Nebby Debbie and Chipped Ham Sam, the unique and hilarious Pittsburghese talking plush dolls
My initial, gut reaction when I first heard about Yappin’ Yinzers was, “Who on Earth is going to buy one of these?
I guess that’s the out-of-towner (SMILE when you say that, with a Pittsburgh accent, of course) reaction. I’ve been living here for ten years, and yet I still frequently feel like I just beamed down.
My parents were displaced Pittsburghers themselves (my dad was in the Air Force), so our house did have assorted ‘Burgh memorabilia scattered about. We had a Pittsburgh-themed Monopoly game, a tablecloth which was a map of the city and surrounding towns, a Steelers pennant over the fireplace, etc., but I can’t say I grew up identifying myself as a ‘Burgher, even though I had a subscription to Steelers Weekly while living on my own.
I didn’t even know my parents talked funny until I moved here….
A quick look at the Yappin’ Yinzers’ Message Board shows that had these contrivances been available when I was growing up, they surely would have been lying around the house to mystify any visiting New Englanders—the Yappin’ Yinzer dolls seem especially popular with ‘Burghers living far away.
On a simplistic level, one could object to these caricatures on the grounds that they make fun of people not bright enough to know they’re being made fun of. One could say that about This Is Spinal Tap, too. (What? You’ve never seen This Is Spinal Tap? Go watch This Is Spinal Tap!) What do the Yappin’ Yinzers have in common with that movie. Neither is a parody—they’re both meant as homage.
The Yappin’ Yinzers are not for people who are ashamed of their roots. They’re for people who are proud of their roots.
We don’t condone ‘Pittsburghese’ but these guys are hilarious. Yappin’ Yinzers come in Nebby Debbie and Chipped Ham Sam. They go for $19.95 and can be purchased directly from YappinYinzers.com or from one of these local retailers. A few of the cringe-worthy sayings include:
Hauscome yinz ain’t watchin da game? Picksburgs on!
I’m goin’ dan da sathside da drink sum ihrans n’at.
D’yinz jeet jet? I’m getting hungry for a sammich.
I ain’t payin no hunert dowars for dat!
How baht yinz redup dem rooms before da cumpnee comes over.
Chawt when yinz go ahtside, it’s cold aht der today!
You ain’t guna believe it, I just saw whatshername with whatshisface.
Check out The Adventures of Chipped Ham Sam here.
- Excited
- Happy
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
We have these at work. What’s funny is that if you press Debbie first and Sam second, they sometimes have a conversation:
Debbie: “You ain?t guna believe it, I just saw whatshername with whatshisface”
Sam: “Nuh uh.”
Just like any conversation you’d overhear when walking down the sidewalk.
I also bought these as gifts for my girl who’s moving back to LA to remind her of her time here. I know I would have loved to have had them when I lived down South, that’s for sure.
I’ve GOT to get these for my grandsons living in Tennessee. How else are day guna learn to talk right ‘n at? It’s bad enough dem poor kids don’t have pop and chipt ham sammiches!!
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like to have one that says “pgh jackie”, that is what her uncle called my daughter
“I’m woshing clothes today” “doing my deeshes”
“my last name is Boring and we get all kinds of comments: Like : my son went to college to be a “boring preacher” and ended up being a “boring teacher” How do I get these dolls?