The World Meets Tickle Me Elmo

The world met Tickle Me Elmo in 1996 and he instantly became a holiday fad.  The marketing for the silly muppet was genius and made all parents and toy lovers take notice.  The toy was based on the Elmo character from the popular children’s show Sesame Street.  Tickle Me Elmo would laugh when squeezed, but when the muppet was squeezed three times in a row, it would begin to laugh and shake.  The toy was an instant hit and was considered the must-have toy for Christmas 1996. 

Tickle Me Elmo:  Holiday Fad

Tickle Me Elmo was an instant hit for the 1996 holiday season and is still a holiday fad that has never been forgotten.  Elmo seemed to overshadow all the other toys that were introduced that year, with parents and grandparents lining up in front of toy stores before they opened in the morning for the chance to get one of the handfuls of Tickle Me Elmo’s when the doors opened.  There were parents fighting over the red little monster, hoping to delight their child when the red muppet was found under the Christmas tree.

Tickle Me Elmo was not only popular at the stores; it was popular on the Internet as well.  Many found that the best way to get their kiddo a Tickle Me Elmo was to take the holiday fad to auction sites such as eBay.  On eBay, the red muppet was being sold and purchased for as much as $1,000 each!  As the dollar amounts soared, more and more of the ticklish dolls were ending up on eBay, and they were selling as fast as they were listed.

Needless to say, many kids were excited to wake up on Christmas morning and receive their Tickle Me Elmo doll, and just as many kids were disappointed that they didn’t receive it.  Any disappointment probably didn’t last all that long, because as fast as this holiday fad had come on, it was over.  The Tickle Me Elmo fad was a thing of the past by the time Christmas 2007 rolled around.

Tickle Me Elmo Makes a Comeback

Tickle Me Elmo was back and better than ever for the 2006 holiday season.  Tickle Me Elmo was now known as T.M.X., and instead of simply laughing and shaking, the new holiday fad was more sophisticated, rolling around on the floor and banging his fists as he laughed.  Again, the marketing was sensational, and it left people of all ages with the desire to get their hands on this cute little doll.  Again, stores were sold out and consumers turned to eBay and similar sites to purchase the doll.