll 17" Matchbox
🇺🇸 Price: US $39.99
Buy It Now
Vtg PEE-WEE Herman Pull-String Talking Doll 18" -Matchbox 1987 - Voice Distorted
🇺🇸 Price: US $28.99
Buy It Now
PEE-WEE HERMAN w/Scooter and Helmet - 1988 Matchbox - NEW/SEALED
🇺🇸 Price: US $38.21
Buy It Now
Pee-wee Herman Playhouse Chairry Stuffed Plush Toy NIB Vtg 80s 1988 Matchbox Nos
🇺🇸 Price: US $160.00
Buy It Now
Vintage 1988 Matchbox Pee Wee Herman 6" Poseable Action FigureNew in Package
🇺🇸 Price: US $20.00
Buy It Now
Billy Baloney 18" NEW Vintage Matchbox Pee Wees Playhouse Pee Wee Herman's Pal
🇺🇸 Price: US $150.00
Buy It Now
1987 Pee-Wee Herman Talking Pull String Doll Voice Distorted Very Fast Matchbox
🇺🇸 Price: US $39.99
Buy It Now
Matchbox Pee-wee Herman Pee-wee's Playhouse non talking doll Boxed
🇺🇸 Price: US $110.00
Buy It Now
Vintage 1988 Randy & Globey Action Figures From Pee Wee’s Playhouse New In Box
🇺🇸 Price: US $25.00
Buy It Now
PEE WEE HERMAN NEW PLAYHOUSE DOLL IN BOX (MATCHBOX NON TALKING)
🇺🇸 Price: US $165.00
Buy It Now
1988 Matchbox Pee-Wee Herman of Pee Wee's Playhouse Poseable Figure Sealed NIP
🇺🇸 Price: US $33.33
Buy It Now
Vintage 1986 Peewee Hermans Playhouse Action Figure By Matchbox
🇺🇸 Price: US $75.00
Buy It NowVintage Action Figures is an eBay affiliate. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Pee-wee was issued alongside all the Playhouse faces such as Miss Yvonne, Cowboy Curtis, King of Cartoons, Pterri, Conky and even Chairry (to name but a few) and is an excellent likeness of Paul Reubens. At a whisker under 6-inches tall, Pee-wee is a great height for display and has ten points of articulation – not bad for those days when elbows and knees weren’t always bendable! A second Pee-wee figure was also produced with his famous red scooter and crash helmet, whilst this is the simpler of the two. I was delighted to find him still wearing his cloth jacket, the accessory that seems to have most readily been mislaid with this figure. I assume the jacket must have originally been glued together as if buttoned – it is now open, but there are faint traces of adhesive along the edges.
Hitting toy store shelves in 1988, this figure is date stamped 1987 on the back. In 2007 Neca reissued a set of vintage-style Pee-wee’s Playhouse figures that all look remarkably similar to the Matchbox originals, so much so that until I held this online purchase in my hands and could check the copyright information for myself I wasn’t entirely certain which version I had. I haven’t actually seen a loose Neca Pee-wee to be able to compare and contrast, however. If anybody has one, feel free to leave a comment below.
A gorgeous figure and an absolute must for Pee-wee Herman fans!
I was never big on the show or figures but i had a little cousin who was.All day he’d run around laughing and talking like pee-wee herman.Good kid,annoying as heck though.