Pee-wee

Both silly and subversive and championing nonconformity, the Pee-wee universe is a trippy place, populated by things such as a talking armchair and a friendly pterodactyl.

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010

It inspired Tim Burton's feature "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" in 1985 and another film, "Big Top Pee-wee," three years later.

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010

He has donned his Pee-wee suit and popped up all over New York to drum up attention for "The Pee-wee Herman Show," which officially opens Nov. 11.

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010

So he went back to the beginning: a live show based on the "The Pee-wee Herman Show" that debuted in Los Angeles in 1981 and was a success with both kids during matinees and adults at a midnight show.

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010

"I didn't see any reason to put Pee-wee away," he says.

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010

For a performer who had spent a long time and a lot of energy tying to make people think Pee-wee was real, Reubens watched as the public unmasking (he also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor obscenity charge in 2004) put a cloud over his best-known alter ego.

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010

Even in exile, he and Pee-wee had unfinished business.

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010

Reubens, who is as quiet and thoughtful in real life as Pee-wee is zany and high-pitched, is still slim and boyish.

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010

It inspired Tim Burton's feature "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" in 1985 and another film, "Big Top Pee-wee," three years later.

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010

Reubens continued to act, playing characters other than Pee-wee and scoring successes in "Batman Returns" in 1992 and a 1995 Emmy nomination for a recurring guest role on "Murphy Brown."

Paul Reubens: I'm Not Pee-Wee, I'm A Different Person AP 2010