It's not your imagination: the voice behind the popular ad series is pure Tim Allen.

Allen has been voicing the ads for the "Pure Michigan" campaign since its launch in 2008. It wasn't a tough decision for him -- he's a (near) lifelong Michigander, and is passionate about his beloved state getting the recognition it deserves.

"I have been here since I was 11 years old," he told Ad Age magazine in an interview about the campaign. "I'm a big car freak and was a big Michigan booster when I was a kid. I came from Colorado, which is a nice state, but when we came here there were cars and lakes and it was just really an exciting place to be, and it never got any recognition."

Indeed, Allen's real passion for the state is credited as the source of the campaign's success.

In an interview with Forbes magazine about the campaign, David West, who worked for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation when it was commissioning the ads, ranked Allen's importance at "maybe 11, on a scale of one to 10."

"It's really authentic sentiment about Michigan, and you can hear it in him," West said.

Allen is, of course, no stranger to voice work. He's still best remembered for his on-screen role in "Home Improvement," but his next biggest role has probably been the voice of Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story movies.

It's also not his only commercial work. You may also have heard the "big car freak's" voice in ads for Chevrolet.

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