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Tickle Me Elmo is a children's plush toy from Tyco Preschool, a division of Tyco Toys, of the Muppet character Elmo from the children's television show, Sesame Street. When squeezed, Elmo shakes, vibrates, and recites his trademark giggle, "Uh-ha-ha-ha-hee-hee!".
The toy was first produced in the United States in 1996 and slowly became a fad. Some instances of violence were reported over the limited supply amidst heavy consumer demand. People reported that the toy which retailed for $28.99 according to its MSRP, had been advertised in newspapers and on the Internet, with sellers asking up to $1,500 by the end of 1997
At the time Tyco didn't have rights to make Sesame Street plush, but did have Looney Tunes plush rights so it was worked on for several months as Tickle Me Tasmanian Devil, they also made Tickle Me versions of baby Bugs Bunny and Tweety, they successfully sold it at WB Studio Store in California. They are on eBay and Amazon too. A short time later, Tyco lost rights to do Looney Tunes but gained the rights to Sesame Street, thus starting Tickle Me Elmo. The invention was originally introduced under Cabbage Patch at Hasbro Industries.
Neil Friedman, who was then president of Tyco Preschool, recalled years later that, "When you played with Tickle Me Elmo for the first time, it brought a smile to everyone's face. It was a magical surprise."
Tickle Me Elmo was released in July 1996, with a supply of 400,000 units. The dolls sold well and remained widely available in stores until the day after Thanksgiving, when they suddenly sold out. With the Christmas shopping season approaching, Tyco Preschool ordered 600,000 more dolls from their suppliers. Promotion was helped by Rosie O'Donnell, who had shown the toy on her popular TV show in early October. O'Donnell's "surprise plug" created unexpected demand for Elmo, resulting in shortages in the stores that sold it.
The scarcity of the new toy provoked a "shopping frenzy". Two women were arrested in Chicago for fighting over the doll, while in New York some people ran after delivery trucks hoping to get their hands on Elmo before it reached stores. Someone allegedly purchased a Tickle Me Elmo for $7,100 in Denver. KBIG in Los Angeles had a radio auction for charity December 20, 1996, Bob's Pharmacy won and purchased a Tickle-Me-Elmo For $18,500.
A clerk working at a Wal-Mart store in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada was among those injured by "Elmo-mania". During a Midnight Madness sale on December 14, a crowd of 300 stampeded down the aisle after spotting him being handed a box of the toys by another employee. Trampled, he suffered "a pulled hamstring, injuries to his back, jaw and knee, a broken rib and a concussion".
By the end of December, the entire stock of one million "Tickle Me Elmo" toys had been sold
I hope you liked this post and as always have a chilled day from the Viking.
TICKLE ME ELMO
The toy was first produced in the United States in 1996 and slowly became a fad. Some instances of violence were reported over the limited supply amidst heavy consumer demand. People reported that the toy which retailed for $28.99 according to its MSRP, had been advertised in newspapers and on the Internet, with sellers asking up to $1,500 by the end of 1997
Development
"Tickles The Chimp", the precursor to Tickle Me Elmo, was invented by Greg Hyman and Ron Dubren, who were known in the toy industry for having invented Alphie the Robot (a children's learning computer) several years prior. In 1995 it was presented to Tyco Preschool as "Tickles The Chimp," which was a toy monkey with a computer chip which laughed when tickled.At the time Tyco didn't have rights to make Sesame Street plush, but did have Looney Tunes plush rights so it was worked on for several months as Tickle Me Tasmanian Devil, they also made Tickle Me versions of baby Bugs Bunny and Tweety, they successfully sold it at WB Studio Store in California. They are on eBay and Amazon too. A short time later, Tyco lost rights to do Looney Tunes but gained the rights to Sesame Street, thus starting Tickle Me Elmo. The invention was originally introduced under Cabbage Patch at Hasbro Industries.
Neil Friedman, who was then president of Tyco Preschool, recalled years later that, "When you played with Tickle Me Elmo for the first time, it brought a smile to everyone's face. It was a magical surprise."
1996 Elmo craze
The scarcity of the new toy provoked a "shopping frenzy". Two women were arrested in Chicago for fighting over the doll, while in New York some people ran after delivery trucks hoping to get their hands on Elmo before it reached stores. Someone allegedly purchased a Tickle Me Elmo for $7,100 in Denver. KBIG in Los Angeles had a radio auction for charity December 20, 1996, Bob's Pharmacy won and purchased a Tickle-Me-Elmo For $18,500.
A clerk working at a Wal-Mart store in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada was among those injured by "Elmo-mania". During a Midnight Madness sale on December 14, a crowd of 300 stampeded down the aisle after spotting him being handed a box of the toys by another employee. Trampled, he suffered "a pulled hamstring, injuries to his back, jaw and knee, a broken rib and a concussion".
By the end of December, the entire stock of one million "Tickle Me Elmo" toys had been sold
I hope you liked this post and as always have a chilled day from the Viking.
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