Pee-Wee Herman card collection

I've been a Pee-Wee Herman fan since I was a kid, with Pee-Wee's Playhouse being a favorite show of mine back then. Took me a while to finish this post (sparked now in tribute to the passing of Paul Reubens), but back in 2019, I decided to combine my love of Pee-Wee with my love of card collecting and build up a collection of Pee-Wee cards, chiefly the Pee-Wee's Playhouse cards that Topps put out in 1988. Wasn't easy, but I eventually completed a master set, and by the end had come close to a second master set, which I'm still working on. 

1988 Topps Pee-Wee's Playhouse has just 33 base cards plus a few different insert sets, but with variations, a master set is 159 cards deep. That doesn't sound too bad, but man, it was a challenge! It's tough to find singles online so I figured my best bet was ripping unopened product. The collation is brutal with those packs, though, even sourced from different sellers. Some cards were very tricky for me to track down, while I ended up with tons of dupes of others.

It's kind of a confusing set. As a reference for anyone brave enough to go after it, here's the checklist I put together. I did my best identifying the different cards, but it's not always easy to tell the variations apart.

1988 Topps Pee-Wee's Playhouse (master set: 159 cards)
1A	ant top left	45 Neat Things to Do When It Rains!
1B	yellow on right	45 Neat Things to Do When It Rains!
2A	yellow Conky right	"Time to put away my toys, would you like to help"
2B	yellow Dinosaur right	"Time to put away my toys, would you like to help"
3A	yellow top middle	"Hey, kids! Here's a letter from..."
3B	ant low left	"Hey, kids! Here's a letter from..."
4A	yellow top middle	Globey's Travel Tips: Staten Island, N.Y.
4B	red top middle	Globey's Travel Tips: Staten Island, N.Y.
5A	yellow at top	Playhouse Collectors Show & Tell
5B	red on right	Playhouse Collectors Show & Tell
6A	yellow low left	Potato Fun
6B	yellow top right	Potato Fun
7A	yellow low left	Dinosaur Family Dino Facts
7B	ant on left	Dinosaur Family Dino Facts
8A	ant on left	Playhouse Recipe File
8B	yellow low left	Playhouse Recipe File
9A	yellow on left	Dear Peewee,
9B	yellow on bottom	Dear Peewee,
10A	ant on right	"What's Pee Wee doing?" "Connect the dots..."
10B	red on right	"What's Pee Wee doing?" "Connect the dots..."
11A	yellow on right	"I'm looking for a swinging party!"
11B	red on right	"I'm looking for a swinging party!"
12A	ant on left	Pee Wee's Fun Facts
12B	Dinosaur low left	Pee Wee's Fun Facts
13A	yellow low left	"Mekka lekka hi, mekka hiney ho!"
13B	red low left	"Mekka lekka hi, mekka hiney ho!"
14A	yellow low right	Jambi's Fortunes
14B	red low right	Jambi's Fortunes
15A	ant top left	King of Cartoons Drawing Lesson
15B	yellow low left	King of Cartoons Drawing Lesson
16A	yellow top left	Weekly Playhouse Press
16B	red mid left	Weekly Playhouse Press
17A	yellow bottom	"Cool Cat's pounding out the beat -"
17B	yellow low left	"Cool Cat's pounding out the beat -"
18A	yellow low right	Bazooka Joe Meets Pee-Wee Herman
18B	ants on left	Bazooka Joe Meets Pee-Wee Herman
19A	ant on left and top	"R-r-ready t-to ass-ssist y-you P-P-PeeWee!"
19B	yellow low left	"R-r-ready t-to ass-ssist y-you P-P-PeeWee!"
20A	yellow low left	Puppetland Poetry
20B	yellow top right	Puppetland Poetry
21A	yellow low left	"Let's see how big my rubber band ball is today!"
21B	red low left	"Let's see how big my rubber band ball is today!"
22A	yellow low left	"It's Dance Time!"
22B	ants on top	"It's Dance Time!"
23A	yellow on bottom	"Why don't we stroll over to my toybox?"
23B	yellow on left	"Why don't we stroll over to my toybox?"
24A	ant on left	"Dia I say the secret word PeeWee?"
24B	red top right	"Dia I say the secret word PeeWee?"
25A	Clocky low right	"What's the secret word today Conky?"
25B	Pterri low right	"What's the secret word today Conky?"
26A	yellow top	"Ladies & gentlemen, boys & girls, Let the cartoon begin"
26B	red top right	"Ladies & gentlemen, boys & girls, Let the cartoon begin"
27A	ants on top	"A cartoon a day keeps the Dr. away!"
27B	Chairry on right	"A cartoon a day keeps the Dr. away!"
28A	yellow on right	"Can you tell me what time is is Clocky?"
28B	red on right	"Can you tell me what time is is Clocky?"
29A	yellow low left	"What does 'cha-cha' mean PeeWee?"
29B	red low left	"What does 'cha-cha' mean PeeWee?"
30A	ant on right	"Snack time's my favorite time, except for lunch
30B	yellow low left	"Snack time's my favorite time, except for lunch
31A	yellow low left	"This seed is going to grow up to be a redwood!"
31B	yellow top right	"This seed is going to grow up to be a redwood!"
32A	yellow on right	"Why don't you read me a story?"
32B	red on right	"Why don't you read me a story?"
33A	yellow on bottom	"Breakfast is the most important meal"
33B	red on bottom	"Breakfast is the most important meal"
1	sticker/flipbook	So funny I forgot to laugh/chickie baby/yehaw/pee-wee
2	sticker/flipbook	So funny I forgot to laugh/chickie baby/yehaw/pee-wee
3	sticker/flipbook	Cool/why not/arg/egg roll/baloney/pee we
4	sticker/flipbook	Cool/why not/arg/egg roll/baloney/pee we
5	sticker/flipbook	Flower power/get lost/hello/connect the dots/pee wee
6	sticker/flipbook	Flower power/get lost/hello/connect the dots/pee wee
7	sticker/flipbook	Ants/today's secret word is fun/hi/arf/pee wee
8	sticker/flipbook	Ants/today's secret word is fun/hi/arf/pee wee
9	sticker/flipbook	Miss Yvonne
10	sticker/flipbook	Miss Yvonne
11	sticker/flipbook	Pee-Wee
12	sticker/flipbook	Pee-Wee
13	sticker/flipbook	Dirty Dog
14	sticker/flipbook	Dirty Dog
15	sticker/flipbook	A/O/W/?
16	sticker/flipbook	A/O/W/?
17	sticker/flipbook	M/C/O/J
18	sticker/flipbook	M/C/O/J
19	sticker/flipbook	U/!/H/E
20	sticker/flipbook	U/!/H/E
21	sticker/flipbook	A/X/D/G
22	sticker/flipbook	A/X/D/G
23	sticker/flipbook	Give me air/made you look/i know you are but what am i
24	sticker/flipbook	Give me air/made you look/i know you are but what am i
25	sticker/flipbook	I love that Story!/Moo!/Sit on Me!
26	sticker/flipbook	I love that Story!/Moo!/Sit on Me!
27	sticker/flipbook	Like cool/Hi/fishy/P-man/Wish you were here
28	sticker/flipbook	Like cool/Hi/fishy/P-man/Wish you were here
29	sticker/flipbook	Let the cartoon begin/Hi/Globey/I'm board/It's a Pee-Wee World
30	sticker/flipbook	Let the cartoon begin/Hi/Globey/I'm board/It's a Pee-Wee World
31	sticker/flipbook	Randy
32	sticker/flipbook	Randy
33	sticker/flipbook	Pterri
34	sticker/flipbook	Pterri
35	sticker/flipbook	Jambi
36	sticker/flipbook	Jambi
37	sticker/flipbook	S/E/O/T
38	sticker/flipbook	S/E/O/T
39	sticker/flipbook	Y/P/&/N
40	sticker/flipbook	Y/P/&/N
(41)	sticker/checklist	CL #1 Cards/Photo Stickers (I/F/B/Z on front)
(42)	sticker/checklist	CL #2 Playhouse Tattoos/Wiggle Pictures (I/F/B/Z on front)
(43)	sticker/checklist	CL #3 Alphabet stickers/playhouse foldies/flying things (V/L/K/R)
(44)	sticker/checklist	CL #4 Finger-Nose Cards/Mini-stickers/Disguise Cards (V/L/K/R)
1 of 12	tattoo sheet	skull (I'm labeling these by top-left image)
2 of 12	tattoo sheet	heart eye
3 of 12	tattoo sheet	Reba
4 of 12	tattoo sheet	Cowntess
5 of 12	tattoo sheet	big head pee-wee
6 of 12	tattoo sheet	octopus
7 of 12	tattoo sheet	jumping pee-wee
8 of 12	tattoo sheet	Pterri
9 of 12	tattoo sheet	Dog Chair
10 of 12	tattoo sheet	mom heart
11 of 12	tattoo sheet	pee-wee caterpillar
12 of 12	tattoo sheet	Randy
1	wiggle toy	Miss Yvonne/Cowboy Curtis
2	wiggle toy	Pee-Wee/Ms. Rene
3	wiggle toy	Conky/Reba
4	wiggle toy	Pterri/Randy
5	wiggle toy	Pop Eye/Pee Wee & Miss Yvonne
6	wiggle toy	Cool Cat/Pee-Wee with bicycle
7	wiggle toy	Jambi/cartoon Pee-Wee
8	wiggle toy	Randy/Miss Yvonne
9	wiggle toy	Penny/Pee-Wee
10	wiggle toy	Chairry/Globey
11	wiggle toy	Jambi/Chairry
12	wiggle toy	Pee-Wee/Cowntess
1	puppet card	Pee-Wee/Mr. Kite
2	puppet card	Miss Yvonne/Pee-Wee
3	puppet card	Chairry/Conky
4	puppet card	Roger/Randy
5	puppet card	Jambi/Pee-Wee
1	opening door	Fridge
2	opening door	Randy
3	opening door	Playhouse Door
4	opening door	Floory
5	opening door	Dirty Dog
1	flying things	Flying Pterri
2	flying things	Flyin' Randy
3	flying things	Flying Pee-Wee
4	flying things	Pee-Wee Copter
1A	disguise card	skull mask (flatter top crack on left)
1B	disguise card	skull mask (flatter top crack on right)
2A	disguise card	green mask (shading on left fang)
2B	disguise card	green mask (shading on right fang)
3A	disguise card	3 eyes mask (green eye on left)
3B	disguise card	3 eyes mask (green eye on right)
1	foldies	Penny
2	foldies	Conky
3	foldies	Randy
4	foldies	Pee-Wee
5	foldies	Jambi

I wanted to go more in depth with the set, hence this post languishing in my drafts for over 3 years, plus I've been meaning to create some supplemental customs to go with the set (--There's tragically little from the first season of the show represented in the cards). But I'm not sure when I'll get to that, so for now I'll just give an overview.

The base cards look like this. Each has a background variation, with an analogous baseball card situation being like with 1990 Donruss how there are "paint splatter variations" with the factory set versions of the cards. I don't believe there was any short-printing going on in the set, so I don't think any variation has a premium on it.

The sticker/flipbook cards might be the toughest to complete. And the backs...

The funky letter stickers were recycled from an older Topps release but they fit right in.

The oversized interactive cards are fun but can make storage more of a pain. The three mask cards have mirror image variations that can be tricky to pair up. I pulled so many of the "blue eye on the left" of the 3-eyed mask card (yet the "green eye on left" variation was super tough to track down, go figure) that I even popped one out of the card to play with it as intended.

I've been saying the master set is 159 cards, but if you really want to be OCD about it, you can bump that number up to 171 cards thanks to the "wiggle toys" that rotate between two images. The above photo appears to be 24 minis, but it technically includes just 12 different cards despite what your eyes tell you. Yep: Lentrical variations! Maybe you've encountered this phenomenon when you get a couple Sportflics dupes together and notice that the images are reversed from the same vantage point. Similar with these "wiggle toy" inserts. They are one-per-pack, so you get a lot of them in a box. And when you lay a bunch of one of these out together, it's striking when they're all one certain image except for one dupe that shows the other image. "Is it a dupe?" Depends on how you look at it. Literally! If I can see two clearly different images when looking at the cards side-by-side, I reserve the right to count them as variations in my collection, not a duplicate. Is that weird?

Anyways, there's 1988 Topps Pee-Wee's Playhouse in a nutshell. I have lots of dupes to trade, so if you're building the set, feel free to get in touch. I'd like to trade my dupes with other Pee-wee setbuilders, and then once I've got a second set done, I suppose I'd look to trade it for something cool (preferably Pee-Wee related) or sell it.

Anywoo, I'm fifteen cards away from a 2nd master set. My needs as of 7/31/23:

sticker/flipbook #7 Ants/today's secret word is fun/hi/arf/pee wee

sticker/flipbook #8 Ants/today's secret word is fun/hi/arf/pee wee

sticker/flipbook #14 Dirty Dog

sticker/flipbook #24 Give me air/made you look/i know you are but what am i

sticker/flipbook #25 I love that Story!/Moo!/Sit on Me!

sticker/flipbook #28 Like cool/Hi/fishy/P-man/Wish you were here

sticker/flipbook #33 Pterri

sticker/flipbook #40 Y/P/&/N

sticker/checklist CL #3 Alphabet stickers/playhouse foldies/flying things (V/L/K/R)

puppet card #3 Chairry/Conky

puppet card #5 Jambi/Pee-Wee

opening door #5 Dirty Dog

flying things #1 Flying Pterri

disguise card #1B skull mask (flatter top crack on right)

foldies #3 Randy

As long as I'm showing off Pee-Wee cards, here are some others that came out after that Topps set from '88.

Topps reprinted one of the cards in its 75th Anniversary set (2013) that featured non-sports Topps sets of the past. I've got the base, a foil parallel, and a pair of sparkle parallels (/75). Then there was an online-only set of cards featuring wrapper art that included the '88 Pee-Wee cards, so I grabbed one of those.

Here's some Pee-wee stuff that doesn't feature Pee-wee. The Conky toy is mine from childhood-- glad I hung onto it and wish I hadn't gotten rid of my Pee-wee figure. I'm not looking to really go down the "toy collector" route until I win the lottery or something, but I made an exception and scored myself the Captain Carl figure a few years ago. Love Phil Hartman. Plus Captain Carl didn't get a figure released back in the day (neglected 1st season!), so this is a toy-that-should-have-been, as opposed to, say, the revamped Conky figure they put out in that same line of toys marketed towards adults.

I've been meaning to make a custom cut-auto using that signed index card of E.G. Daily (who played Dottie in Big Adventure). ...one of these days.

Pee-wee or Paul sadly never got a Ginter card or nod in Archives or anything, but he at least got certified autographs thanks to a Star Wars animated guest spot. This is an "inner circle" card in my collection right up there in my eyes with autographs of baseball greats I never dreamt of owning as a kid, not to be too over-the-top about it.

But the big boy in my PW collection is this record..

It's signed by Pee-wee and Paul separately, and Danny Elfman. I've been meaning to hang this up on the wall in the cardroom since I got it a couple years ago. Bummed it took me till today to get around to it, but it's up now.

Thanks for everything, Pee-wee!