Limited edition Big Tex bobbleheads are back on sale

Christmas came early. Or something like that.

The Big Tex bobblehead features a grinning cowboy, which is how we'd prefer to remember him. The real Big Tex was a bit of a hothead in his last hours.

FAIR PARK — Hundreds of people have asked State Fair of Texas employees: Where can I get a Big Tex bobblehead?

The $20 figurines have been sold out since Big Tex burned down the last weekend of the State Fair, but another shipment should arrive by Christmas, said Jim Morrison, program director for MainGate Inc. and keeper of the bobblehead scoop.

The figurines first made their national -- nay, international -- debut after Big Tex burned down. In memorial photos, the little statues of Tex showed his head a-bobbin', big grin on his face, in honor of the fallen 52-foot Big Tex.

They were sold exclusively during the State Fair, starting "six or seven years ago," said spokesperson Sue Gooding. The toys seem like perfect fixtures for vehicle dashboards or trinkets for cubicles.

This year's commemorative bobblehead honored Big Tex on his 60th birthday, with a yellow and pink cake by his side. The crop of 500 bobbleheads were almost gone when Big Tex burned down. Then, all were snapped up and the fair stores even began selling leftover bobbleheads from past fairs.

Don't let eBay fool you with a $26 price tag for the 2012 60th anniversary Big Tex bobblehead; the toys are $20 online at bigtexstore.com.