On the list of all-time favorite cult movie classics, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure still stands strong when it comes to entertainment, delight, and silliness. Pee-Wee’s quest to find his beloved stolen bike, and the characters he meets along the way, continues to make us LOL and keep the flick in our stable of go-to feel good movies. Check out these 12 fun facts you probably didn’t know and will likely make you love the film even more.
1. The movie as supposed to be a loose remake of Pollyana.
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2. It was the first time Tim Burton and Danny Elfman worked together.
3. Pedal Pusher Bike Shop in Newport Beach CA, took $10,000 and no screen credit to build 10 bicycles for the movie.
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4. Speaking of bike shops, when Pee-Wee returns after he discovered his bike was stolen, his white complexion was from a terrible flu he was battling.
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5. The only time Pee-Wee ever comes close to swearing is when he delivers the line, “I don’t want some other crappy bike.”
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6. An homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo appears when the wheels are spinning behind Pee-Wee’s head.
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7. Tim Burton makes a cameo in the movie as a street punk bothering Pee-Wee outside the fortune teller’s studio.
8. Watch carefully when Large Marge talks to Pee-Wee. She doesn’t blink once.
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9. Upon the film’s completion, Warner Brothers thought it was weird and hesitated to put a lot of money behind promotion. It went on to pull in over $41 million at the box office.
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10. Jan Hooks, who played the Alamo tour guide, improvised all of her lines.
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11. The late and great movie critic, Roger Ebert, listed the movie as one of his guilty pleasures.
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12. In 2014, Pee-Wee’s bike sold on Ebay for $36,600.
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