The completed project, Heritage USA, included
office and studio space for the Bakkers’ television
production company; a campsite; hotels, motels,
and time-share condos; a water park; and the popu-
lar theme park, complete with shops, activities, and
biblically themed games. The park featured a Main
Street area meant to evoke small-town American life,
a place set apart from the increasingly secularized
world in which visitors spent the rest of the year. The
park also included the Upper Room building, where
visitors could view models arranged to resemble fa-
mous portrayals of the Last Supper. However, the
complex did not include a sufficient number of ho-
tel rooms for the Bakkers to make good on their
promise of free stays for every thousand-dollar do-
nor. Angry donors filed lawsuits when the ministry
reneged on its promises. By the end of the 1980’s, it
had been discovered that Bakker was stealing money
from his own ministry. He was convicted of fraud
and imprisoned, and Heritage USA was closed.
Impact Heritage USA was marketed to a large
group of American Christians who sought alterna-
tives to traditional vacation packages that would
better align with the values they espoused. It repre-
sented an early realization of the potential for the
growing industry of Christian entertainment. The
demise of both the theme park and the larger enter-
tainment complex contributed to ongoing criticism
not only of televangelism but also of the greed that
often accompanied it.
Further Reading
O’Guinn, Thomas C., and Russell W. Belk. “Heaven
on Earth: Consumption at Heritage Village, USA.”
Journal of Consumer Research16 (1989): 227ff. Pre-
sents a compelling study of visitors to the theme
park and looks at the interesting intersections of
sacred and secular values.
Shepard, Charles E.Forgiven: The Rise and Fall of Jim
Bakker and the PTL Ministr y. Rev. ed. New York: At-
lantic Monthly Press, 1991. Biographical study
by the award-winningCharlotte Observerreporter
whose reporting contributed to Bakker’s down-
fall.
Jennifer Heller
See also Bakker, Jim and Tammy Faye; Religion
and spirituality in the United States; Televangelism.
Herman, Pee-Wee
Identification Comedic children’s character
Creator Paul Reubens (1952- )
Date Introduced in 1981
The creation of comedian Paul Reubens, Pee-Wee Herman
was a successful character onstage, in television specials
and guest appearances, and on film in the first half of the
1980’s. In the decade’s second half, he was featured on the
only live-action Saturday morning children’s network tele-
vision show.
Sporting a tight, gray, houndstooth suit, a red bow
tie, a fastidiously manicured crew cut, and an infec-
tious laugh, the character Pee-Wee Herman became
a tremendous success in the 1980’s. Herman was the
creation of Paul Reubens, a comedian working with
the Groundlings improvisational troupe in Holly-
wood, California. The character appealed to both
adults and children, and he was featured onstage,
in film, and on television during the decade. Joined
by Phil Hartman and other Groundlings, Reubens
created and performedThe Pee-Wee Herman Show
(pr. 1981). The show featured Pee-Wee, an adult
man who acted like a five-year-old as he welcomed
the audience to his whimsical and kitschy playhouse.
The show successfully ran for five sold-out months at
Hollywood’s Roxy Theater, attracting the attention
of several producers. Cable television channel Home
Box Office (HBO) aired one of the performances
on September 11, 1981, and Reubens and Hartman
sold the screenplay to a film,Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,
shortly thereafter.
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure(1985) reached the big
screen directed by Tim Burton. It followed Pee-Wee
as he searched the country for his beloved stolen
bike. Along the way, he met several eccentric people
whom he helped through crises, and he performed
the Pee-Wee Herman dance in platform shoes to
“Tequila,” a performance that became an instant hit
across America.
With the movie’s success, the Columbia Broad-
casting System (CBS) took a gamble on the lovable,
bizarre, and somewhat annoying character, airing
the first episode ofPee-Wee’s Playhousein 1986, at a
cost of $325,000 per episode.Pee-Wee’s Playhousewas
set in a colorful playhouse that contained talking
furniture, appliances, animals, and a wish-granting
genie. The show featured cartoon and claymation
segments, puppets, and live guests, including Lau-The Eighties in America Herman, Pee-Wee 461