Today is the birthday of actor/comedian/scapegoat Paul Reuben, better known as Pee-wee Herman. Pee-wee was one of my all-time favorite celebrities growing up, and I didn’t understand it when his show no longer aired. When I found out that he was canned due to public indecency, I thought it was one of the stupidest crimes I’d ever heard of. If people are going to police adult movie theaters, are they going to arrest the annoying couples who make out and grope one another to the point of procreation while I’m trying to watch Inception, too? Seriously, poor Pee-wee—I mean Paul—got totally blown out of proportion, just like I always thought George Michael did, and our culture suffered from a lack of his general silliness.

To celebrate Mr. Reuben and his general awesomeness, we can make our own Pee-wee’s Playhouses today at home by…

Having a word of the day. Remember the whispered word of the day on Pee-wee’s Playhouse? It was my favorite part of the show. Pick a word and then every time someone says it, scream as loud as you can. (Make it an easy word like “I” for a really strong effect.)

Dressing up as Cowboy Curtis (can you believe that was Lawrence Fishburne?), Pee-wee himself, Miss Yvonne, or any of your favorite characters.

Saying, “I know you are but what am I!” every time someone says something—even if it’s not relevant. Example: “This soup is hot.” “I know you are but what am I!”

Pretending your furniture talks to you. Address your chair as “Chairy” for the day.

Playing with puppets. Pee-wee always had puppets!

Doing your own claymation movie. Did you know that the creators of Wallace & Gromit actually did work on Pee-wee’s Playhouse?

Singing some Cyndi Lauper. Yes, she did do the show’s theme song! She was also featured singing on The Goonies, if I recall correctly. Good times.

Playing, “Connect the dots—la, la, la, la!” Doesn’t that just get stuck in your head? Swap piece of paper with friends and create dot pictures to do together. Make them as funny, disgusting, difficult, or obscure as you like. Or, simply do an online version.

Asking people, “Then why don’t you marry it?” every time they say they love something. Example: “I love Sudoku puzzles.” “Then why don’t you marry them?”

Having an animated snack time. Pretend your crackers, vegetables, and milk carton have all come to life while you make an easy snack.