“Oh no, that tickles!”
In the late ‘90s, America was tickled red by one of the most sought-after toys of its era. Like the Beanie Baby hype, kids and adults alike were enamored with Tickle Me Elmo’s infectious laughter and adorable fluff. Elmo’s toy legacy lives on, but it wasn’t all wiggles and giggles.
The History of Tickle Me Elmo
The Tickle Me Elmo doll was created in 1996 by the toy company Tyco Toys. Though the concept seems simple by today’s standards, the interactive experience was quite novel.
Originally intended to be a laughing toy monkey named Tickles the Chimp, inventor Ron Dubren incorporated movement in later iterations, using the same motors cell phones did for vibration.
By the holiday season that same year, Elmo was more than just a hit – it was a sold-out sensation. America, like the toy, was shook.
What you may not know is that Elmo almost had some dark features.
Elmo’s creators attribute their success to the vibrating sound box, though they initially feared that no one would invest in something so costly. They were also concerned about how Elmo’s gyrations would be perceived “in case parents thought he was having a seizure.”
In its early stages, one of Elmo’s phrases would have been, “Stop, stop tickling me,” The creators considered it “sinister,” especially for a character that is, canonically, a child.
A Ferocious, Fuzzy Fad
Promotion on the Rosie O’Donnell Show is the true catalyst for Elmo’s success. The toy’s sales were strong but truly took off after Rosie’s son and the studio audience received their own Tickle Me Elmos on the show.
The 1996 holiday season saw an unprecedented demand for Tickle Me Elmo. Parents lined up outside stores for hours, hoping to get their hands on one of the coveted toys. For context, this was well before iPhones and PlayStations.
Stores sold out within minutes of opening, and some called the police to control the crowds. The toy became a media sensation, with news outlets covering the frenzy. These crowds trampled one Walmart employee, landing him in the hospital.
Though Tyco Toys prepared factories to fill orders of 100,000 units, they eventually increased production to the millions. The demand strained these factories so much that they had to build new tools to keep up with manufacturing expectations. The company also pulled advertising campaigns early.
Tyco originally expected to sell 400,000 units. Between 1996 and 1997, the number exceeded five million Tickle Me Elmos.
The Legacy of Tickle Me Elmo
The success of Tickle Me Elmo paved the way for other interactive and animatronic toys. The industry began to focus on creating toys that were not only cute but also had interactive elements.
The toy returned in numerous forms, including Tickle Me Extreme and versions for Elmo’s friends, Ernie and Cookie Monster, in 2007.
In 2012, a joke-telling Elmo called the LOL Elmo would ROFL at its own jokes. (Can we talk about how they could have called it LOL-mo?)
Tickle Me Elmo also became a pop culture phenomenon, appearing in movies, TV shows, and video games.
Satirize Me Elmo (The Parodies)
Elmo was more than a Sesame Street legend. He also became the subject of parodies like MadTV’s Tickle Me Emo, the “angst-ridden, teenaged cousin” version from Depress-a-me Street.
Tickle Me Emo’s head would spin and, uh, trigger warning… he’d self-harm, saying, “I hurt myself to feel alive!”
He also got the South Park treatment (twice) as Stop Touching Me Elmo. This appearance was inspired by the Black Friday frenzy and a real-life scandal with the character’s puppeteer on Sesame Street. Is the Stop Touching Me Elmo a real toy, though? No.
Evil Elmo, IRL
Adam Sandler (not that one) originally made headlines in 2014 for making anti-Semitic remarks, extorting the Girl Scouts of America, and aggressive attempts to get tourists to pay him for photos in his Elmo costume.
In late February of 2023, Santa Cruz police warned the community that “Evil Elmo” had returned.
Donning the iconic furry red costume, Sandler has been seen everywhere, from Los Angeles and Hawaii to New York’s Central Park.
We have to imagine that local police warning people not to tickle this particular Elmo was an unintended aspect of Elmo’s legacy. Nobody is immune from a dark side – even Elmo has one.
Oh, Boy!
Tickle Me Elmo’s infectious laughter captured the hearts of millions in the late ‘90s, making it an instant classic.
Whether you owned one or not, the Tickle Me Elmo doll will always hold a special place in the hearts of those who lived through the craze. Or, at least, as a memorable joke in your favorite comedy show.