Sketch o’the Week- Pee Wee!
Okay, so it’s not really a sketch. It’s actually a spot illustration from an old job I ran across recently. This one reminds me of a story from about 20 years ago during my live caricature drawing days when I had a run in with a theme park manager . . .
I was working at one of my theme park concessions in 1992 when one of the newer members of the park’s “management team” came up to the booth and asked if I was the owner.
“Yes,” I told her.
She pointed at one of the many examples up on the wall, one I had done, and told me there was a problem with it. “This is a family park,” she explained. “After his scandal and arrest, we can’t have a caricature of Pee Wee Herman on display.”
“I understand,” I replied. “I totally agree.”
“Great. So you’ll take that caricature example down?”
“No, I won’t,” I said.
This took her aback. “I’m sorry, I thought I was clear,” she went on. “We can’t allow you to hang a caricature of Pee Wee Herman in front of our guests at this park.”
“Yes, I completely understand.”
“So, please take that caricature off the wall.”
“Nope.”
Now she’s getting incensed. “I’m TELLING YOU it is UNACCEPTABLE to have a caricature of Pee Wee Herman up in a family park!” She kept saying, getting red in the face. “Take that caricature down IMMEDIATELY.”
“I understand what you are saying,” I calmly replied, “but I am not going to take down that caricature.”
“WHY NOT?” She finally spurted out, totally flustered.
“Because that’s not Pee Wee Herman, that’s Ed Grimley from Saturday Night Live.”
She stared at me in bug eyed disbelief for a few seconds, and then turned and walked away. She never said a word to me again.
The triangle should have been a dead give away.
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Hey Tom, Im a young caricaturist and I really do love your work. I got your book a few weeks ago and it has helped tremendously, well anyways great picture Pee Wee is awesome. Keep up the good work 🙂
Thanks, Cameron! So glad you like the book.
Great story!!!!!!
Hilarious!
Has it been twenty years already? Geez, that’s about right, Ed Grimley is about due for a comeback any day now – what is Martin Short up to?
haha…great story
HAHAHAHA! That is EPIC!
What a riot. You’re a composed guy. The “triangle”? Is this the Ed or the Pee Wee, I can’t remember the difference in noses betw Martin Short and Pee Wee?
Ed Grimley plays the “triangle”, as in the percussion instrument. In he sample the was playing it.
Being Canadian, I first saw Ed Grimly on SCTV. Great stuff Tom, keep it up. (you don’t have the Ed Grimly example to post do you?)
LOVE this, Tom! Great story, I must say!
That’s story is hilarious! You made my day.
Phenomenal!
I would love to see the original sample! Funny story, too.