Mystery (Pee-wee's Playhouse)
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"Mystery" is the 37th episode of Pee-wee's Playhouse. It first aired on September 15, 1990 on CBS.
Some of Pee-wee's favorite items have turned up missing and he vows to find the culprit.
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[edit] Plot
[edit] New Toy
Pee-wee is watching the shelves of his toy cupboard behind the tire-shaped door move by until he makes it stop and grabs up his new toy: a cup on a stick with a ball attached to it by a string. He tries several times to flip the ball into the cup, until he says he didn't want to play with it anyway. He goes to find out the secret word. He goes unplugs Conky from the wall and flips the switch on him, bringing him to life. He says he's ready to assist Pee-wee, as always, and as always, Pee-wee asks what the secret word of the day is. A piece of cardstock pops out of Conky's midsection. Pee-wee takes it and shows it to the audience. It reads: AROUND. Pee-wee plays along by spinning a little bit. He reminds viewers of what to do whenever everyone says the secret word and then tries the secret word out on Globey: "Hey, Globey, can you tell me where China is?" "Sure, Pee-wee," the globe replies. "Let me just turn around." Everyone screams. Then Pee-wee discovers the ants in the ant farm are building a skyscraper in their farm. One of them falls off the edge of the building and lands on an I-beam hanging from a wire. Pee-wee asks what they're up to. The ants form the words "Hanging Around" on the wire. Everyone screams again.
[edit] Conky's Family Album
Then Conky decides to show Pee-wee his family album and take a look at some of his family members (all of whom machines of different sizes and purposes). His father, for instance, is an impressive MM1200, while his sister is a KC200 Jr., usually getting into trouble. His grandfather is a real sport, always giving humans a ride around the living room. His grandmother is shown knitting a scarf for his sister and his mother is making a batch of homemade cookies. Finally, his dog Corky is shown, sporting a third pair of big wheels.
[edit] Miss Yvonne
Mr. Window announces for Miss Yvonne's arrival, but she's feeling rather dejected and she's wearing a big coat over her dress. Pee-wee asks what's wrong. She says, "Oh, nothing." "Then why the long face and the even longer coat?" Pee-wee asks. "I spilled a little bit of my lunch on myself," Yvonne replies. She unbuttons her coat to reveal that her dress is covered in various food splotches. Pee-wee says, "Oh, just a little?" "Actually, the entire smorgasbord," Yvonne says. She then says she's going to the launderette and asks if she can take some of Pee-wee's suits to be cleaned. Pee-wee says yes, there are some suits he needs cleaned. So he goes to get them. But then Pee-wee screams. Miss Yvonne asks what's wrong. He says his suits are missing. She asks where could they be. "I don't know," Pee-wee cries. "It's a mystery!" A man at one end of the playhouse plays an ominous chord on an organ. Miss Yvonne says she is sorry about his suits. She is sure his suits will turn. So Miss Yvonne leaves. Clocky then announces a cartoon to play.
[edit] Snack Time: Corn Flakes
Pee-wee then decides that it's now snack time. This week, it would be corn flakes. He removes a box of corn flakes. Then he goes to pick up a bottle of milk from the fridge. He has to move fast because the food in the fridge are watching a movie (that, strangely enough, stars Pee-wee) and they start yelling at him for barging in. He then says he needs a bowl and spoon, then ducks down to find them. But surprisingly, he finds nothing. He pops back up, looking very desperate. "Where's my cereal bowl and spoon?!" he cries. "It's a mystery!" The man at the organ plays the ominous chord again.
[edit] The Photo Album Is Gone Too
After an El Hombre toon is shown, Pee-wee is seen tossing and turning on his bed. Pterri is nearby. He asks Pee-wee what's wrong. At first, Pee-wee says, "Nothing!" But Pterri tells him that he doesn't sound happy. Pee-wee looks at him and says, "Would you sound happy if your suit, your cereal bowl and your best spoon were missing?!" "No, I wouldn't," said Pterri. He offers to try and locate them while he flies around. Since he just said the secret word, everyone screams. Pee-wee says that that's a great idea. He will show Pterri his photo album so he can see what his missing items look like. So he leans in under his bed to find his photo album. But he doesn't seem to know where it is. Pterri asks him if he sees it, but Pee-wee says although he claims he always has it under the bed, it's now missing.
Pee-wee then paces around the playhouse, shouting, "My photo album is missing!" "Oh no!" everyone shouts. "First, my suits are missing," he continues, "then, my special cereal bowl and spoon are missing, and now, my photo album is missing!" He says that this is the weirdest day he's ever had. Chairry asks him why all his favorite things are disappearing. Pee-wee says he doesn't know; it's a mystery. The organist that usually played the ominous chord when he hears the word "mystery" doesn't play this time; he's sound asleep. Pee-wee takes notice of this: "I said, 'It's a mystery!'" The organist stirs, but doesn't respond. So Pee-wee walks up in front of the organist and yells in his face, "Mystery!" The organist wakes up and promptly plays the ominous chord again. Pee-wee then says that at least they still have their Penny cartoon. So they show that.
[edit] Missing Dots
When the Penny cartoon ends, Magic Screen tells Pee-wee that it's time to play with it. Pee-wee says, "Okay." He leaps into the screen for another session of connect-the-dots. He digs into his pockets and pulls out... one dot?! Pee-wee doesn't notice until a minute later:
- Connect the dot, lalalala
Connect the... dot?
Pee-wee then screams and leaps out of the screen and into the waiting arms of Chairry. He screams his head off and swings it left and right in anger. Chairry asks what's wrong and Pee-wee says that all his dots are missing; you can't connect one dot. Chairry says that maybe he misplaced them. Pee-wee says he didn't misplace them; he always keeps them in his pockets. He digs into his pockets and pulls out nothing. "See?" he says. "No dots." "Where did they go?" Chairry asks. "I dunno," Pee-wee says tiredly. "It's a mystery!" The organist again plays that same ominous chord.
Pee-wee then leaps off Chairry, filled with conviction and saying that he has had enough. He then approaches the camera slowly until the audience sees a claustraphobic closeup of his face. All the while, he says, "They can take the suits off your back. They can take your special cereal bowl and spoon. They can even take your album of photo memories. But when they mess with your dots, they go too far!"
[edit] Whodunit
Shortly thereafter, Pee-wee gathers all the playhouse denizens together in the center of the playhouse. Even Miss Yvonne (wearing a different dress than earlier in the episode). He says they're probably wondering what they're doing here. Globey says that they're there every day. Miss Yvonne, however, does want to know. Pee-wee says that he gathered everyone together for one purpose and one purpose only: to once and for all solve the mystery of who took his stuff. He turns to Chandelier and asks her to shed some light on the subject. She shines very brightly and asks, "How's this?" Pee-wee squints and says, "Uh, it's brighter." He thanks her and says, "Okay, that's enough."
He then interrogates Miss Yvonne: "What about you, Miss Yvonne?" "What about me?" she asks. Pee-wee says he'll ask the questions. He explains how she may have committed the crime of robbing him: perhaps she borrowed his cereal bowl, broke it and was too embarrassed to tell him, so she just threw it away, hoping he wouldn't know. Miss Yvonne denies this by saying that she doesn't eat cereal for breakfast; she prefers poached eggs on toast points. Pee-wee says he knew she wouldn't really do it. He then interrogates... Pterri. Pee-wee explains to him that even prehistoric birds need to change their clothes once in a while. He says that maybe he took one of his suits. Pterri nervously says he would never do that. Pee-wee says he didn't think he'd do it anyway.
Then Pee-wee moves on to Chairry. He tells her that it's been a while since she's been reupholstered. Maybe she was looking for something in a connect-the-dots pattern. Chairry denies this by saying that dots make her look heavy. Pee-wee then tells Chicky Baby that she likes to look at his photo album. He asks her if she's seen it around. Everyone screams. "Sorry, baby," she replies.
Pee-wee then tells everyone that if no one took his stuff, then there's only one suspect left. "Who's that, Pee-wee?" Miss Yvonne asks. Pee-wee looks traumatically at the camera and says, "ME! I did it! I did it and I don't remember doing it!" He rampages around the room, wailing, "I must be going crazy!" over and over... until he runs into a short man wearing one of his suits and carrying a bowl, a spoon and a photo album!
[edit] Busby
Pee-wee then stops the man right then and there. "Who are you?!" he demands. "Nobody," the man says hastily and then tries to leave. Pee-wee stops and says to him that that's his stuff he's got there and he's wearing his suit. He asks him what he's doing it with it. "Puttin' it back, bye!" the man says. He tries to leave but Pee-wee stops him and threatens to call the police. He then starts yelling, "Police!! Police!!" The man tries to explain, but Pee-wee will have none of it. He tells the man he will get the chair for this. He forces the man into Chairry's waiting arms, after which she wraps her arms around him to prevent him from escaping and says, "Gotcha!"
Pee-wee continues to yell, "Police!! Police!!" while the little man tries to explain, but Pee-wee just yells at him to just tell it to the district attorney. Miss Yvonne then approaches and calmly asks Pee-wee to let her handle this. Then she turns the little man and says hi. She asks him why he took Pee-wee's things. The man explains that he just moved into the neighborhood and he doesn't have any friends. He had seen how many people came to visit the playhouse every day, so he thought he'd be able to make friends, too, if he tried to be just like them. Pee-wee plays a violin, while pretending to sob. The man then continues to explain: he, however, felt bad for taking Pee-wee's things, so he tried to sneak them back in before anyone found out. Pee-wee says, "Fascinating story. Please send me a letter all about from jail!" He laughs. Miss Yvonne then tells the little man that he doesn't have to be like other people to make friends; he just needs to be himself.
Pee-wee then says, "Which brings us to our next question: who are you?" The little man says his name is Busby. Everyone says hi to Busby. Globey asks Pee-wee if Busby can be their friend. Pee-wee turns to Yvonne for support and she nods yes. "Okay," Pee-wee finally says. Everyone cheers. Busby then gives Pee-wee back his spoon, bowl and photo album. He is also about to undress out of Pee-wee's suit, but Pee-wee tells him to keep it... until he gets it cleaned. Then he looks at the camera and says, "Finally! The mystery is solved!"
The organist plays a happier, more upbeat tune on his organ, while Pee-wee dances his way to his scooter's hiding place. He turns the crank on the statue arm and the hidden door rises, releasing his red scooter. He mounts the scooter and puts on the helmet. Pee-wee says good-bye to everyone. Miss Yvonne, Busby and the rest of the gang all say good-bye to Pee-wee, who replies, "See you AROUND!" Everyone screams one last time. Pee-wee then looks at the organist and asks who he is. The organist just says, "It's a mystery!" He then plays the same old ominous chord on the organ from earlier in the episode. Then Pee-wee 'scoots' out, and the supposedly locked door swings open, and he flies out of the playhouse, passing Mount Rushmore on his way, as usual. The end credits roll.
[edit] Trivia
- The man playing the organ is played by staff player Max Robert.
- Busby is played by Leslie Jordan.
- The movie the food in the refrigerator are watching is Big Top Pee-wee.
- Featured cartoon: Farm Frolics (1941).
- This is the second and only other episode in which both El Hombre and the Penny Cartoon are shown in the same episode. The first one was Miss Yvonne's Visit.
- The Ants spell out the secret word "around" in the ant farm, but it is never actually said, yet everybody still screams.
