There he grows vegetables, dreams of being a famous singer, has a daily lunch with his fiancée, school teacher Winnie Johnson, and conducts agronomical experiments in a secure greenhouse.

Gina tells Pee-wee about her deceased father, Papa Piccolapupula, a famous aerialist who died attempting something called the "Spiral of Death."

Filming locations included Disney's Golden Oak Ranch in Newhall, California,[4] and the auditorium at Hart High School in Santa Clarita.

During a 1988 television special, Herman acknowledged the long hours of circus training undertaken by the film's actors and that they spent a year and a half working on the movie.

He also humorously compared himself as an actor to James Cagney and Spencer Tracy and ended by saying that Big Top Pee-wee was "at least as good as Police Academy.

"[6] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 36% rating based on 22 reviews, with the site's critical consensus stating: "Its endearingly oddball lead character gives it his all, but Big Top Pee-Wee simply lacks the whimsical magic of its predecessor.

"[11] The negative reviews reflected the film's performance at the box office, where it grossed $15,122,324,[3] suffering from competition with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Coming to America, and the re-issue of Bambi, among other summer releases.

[12] In 2010, Paul Reubens said that Paramount terminated his development deal and evicted him from his office on their lot the day after the movie's disappointing opening weekend.