Tickle Me Elmo

Tickle Me Elmo is a child's toy introduced in the United States in 1996, becoming that year's top fad. It was bright red in color and based on Elmo from Sesame Street. When squeezed, Elmo would chortle. When squeezed three times in a row, Elmo would begin to shake and laugh hysterically. On its back is a velcro access slit for the batteries.

In 1996, The Tickle Me Elmo was the "Must Have" toy. Many parents literally fought other parents in North American toy stores to purchase one of the toys for Christmas. The short supply of the toy, due to unexpected demand, meant that stores hiked the price on the dolls drastically. Newspaper classifieds even sold the plush toy for hundreds of dollars.

The "Surprise Edition" of Tickle Me Elmo, issued in the Fall of 2001, was an elaborate contest. Five of the "Surprise Edition" Elmos stopped laughing on January 9, 2002, and announced to the people squeezing them that they had won a prize. The grand prize was $200,000.