Thomas remained in "Our Gang" for ten years, appearing in all but one of the shorts, "Feed 'em and Weep" (due to sickness when Philip Hurlic filled in for him), made from "Washee Ironee" in 1934 through the series' end in 1944. During the first half of his "Our Gang" tenure, Thomas's Buckwheat character was often paired with Eugene "Porky" Lee as a tag-along team of "little kids" rallying against (and often outsmarting) the "big kids", George "Spanky" McFarland and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. Thomas had a speech impairment as a young child, as did Lee, who became Thomas's friend both on the set and off. The "Buckwheat" and "Porky" characters both became known for their collective garbled dialogue, in particular their catchphrase, "O-tay!" originally uttered by Porky, but soon used by both characters.