Pee Wee Herman; Paul Reubens’ Big Auction!

Posted on October 1, 2026 by James Moore-McDermott in Auction News

Promotional image for Julien's Auctions showcasing Paul Reubens, featuring Pee Wee Herman memorabilia.

Come on in and pull yourself up a chair!

Julien’s is honored to present Paul Reubens’ Big Auction – a once-in-a-lifetime event celebrating the life, legacy, and artistry of one of the most beloved icons of the 20th century, Paul Reubens.

Reubens took the world by storm when he burst onto the scene at The Groundlings with his eternal man-child character, Pee-wee Herman, with whom he would soon become synonymous. Pee-wee was an instant cult sensation, spawning his own full-length live production, “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” which began as a midnight show at The Groundlings and was then immortalized on film at The Roxy for an HBO special. Pee-wee’s (and Reubens’) popularity skyrocketed from there, leading to appearances on Late Night with David Letterman (NBC, 1972 – 1993), Saturday Night Live (NBC, 1975 – Present), and cameos in films like Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie (Universal, 1990). He went from cult sensation to mega-star with the starring role in his own feature film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (Warner Bros, 1985), the iconic story of a rebel and his bike (and the feature film debut of director Tim Burton). The blockbuster film led to the Emmy Award-winning television series Pee-wee’s Playhouse (CBS, 1986 – 1990) and two more feature films – Big Top Pee-wee (Paramount, 1988) and Pee-wee’s Big Holiday (Netflix, 2016).

A gray suit worn by the character Pee-wee Herman from 'Pee-wee's Big Holiday', accompanied by white shoes.

Reubens also maintained a vibrant acting career without the red bow tie, both in front of the camera and in voiceover performances for projects such as The Nightmare Before Christmas (Touchstone, 1993), Matilda (Sony, 1996), Murphy Brown (CBS, 1988 – 1998), Mystery Men (Universal, 1999), Ally McBeal (Fox, 1997 – 2002), Blow (New Line Cinema, 2001), 30 Rock (NBC, 2006 – 2013), and many more. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 70.

During his life, Reubens was an avid collector. A lover of all things kitsch, campy, and child-like, he would scour the thrift stores and swap meets of LA along with his friends David Arquette, Debi Mazar, and Allee Willis, looking for anything that spoke to him. And he kept everything. Reubens’ massive collection was first revealed in the Emmy Award-winning documentary Pee-wee as Himself (HBO, 2025). Now, this auction makes selections from it available to the public for the first time. The carefully curated sale includes rare production-used pieces and props from all of Pee-wee’s films and the Playhouse, a plethora of toys from Reubens’ personal toy chest, rare artwork, vintage merchandise, and even a bike or two that you won’t have to go searching for in the basement of The Alamo.

Presented in partnership with The Groundlings, the landmark improvisation and sketch comedy theatre in Los Angeles where Reubens first found his voice as a performer.The celebration begins at The Groundlings Theatre, where Julien’s and The Groundlings will present an exclusive exhibition showcasing highlights of Paul Reubens’ historic archive from Wednesday, October 14 through Wednesday, October 28, leading up to the auction. On the evening of October 14, The Groundlings will host a special screening of several episodes of the original Pee-wee’s Playhouse series followed by a panel discussion celebrating Reubens’ life and work. Tickets for the screening and panel go on sale Friday, October 2 at groundlings.com.

The auction takes place live at 10am PST on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at The Groundlings Theatre and online at juliensauctions.com.

Let the fun begin! It’s time to let down your hair! Tell your friends that they’re invited to get wacky at Paul Reubens’ Big Auction!