Pee-Wee Herman Signs On for Next Season's DANCING WITH THE STARS?

Paul Reubens is set to appear on DANCING WITH THE STARS, according to a report from celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.

The report is unclear on whether or not Reubens will be donning his famous bow tie for the dance show, only mentioning the character and citing a source who says: "I just heard Pee-Wee Herman signed with DWTS for next season. He has been back stage twice watching the show this season. I personally heard him say he was vying for a spot next season."

Reubens created Pee-Wee Herman while a member of the famed Los Angeles improv group The Groundlings. The Pee-Wee Herman Show premiered at The Groundlings Theatre on February 7, 1981 at midnight. It quickly moved to The Roxy on Sunset Strip where it ran for an unprecedented five months. The HBO broadcast of the show introduced Pee-wee to a national audience. Pee-wee was brought to the big screen in the hit 1985 comedy Pee-wee's Big Adventure, which he co-wrote and marked Tim Burton's directorial debut.

Reubens went on to create, co-write and direct "Pee-wee's Playhouse" on CBS where the series earned 22 Emmy Awards during its five year run. Reubens has been nominated for 14 Emmy Awards, winning twice. Pee-Wee Herman was made an honorary Muppet, received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame and was made an honorary Marine in conjunction with his work with Toys for Tots. Reubens has starred in a number of diverse film and TV roles, including "30 Rock," "Pushing Daisies," "Reno 911," "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Murphy Brown" which earned him an Emmy nomination. His film credits include Mystery Men, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Blow. Upcoming films include David O. Russell's Nailed and Todd Solondz's Life During Wartime. In the world of animation, Reubens has lent his voice to many projects including Dr. Dolittle, The Nightmare Before Christmas and "Family Guy." He currently can be heard as The Bat-mite on "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" and as the voice of Rex the Robot, the tour guide of George Lucas' Star Tours ride at Disneyland and Disneyworld.

To the generation that grew up with his groundbreaking Saturday morning television show, Pee-Wee Herman is an icon. Revered by media theorists and studied in colleges, his enormous cultural influence continues to reverberate in fashion, film and television.

When Cartoon Network aired the series in 2006, 1.5 million viewers watched every night; the next year TV Guide named the "Playhouse" among the top 10 cult classics of all time. Last year, the Pee-Wee Herman Show made its Broadway debut.

All of the episodes of "Pee-wee's Playhouse" have been issued on DVD and iTunes and are consistently best sellers. Joyce Millman, writing for salon.com about the DVD box-set launch said, "Pee-wee is still a wonder to behold. ‘Pee-wee's Playhouse' is utterly timeless. When Pee-wee starts cutting up to the calliope bounce of the theme song, you know in an instant that innocence lost is often just misplaced and despite everything, you can go home again." The New York Times said, "To a public that remembers him with intense affection, Pee-wee is indelible."