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How do you know it's almost time for the State Fair of Texas? Big Tex takes his post

It's officially time to say "howdy" to one of the tallest folks you know. Big Tex, the 55-foot-tall cowboy-mascot for the State Fair of Texas, has been lifted into place. In a week, on Sept. 29, the State Fair of Texas will open its doors for its 24-day run.

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Just don't call Big Tex "creepy." He's in his 60s, for heaven's sake, and he's lived through a fire.

Fun facts about Big Tex:

His head weighs 1,300 pounds and his hat weighs 900 pounds. Add those together, and Big Tex's noggin weighs more than 1 ton.

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In this story called "Inside Big Tex: A look at how he works," you can see that his shoulders, arm and head can turn. His signature move is the hand wave -- a 15-degree tilt up and down.

Speakers located in Big Tex's pelvis and legs, yep, you read that right, emit the jolly "howdy, folks!" salutation, which was voiced by a secret person, whose name the State Fair of Texas won't reveal.

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Tex's skin is made of silicone. Hey, he's just like (some of) us!

His biceps are 10 feet, 9 inches around, says bigtex.com. Nice.

The new cowboy -- created in 2013 after a fire in 2012 -- cost half a million dollars to make. The OG Big Tex, from 1952, cost $750.

The State Fair of Texas runs Sept. 29 through Oct. 22. Here's more news you can use:

Take a look at step-by-step photos of Big Tex being installed:

Stick with us through the State Fair of Texas. Find everything you need to know at guidelive.com/statefair.