Fisher-Price Tickle Me Elmo – 19 Fun Facts About The Elmo Phenomenon

Who would have guessed in 1996 that Tickle Me Elmo, a newly released plush toy, would become the new sales sensation that Christmas? It was “just” a funny lump of red hair that giggled hysterically when you tickled it. And yet, since then, Tickle Me Elmo and its successors have topped the sales charts for several Christmas seasons.

This year promises to be another big selling year for the Elmo line of plush toys with the introduction of Elmo Live! by Fisher Price. Currently, some stores are limiting the amount you can buy in anticipation of hot sales numbers. Here are 19 fun facts about the sales sensation started by the laughing little redhead.

1. Tyco introduced Tickle Me Elmo to the US markets in 1996. By Christmas, Elmo had become a sales phenomenon.

2. Elmo saw an increase in sales after Rosie O’Donnell featured the doll on an episode of her show in October 1996. Every time a guest said the word “wall,” Rosie would throw a doll at the audience.

3. A similar spike in sales occurred that same year after Bryant Gumbel held a doll for most of an episode of the Today Show.

4. The day after Thanksgiving 1996, Tickle Me Elmo sold out in 2 hours at most stores nationwide.

5. Tyco originally expected 400,000 Elmos to be sold that first year. They easily sold that amount and were unable to keep up with demand over Christmas despite their continued rush-making of the doll.

6. The shortage of supplies prompted some parents in North America to go to extreme measures. Parents fought each other in stores over the doll.

7. Prices skyrocketed with classified ads in some newspapers advertising the toy for hundreds of dollars. One report claims that the $ 28.99 toy sold for up to $ 1,500.

8. Several stories of injuries were reported across the country. For example, on December 14, 1996 at a Wal-mart in Fredericton, New Brunswick, a crowd injured an employee when they saw him holding one of the last dolls in existence.

9. The New York Daily News reported an unusual story. John Gotti, Jr., son of the reputed mob boss, bought a box of Tickle Me Elmos from a store in Queens, New York, several weeks after the doll sold out. Store officials said Gotti “was just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.”

10. Elmo’s vibration feature uses a larger version of the vibration motor found in cell phones and game controllers.

11. Three new Tickle Me dolls were released in 1997: Tickle Me Ernie, Tickle Me Big Bird and Tickle Me Cookie Monster. None of them have matched Elmo’s mysterious success.

12. In 2001 a “surprise edition” of Tickle Me Elmo was released as part of a contest. On January 9, 2002, five of the dolls stopped laughing. They then announced to their owners that the owners had won a prize, the largest of $ 200,000.

13. The TMX, which stands for Tickle Me Extreme or Tickle Me Ten (where “X” is the Roman numeral 10), was launched as part of the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the first doll. TMX Elmo expanded Elmo’s laughing behaviors to include rolling on the ground and hitting the ground with his fist.

14. In a well-executed marketing promotion, the manufacturer generated buzz for TMX by secretly hiding TMX Elmo prior to its launch. People who reviewed the product prior to its launch were required to sign confidentiality agreements that prevented them from revealing details about the doll ahead of time.

15. The TMX Elmo marketing promotion included pre-launch sales of the doll. Amazon received more pre-order orders than it could fulfill.

16. The complete look of the TMX doll was first revealed on ABC’s Good Morning America.

17. The TMX Elmo box hid the doll from view until it was purchased. A “preview flap” on the box only allowed him to see Elmo’s eyes, and he said, “Ah, ah, ah, ah! Don’t look!”

18. A 2007 version of the doll featured hidden messages that Elmo would only tell if you did the right thing to the doll. The rhyming clues on the manufacturer’s website helped consumers figure out how to activate the special messages.

19. The 2008 version of the doll is called Elmo Live! It features a completely new set of actions and sounds, making it the most advanced version of the popular Elmo dolls. Sales of Elmo Live! it is expected to be energetic for the 2008 holiday season. With the financial difficulties we are having this year it will be interesting to see how well Elmo Live! sells.

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