Reubens spent a significant amount of his childhood in Oneonta, New York. As a child, Reubens frequented the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, whose winter headquarters was in Sarasota. The circus' atmosphere sparked Reubens' interest in entertainment and influenced his later work. Reubens also loved to watch reruns of "I Love Lucy", which made him want to make people laugh. At age 5, Reubens asked his father to build him a stage, where he and his siblings would put on plays.