About

Tickle Me Elmo is a children's plush toy from Tyco Preschool based on the character Elmo from the children's show, Sesame Street.^[1] When squeezed, Elmo laughs and vibrates.

History

Tickle Me Elmo was first released in July of 1996 and sold well through the summer and fall of the year. However, on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving in which American retail stores generally lower their prices, demand for Tickle Me Elmo surged, leading to shortages in stores that sold it. This led to a shopping frenzy one writer dubbed "Elmo-mania" which found shoppers fighting over the toy. 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. A clerk working at a Wal-Mart store in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada was injured during a Midnight Madness sale on December 14, when 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."

Spread

Because of its success and the notorious craze surrounding it in the 1996 holiday season, Tickle Me Elmo has grown into a pop culture icon. It has been referenced in South Park, Futurama, MadTV, and more.

Online, Elmo has been the subject of several image macros as well as a series of popular videos that show the toy getting destroyed.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References

^[1] Wikipedia – Tickle Me Elmo