When Pee Wee’s Big Adventure hit the big screen in 1985, everybody fell in love with the nerdy character created by comedian Paul Reubens. Due to the film’s box office success, Pee Wee Herman would soon delight children (and more than a few adults) with the critically acclaimed Saturday morning show, Pee Wee’s Playhouse. It was only natural that a whole assortment of merchandising would follow closely behind. Everything from lunchboxes to trading cards hit the shelves. Perhaps none of the products were more memorable or enjoyable, however, than the Talking Pee Wee doll.

In the world of dolls, Pee Wee towered over the competition, standing at 17 inches tall. He wore the same familiar gray suit, white buck shoes, and red bowtie as his human counterpart and sported a body that, although most was stuffed fabric, contained hands and a head molded out of solid vinyl. With the same boyish grin and indestructible crew cut hairstyle that fans had grown to love, Pee Wee was a respectable likeness for the iconic character.

Of course, the best feature was Pee Wee’s ability to talk. Harkening back to the speaking dolls of yesteryear, Pee Wee’s vocal chords were activated by an old-fashioned pull-string mechanism.  With a good yank, Pee Wee was ready to spout out one of five familiar catchphrases such as “I’m Pee Wee Herman!,” “Made you look!,” “I know you are but what am I?,” “Ha-Ha” and finally, that trademark Pee Wee yell.

The future looked bright for all things Pee Wee until actor Paul Reubens was arrested in a Florida movie theater in the early 90s. The show was cancelled and the dolls were quietly removed from toy store shelves. Reubens would retire the character at that point and Pee Wee has yet to make another appearance since. But the public has proven themselves more than willing to forgive Reubens for his past misadventures and Pee Wee remains a cult favorite for many a fan. The films still enjoy respectable sales, even showing up on the big screen from time to time and the television show lives in the world of videotapes and DVD. But for the true fan, nothing tops out the collection like a good ol’ Pee Wee Herman doll, a toy that can often fetch respectable prices on the collector market.

And while Pee Wee may never again make another real life appearance, those that long to hear the nasally voice, and are lucky enough to own one of the coveted dolls, only need to pull a string to converse with their favorite friend once again.