Sweet Ride: Pee-wee Herman’s ‘Big Adventure’ Bike sells for $140,000
Arguably one of the most important bikes in movie history, the custom Schwinn DX Pee-wee Herman rode to fame on in ‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’ rides off at Bonhams’ event.
Pee-wee Herman, a bow-tie-wearing man-child in short drainpipe pants and a flattop hairdo, remains a pop culture symbol of childlike whimsy. Created by the comic actor Paul Reubens, Pee-wee starred in the 1985 hit film, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” a movie directed by Tim Burton about Pee-wee’s search for his stolen bike.
That beloved bike, a custom Schwinn DX, sold for $140,000 (including buyer’s premium) at Bonhams “Pop Culture: Then and Now” sale recently. The bike, arguably one of the most important in movie history, likely appeared in the film’s one-sheet advertising poster.
''Pee-Wee's Big Adventure'' is the story of what happens when Pee-wee's bicycle is stolen and he sets out to find it, a journey that takes him to San Antonio and, finally, to the Warner Brothers studio in Burbank, Calif. The surprise hit movie helped launch Reubens' "Pee-wee's Playhouse," a critically acclaimed and widely successful children’s program broadcast on CBS between 1986 and 1991. Nearly 10 million people - kids and adults alike - tuned in each week. Reubens died July 30, 2023. He was 70.
