Paul Reubens had a small part as a waiter in "The Blues Brothers". The character of "Pee-wee Herman" originated during a 1978 improvisation exercise with The Groundlings, where Reubens came up with the idea of a man who wanted to be a comic but was so inept at telling jokes that it was obvious to the audience that he would never make it. Fellow Groundling Phil Hartman would afterwards help Reubens develop the character while another Groundling, John Paragon, would help write the show. Despite having been compared to other famous characters, such as Hergé's Tintin and Collodi's Pinocchio, Reubens says that
Paul Reubens January 12, 2010, and February 7. To promote the show Reubens once again gave interviews in character, appearing as a guest on "The Jay Leno Show", "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" (as well as O'Brien's subsequent Legally Prohibited Tour) and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" among others. A Twitter account, a Facebook account and a new website were made for Pee-wee after the show changed venues. On November 1, 2010, Reubens was a special guest star on a WWE Raw episode as Pee-wee. On November 11, 2010, the show relocated to New York for a limited run at the Stephen Sondheim