Of all the great flesh-and-blood cartoons of 1980s popular culture — Hulk Hogan, Madonna, Mr. T — the one easiest for small children to relate to was Pee-wee Herman. In reality, Pee-wee Herman was nothing like us at all, a dreamy man-child in a red bow tie whose sugary smile could curl into a punky scowl. A singular piece of comic performance art for a mass audience, Pee-wee Herman stood out in every form he appeared in, from improv theaters to late-night talk shows to the movies to Saturday morning television. His appearances on that most ironic of late-night shows were like invasions from Candy Land. You laughed not because the jokes were funny, but because they were told with such commitment to the fun of it all.

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Persons: Hulk Hogan, Madonna, Herman, wee Herman, Paul Reubens, David Letterman, ”, Brother Theodore, Harvey Pekar, Andy Kaufman Locations: Candy