Tickle Me Elmo
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| Type | Children's toy |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Tyco Preschool |
| Company | Tyco Toys |
| Availability | 1996–present |
Tickle Me Elmo is a children's plush toy from Tyco Preschool, a division of Tyco Toys, based on the character Elmo from the children's Muppet television show, Sesame Street. When squeezed, Elmo chortles and vibrates.
The toy was first introduced in the United States in 1996 and would quickly become a fad. The doll's short supply, due to the unexpected demand, led to a secondary market where scalpers would sell the plush toy for hundreds of US dollars. Some instances of violence were reported over the limited stock amidst heavy consumer demand. People reported that the toy, which retailed for US$28.99, had been advertised in newspapers and the Internet, asking up to $1500 by the year's end.
"Tickles The Chimp", the precursor to Tickle Me Elmo, was invented by Ron Dubren and Greg Hyman in 1992. In 1992, it was presented to Tyco Preschool as "Tickles The Chimp," which was a toy monkey with a computer chip which laughed when tickled. At the time Tyco didn't have rights to make Sesame Street plush, but did have Looney Tunes plush rights so it was worked on for several months as Tickle Me Tasmanian Devil. A short time later, Tyco lost rights to do Looney Tunes but gained the rights to Sesame Street, thus starting Tickle Me Elmo. The invention was originally introduced under Cabbage Patch at Hasbro Industries.
Neil Friedman, who was then president of Tyco Preschool, recalled years later that, "When you played with [Tickle Me Elmo] for the first time, it brought a smile to everyone's face. It was a magical surprise."
Tickle Me Elmo was released in July 1996, with a supply of 400,000 units. The dolls sold well, but remained widely available until the day after Thanksgiving, when they suddenly sold out. With the Christmas shopping season approaching, Tyco Preschool ordered 600,000 more dolls from their suppliers. Promotion was helped by Rosie O'Donnell, who had shown the toy on her popular TV show in early October. O'Donnell's "surprise plug" created unexpected demand for Elmo, resulting in shortages in the stores that sold it.
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