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| '''Tickle Me Elmo''' is a child's toy from ], introduced in the ] in ], becoming that year's top ]. Bright red in color and based on ], a ] character from '']'', when squeezed, Elmo would chortle. When squeezed three times in a row, Elmo would begin to shake and laugh hysterically. On its back is a velcro access slit, inside which the batteries are located. | |||
| GO SUCK THIS, ELMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | |||
| There was a small controversy after the release of the doll with parents groups that misheard one of Elmo's phrases. His "Hug Elmo" phrase was misunderstood by many as "Fuck Elmo". The voicing was revised so that the phrase sounded clearer and unmistakable. | |||
| In 1996, the Tickle Me Elmo was the "Must Have" toy. Many parents literally fought other parents in North American toy stores to purchase one of the toys for Christmas. The short supply of the toy, due to unexpected demand, meant that stores hiked the price on the dolls drastically. Newspaper ] even sold the plush toy for hundreds of ]. ] reports that the $28.99USD toy fetched as much as $1500.<ref>{{cite news | last=Gliatto | first=Tom | title=Elmo Saves Christmas | date=December 23, 1996 | publisher=People | url=http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&an=9612201526}}, accessed in EBSCOhost.</ref> | |||
| A clerk at the ] in ] was among those injured by "Elmo-mania". A crowd of 300 stampeded into the store on 14 December 1996; spotting him with one of the remaining toys, he "was pulled under, trampled—the crotch was yanked out of brand-new jeans." According to '']'', the clerk "suffered a pulled hamstring, injuries to his back, jaw and knee, a broken rib and a concussion."<ref>{{cite news | last=Gliatto | first=Tom | title=Elmo Saves Christmas | date=23 December 1996 | publisher=People | url=http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&an=9612201526}}, accessed in EBSCOhost.</ref> | |||
| The vibrating laughter produced by the Tickle Me Elmo uses the same motorized device found in many ] and used for ].<ref></ref> | |||
| ==Further Tickle Me toys== | |||
| By February 1997, Tickle Me Ernie and Tickle Me Big Bird toys were released, followed by Tickle Me Cookie Monster in May.<ref>{{cite news | last=Baldwin | first=Kristen | title=Keeping the Clouds Away | date=14 February 1997 | publisher=Entertainment Weekly | url=http://search.epnet.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rch&an=9702212770}}, accessed in EBSCOhost.</ref> None of these toys achieved nearly as much fame, or sales. | |||
| The "Surprise Edition" of Tickle Me Elmo, issued in the Fall of 2001, was an elaborate contest. Five of the "Surprise Edition" Elmos stopped laughing on 9 January 2002, and instead announced to the people squeezing them that they had won a prize. The grand prize was $200,000USD.{{fact}} | |||
| ===TMX=== | |||
| The new Elmo doll, announced at the American Toy Fair 2006, is called TMX (meaning Tickle Me (Elmo) Ten or Tickle Me Extreme). The full look of the doll was not revealed until it debuted live on ABC's Good Morning America and arrived on store shelves on September 19, 2006. Even the box it comes in is designed so that the doll can not be seen without purchasing it. A preview flap is included, but upon opening, you see Elmo's eyes. He says "Ah, ah, ah, ah! No peeking!" and giggles. It requires six AA batteries (which are included), and costs approximately $40USD. Toy experts say that the delay is unprecedented, with only a few people in the media allowed to preview the product, all signing confidentiality agreements. In a promotional clip, Jim Silver, co-publisher of '']'' magazine says "The first reaction I had was, 'Where are the wires?' Because I didn't think anything like that could move on its own."<ref>{{cite news | last=Barker | first=Olivia | title=Meet 'Top Secret Elmo' | date=1 February 2006 | publisher=USA Today | url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-02-01-tickle-me-elmo_x.htm}}</ref> | |||
| Toy analyst Chris Byrne told '']'', "This is a quantum leap forward, another breakthrough in the preschool plush category." Byrne believes sales will be high, but the reaction won't be as unprecedented. "The culture has moved beyond that, the whole hot-toy phenomenon." He cites the fact there hasn't been such a craze since ] in 1998.<ref>{{cite news | last=Barker | first=Olivia | title=Meet 'Top Secret Elmo' | date=1 February 2006 | publisher=USA Today | url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-02-01-tickle-me-elmo_x.htm}}</ref> However, some members of the media are expecting a large response.<ref>{{cite news | title=Newsmakers | date=13 February 2006 | publisher=Maclean's | url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/2006-02-01-tickle-me-elmo_x.htm}}</ref> | |||
| The new doll rolls around on the floor laughing and smashing his fist on the ground, begging to stop. | |||
| A video of what the new Tickle Me Elmo can do can be found . | |||
| ] stores and ] had a pre-sale program for the doll, the first included elaborate in-store displays with a digital countdown to the doll's launch. Amazon took more presale orders than it could fulfill.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erin-kotecki-vest/elmo-suckers-me-to-the-da_b_30043.html | title = Elmo Suckers Me to the Dark Side | accessdate = 2006-10-25 | accessmonthday = September 25 | accessyear = 2006 | author = Erin Kotecki Vest | last = Kotecki Vest | first = Erin | authorlink = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/contributors/bio.php?nick=erin-kotecki-vest&name=Erin%20Kotecki%20Vest | date = 2006-10-25 | year = 2006 | month = September | work = The Huffington Post | publisher = HuffingtonPost.com LLC | language = English }}</ref> | |||
| As with the original Ticke Me Elmo doll, demand for the new toy has given rise to extreme acts by some people. One person in ] was allegedly threatened with a gun to hand over a TMX toy.<ref>{{cite news | title=Tickle pickle: Your Elmo or your life! | date=25 September 2006 | publisher=New York Daily News | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/455631p-383316c.html}}</ref> | |||
| Though the doll has a recommended retail price of $39.99 USD, the average price on the auction-based website ] has risen to roughly twice that amount, with one auction going as high as $1000.<ref>{{cite news | http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150036892307&category=95267 | title = Tickle Me ELMO TMX 10th Anniversary TOP SECRET NIB NEW! | date=25 September 2006 | publisher=] | url=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150036892307&category=95267 }}</ref> | |||
| ==== Warning vs. Top Secret ==== | |||
| There are two versions of the TMX doll, one which has the Warning sticker on front (which most people are touting as more rare), and then there is the Top Secret edition. Both appear to be indentical except for the variation in the text on the front, and Elmo apparently says different things when opening the flap. | |||
| ==Tickle Me Elmo in popular culture== | |||
| While Elmo has been referenced or seen in three episodes of '']'', the doll version of the character made an appearance in "]". Elmo slaps ] in the episode, after Moe tries to fondle him, yelling "No means no to Elmo!" Another episode features a "Tickle Me Krusty" doll which chuckles and angrily shouts, "Hey kid! Get your finger outta there!" | |||
| Tickle Me Elmo was the subject of an art exposition at the ], in ], in September of 2003. ], the artist, engineered a vibrating coat out of dissected Tickle Me Elmo dolls. The title of the show was ''Live Pelt''. | |||
| Tickle Me Elmo has also appeared in ]. In the first cartoon, we find out ] beat the stuffing out of it, causing $40 worth of damage. Bucky explains, "It was laughin at me!" | |||
| An episode of '']'' parodied the concept, as well as the fact that the ] was named after ], with a sketch revolving around a doll in the likeness of ], called "Squeeze Me Nixon". | |||
| The movie ] is similar to the 1996 Tickle Me Elmo craze in that the main character, Howard Langston (played by ]), has to get a Turboman doll for his son on Christmas Eve, but finds out they are sold out and goes to great lengths to get one. | |||
| A sketch from the Canadian satire show ] portrayed a man walking into a store to return a defective ] Snacktime Kids doll. Parodying the problem of the dolls, the man had the doll literally attached to his head after "snacking" on his hair (which was the problem the mechanical dolls had). After some dialogue the man asks how they can possibly repay him for all the suffering and humilitation he went through. The clerk then pulls out a Tickle-Me Elmo and offers it, to which the man excited accepts. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <references /> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * on the Surprise Edition | |||
| * , an online simulation of the toy | |||
| * Ultimate Sesame Street Plush Doll Collectors Resource | |||
| * Online Demand Tracker for TMX | |||
| * Video demostration of the new Tickle Me Elmo | |||
| * Fully detailed review of the new T.M.X. Elmo, with lots of picture and videos | |||
| * Lots of Images, Videos and Stories. | |||
| * | |||
| ] | |||
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Revision as of 21:32, 1 October 2006
GO SUCK THIS, ELMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!