In my quest to search through and document all the fun junk in 80s era pop culture bedrooms there are a few films that I thought I was going to have to skip over because I figured there wouldn’t be much fun 80s stuff. Like say, Stand By Me, which features a scene in Gordie’s room, but being set in 1959 it kind of rules itself out in terms of rad 80s stuff. Similarly I knew that there was a super cool room in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure but honestly I didn’t remember much in the way of stuff that would make much sense to talk about here. I mean Pee-wee, and most likely Tim Burton, is really deep into the whole kitsch movement of collecting and decorating (he was close friends with Allee Willis, the Queen of Kitsch), and a lot of that stuff hails from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Sure, there are definitely things in the 80s that would eventually become kitsch, but I figured they’d be largely absent from his room. Well, I stuck the film in the other night just to scope out his room anyway, and I was surprised by a handful of the items I saw laying around and figured, what the heck, lets dissect Pee-wee’s bedroom…
Before I get into, I just want to say that I’m not documenting every single thing in the room (or house as lets be realistic here, that whole place is worthy of dissection.) For one, there’s just too much stuff, and for another, a lot of it is pretty much beyond the scope of this site and my pop culture knowledge. I will try and point out a couple things from the 50s and 60s I recognize, but I’m not gonna beat myself up over missing stuff…
1). Ultraman, Godzilla and some T-Rex plastic dinosaurs…
2). Zoids Gojulas (for Godzilla-esque Zoid)
3). Howdy Doody puppet
4). Giant Stripe from LJN’s Gremlins line
So, if I’m learning anything from some of the recent rooms I’ve been studying, it’s that the Gremlins was way more popular that I remembered. I mean stuff shows up in The Explorers (granted, directed by Joe Dante), Goonies, and now Pee-wee’s Big Adventure! As for the rest of the stuff in this screen shot, there’s some sort of Disney Pluto statue or toy (not sure), a giant coloring book I can’t make out, some toys in boxes on the floor and a bunch of dolls hanging from the ceiling and beams around the Howdy Doody puppet.
5). Gilbert Stuart’s unfinished portrait of George Washington
6). Giant Gumby Toy
7). Mr. Potato Head
8). Late 60’s Red Tin Batmobile
9). Saturn Robot
10). Huckleberry Hound Marionette
11). Disney Drum Set from the 70s
Again, there’s a lot to process in this shot, from the evil-eyed ostrich with the African pigmy warrior on its back to the giant wooden Jack-o-lantern man sitting on the windowsill. Looks like there’s a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica there, a weird UFO diorama, there’s a toy train around the fireman’s pole, multiple fire truck toys, and a little wooden alligator pull toy. Again, lots to take in…
12). Bambi rug
I’ll be honest, I never noticed what was on this rug because I was always transfixed by the utter cuteness of Pee-wee putting on the bunny slippers and having them go after that weird anthropomorphic carrot! So, that’s the bulk of the stuff in his room, but I’m going to go ahead and look at a few more rooms just because there is so much fun stuff…
13). Mister Action Scuba Diver (though it might be a MA Scuba outfit on another doll, not sure if these came in all sorts of varieties, with/without beard, etc.)
14). Bugs Bunny Electric Toothbrush Set
Is, uh, Bugs giving me the finger? I think he’s giving me the finger. “Eh, brush up, Doc!” indeed…
15). Planters Cheez Curls can
16). E.T. metal lunchbox
So, I wanted to point out the can of Planters Cheez Curls because, one, I miss the ever living crap out of them and used to eat them all the time, and also because I still think it’s weird to see non-nut products from Planters. Seriously though, I prefer the Planters Cheez Curls and Balls over Cheetos any day.
So last, but certainly not least, I felt it was only appropriate to point to the super fun sprinkler system outside…
17). Whammo Willy Water Bug
So, anything I missed, or anything from a an earlier decade that you feel deserves a mention? Oh, and I’m well aware that I left out the Mr. T cereal ’cause that one’s pretty obvious…
Other Awesome Bedrooms I’ve covered…
Sara’s Room from Adventures in Babysitting
Eugene’s Room from The Monster Squad
David’s room from Flight of the Navigator
Robbie’s room from Poltergeist