’80s Overload: See Joan Rivers, Oprah, Cher and More in ‘Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhouse’

If you’re already holiday-ed out by the relentless music and family films recycling through your television, we have a little something strange to lift you out of the Santa insanity. A friend of all things weird, Pee-wee Herman wrote the 1988 episode “Christmas at Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which opens innocently enough with a performance from the UCLA Mens Choir. Things grow increasingly surreal — as Pee-wee’s guest list might suggest.

Where else will you find a grown man in an ill-fitting suit who hangs out with the likes of Dinah Shore, Joan Rivers, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg, Little Richard (on ice skates!), Charo, K.D. Lang, Grace Jones (dressed like a futuristic mannequin and singing yuletide songs!), Magic Johnson and the Del Rubio triplets? Did we mention here are Hanukkah dinosaurs? Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon show up for the arts-and-crafts segment of the show, and Cher makes an appearance — knowing years later we’d wonder what she looked like when she still resembled a person.

For the strangest celebrity kitchen-sink Christmas show ever, check out Pee-wee’s take on the season. For more holiday weirdness, check out these bizarre holiday films. [Spotted via Open Culture]

Note: This post originally ran in December 2013 and was written by Alison Nastasi.

MORE FROM AROUND THE WEB: