A collection of memorabilia spanning the career of Paul Reubens is headed to auction via Julien’s Auction on Oct. 28. It will feature an array of iconic items from his Pee-wee Herman days, including the quintessential gray suit and custom red Schwinn
bicycles used while playing the beloved character.
The auction includes more than 400 items from Reubens’ estate, including rare limited-edition dolls from Reubens’ JCPenney line, original production costumes and props, stop-motion puppets and claymation artwork, production scripts and storyboards, signed posters, and personal items.
Highlights include the slate gray glen plaid suit Reubens wore in 2016’s Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, which comes with the white shirt, red bowtie, pocket square, and white loafers that completes the outfit. It’s expected to go for $8,000-$10,000.
One of the bicycles available at the auction is a replica from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which is packaged with his 2011 Visionary Spike TV Scream Award. The full-scale replica of the red Schwinn DX he rode to accept the award is expected to fetch $5,000-$7,000.
Among the puppets available is a Pee-wee’s Playhouse dinosaur, which is an original wire-armature and foam puppet. It’s mounted on a custom wooden stand amd includes an extruder handle for stop-motion animation. It’s listed at $2,000-3,000.
Other eclectic lots under a grand are also up for grabs, including 12 prop food pieces from the Pee-wee Playhouse refrigerator. Among the props are claymation red pepper and bacon with armature arms, olive barbells, frozen food boxes, and desserts. It’s expected to nab $800-$1,000.
There’s also a collection of 13 scripts, one for each episode of Pee-wee’s Playhouse Season One, as well as a Pee-wee’s Big Adventure script — credited to Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens, and Michael Varhol — containing minor differences from the final film including a deleted magic shop scene. Each lot ranges from $500-$700.
On the Hollywood memorabilia side, there is as a Pee-wee Herman 1989 JCPenney 40-inch limited edition doll, with only 2,000 made, which is on offer for $300-$500. For the same price range, there’s a metal production parking sign that reads “Pee Wee’s / PLAYHOUSE / P. REUBENS.”
The live auction will take place on Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. PT on the Julien’s Auctions website and at The Groundlings Theatre, where Reubens continued to develop his craft and where he first showcased his Pee-wee Herman character with the renowned Groundlings improvisational group. To celebrate the late actor, who died in 2023 at age 70, Julien’s and the Groundlings will present an exclusive exhibition featuring highlights from Reubens’ archive from Oct. 14 through Oct. 28. On Oct. 14, The Groundlings will screen several episodes from his career-defining Pee-wee’s Playhouse series, with a panel discussion to follow. Tickets for the kick-off screening celebration go on sale Oct. 2 via The Groundlings website.
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