TMX Elmo - a top Christmas 2006 gift
Tickle Me Elmo is a children’s toy that has become a craze around the world, since it was first introduced in 1996 by Tyco Toys, a division of Mattel. Based on Elmo of the children’s program, Sesame Street, it is a smart soft toy that has an imbedded micro-chip and batteries which allow it to interact with us. A jab in his adorable middle evokes a giggle. If prodded thrice he begins to laugh and shake hysterically. Tickle became a must-have gift for children due to a successful marketing gimmick and still retains its magic after a passage of ten years.
History and background
Tickle Me Elmo was first introduced into the American market in the beginning of 1996 to a very insipid response from the public. How the same doll went from pining away on store shelves to becoming the hottest selling item by Christmas is stuff that marketing history is made of. It minted billions of dollars for Tyco Toys and its fascinating story of demand outstripping supply is taught in management schools and has become part of consumer behavior lore.
The newest Tickle
For its tenth anniversary Tyco Toys (now a subsidiary of Mattel) have introduced a new Tickle in the market called TMX Elmo (Tickle Me Elmo Extreme/ Ten). It already has immense hype built around it and is poised to become a rage by the time Christmas 2006 rolls around. Although the doll is supposed to retail for approximately 40 dollars in the open market it is supposed to fetch 400 times that in the grey market. The new Tickle has been kept very hush-hush with only a lucky few getting the privilege of a sneak preview. The TMX not only laughs when tickled, it rolls about helpless with laughter, beating its hands and feet on the ground and shouting and screaming to be tickled again.
I feel like this Christmas the next fad could be The Living Life Game. However, this fad is more for adults. I received it as a gift last year and others have been mentioning it more this year. It is amazing how people receive it as a gift. It is tough to describe other then 30 cards that spice up your life. The site is
http://www.LivingLifeGame.com , but I buy it on Uncommongoods.com
November 19th, 2006 at 1:17 am
Great blog/article I have really searched every where for our cute and cuddly friend TMX Elmo, he’s very very hard to find. Hopefully my kids will be very happy I found Mr TMX Elmo, or Elmo TMX lol not sure which he prefers to be called these days but he’s certainly very popular!
November 21st, 2006 at 9:01 am
Folks looking for a more unique Christmas gift than the TMX Elmo this year might be interested in learning about an out-of-the-ordinary preschool software game that launched this fall: Cheeruppet World.
While other educational software is limited to just letters, numbers, shapes and colors, Cheeruppet World focuses on life skills and character building. The software and accompanying activities offer positive messaging, teach values, and foster empathy and compassion.
Cheeruppet World makes a truly unique Christmas gift and celebrates the joy of life all year round!
Sincerely,
John Florez
December 4th, 2006 at 1:33 pm