Talking Pee-Wee

Talking Pee-Wee

Synopsis of Toy

Built around the colorful antics of an exuberant man-child named Pee-Wee Herman, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse hit the Saturday morning airwaves in the wake of the box-office hit Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and quickly became a favorite with everyone from little kids to hip adults. This success led to an impressive onslaught of tie-in merchandise that included lunchboxes, trading cards, watches, key chains, and even air fresheners. But the biggest success to rise from this wave of items was the Talking Pee-Wee Doll, a big hit that continues to be a cult favorite today.

The Talking Pee-Wee Herman doll was made by Matchbox Toys and stood an impressive 17 inches tall. Like his flesh and blood inspiration, this doll came dressed in a grey suit, red bowtie, and white buck shoes. Although his body was mostly made of stuffed, soft fabric, the head and hands were made of solid vinyl. The head also boasted a perfect cartoon-style replica of Pee-Wee’s child-like grin and a molded plastic hairstyle that perfectly replicated Pee-Wee’s familiar crew-cut.

For its speaking feature, the Talking Pee-Wee Herman doll forsook an easily-pushed button or a on/off switch for a good old-fashioned pull string. With one tug of the pull string, a voice box in the doll’s chest would be activated, and out would fly one of five Pee-Wee Herman catchphrases. The collection of exuberantly-voiced sayings included “I’m Pee Wee Herman!,” “Helllooooo,” “Made you look!,” “Ha-Ha!,” “I know you are, but what am I?” and the all-purpose yell “AAAARGH!”

The Talking Pee-Wee Doll continued to be popular into the early 1990’s, when a public arrest in Florida led to Paul Reubens' retiring the popular Pee-Wee Herman character and his namesake doll quietly disappearing from the toy shelves. Although this beloved character hasn’t appeared in a television show or a movie for several years, his fans still enjoy his past classics on video. They also collect the classic Pee-Wee Herman merchandise, with the Talking Pee-Wee Herman doll being one of the most-prized items. The lasting success of this chatty toy shows that the cult of Pee-Wee will endure well into the future.

Release History of Toy

1987 - Talking Pee-Wee Herman

Sub Categories of Toys

dolls
tv tie-in

Toy and Game Manufacturer

Matchbox

Other Toy Links