Paul Reubens for a full-length Pee-wee Herman film. Reubens' original idea was to do a remake of "Pollyanna", which Reubens claims is his favorite film. Halfway through writing the script, Reubens noticed everyone at Warner Bros. had a bike with them, which inspired Reubens to start on a new script with Phil Hartman. When Reubens and the producers of "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" saw Tim Burton's work on "Vincent" and "Frankenweenie", they chose Burton to be the film's director. The film tells the story of Pee-wee Herman embarking on nationwide adventure in search of his stolen bicycle. The movie went on to gross
Paul Reubens of responses to a Pee-wee telephone survey, in which callers supported Reubens by nine-to-one. Reubens, who for years would not give interviews or appear on talk shows, did make a subsequent public appearance as Pee-wee at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards on September 5, where he asked the audience, "Heard any good jokes lately?" He received a standing ovation. Reubens then appeared as Pee-wee once in 1992, when he participated in a Grand Ole Opry tribute to Minnie Pearl. During the 1990s, Reubens kept a low profile, dedicating himself to writing and collecting a variety of things, "everything from