What sparked Tickle Me Elmo mania in 1996 & how much they were selling for

Black Friday will always spark images of the Tickle Me Elmo frenzy of 1996. While it wasn't on my Christmas list that year (I was in high school) it still left a lasting impression. So what sparked Tickle Me Elmo mania in 1996 and how much were they selling for? It turns out that some publicity on one of the top talk shows in the nation and a new marketing strategy propelled it to stardom and second-hand sales reaching $1500. Here's some more content that'll make you feel NostalgAK! Retro Barbies in Alaska - Hidden Gems: /watch/QbYh9vkRMw1Rh McDonald's Halloween Buckets are Back in 2022! Why I'm disappointed & History Lesson: /watch/Y6dLhyM8b_E8L Why Wendy's canceled Where's the Beef: /watch/8QL1w0RaNq3a1 Top 5 Catchphrases of the 80s: /watch/A5OF7E436g33F The first video game played in space & the surprising price it sold for: /watch/Y5Nhpx5IbY2Ih What's my channel about? Watch the welcome vid: /watch/Qb245owb3zTb4 More about me: My business: www.jgmediastrategies.com Thanks for SUBSCRIBING! #elmo #sesamestreet #blackfriday #90stoys Video Transcript: Black Friday immediately sparks images of Tickle Me Elmo. In this video, we’ll look back at the shopping frenzy, the talk show host who set the wheels in motion, how much they were selling for, and which marketing tactic was used to sell these toys, that’s been copied and utilized to this day. THE MID-90S STICKS OUT TO ME, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TOYS PEOPLE HAD TO HAVE FOR CHRISTMAS. BEANIE BABIES. FURBIES. NINTENDO 64. TAMAGOTCHI’s, AND NONE MORE COVETED, THAN TICKLE ME ELMO. BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN A MONKEY OR A DEVIL OF SORTS. CHICAGO TOY INVENTOR RON DUBREN WAS INSPIRED TO CREATE A TOY YOU COULD TICKLE, AFTER SITTING AT THE PARK AND SEEING A BUNCH OF KIDS TICKLING EACH OTHER. HE TEAMED UP WITH FELLOW TOY MAKER, GREG HYMAN, TO CREATE A MONKEY - NAMED TICKLES. TICKLES LAUGHED AND SQUIRMED WHEN TICKLED, AND WAS PITCHED TO TYCO TOYS. AT THE TIME, TYCO HAD A LICENSE TO MAKE TOYS BASED ON LOONEY TUNES CHARACTERS, SO THEY SAID "MAKE US A TICKLE ME TAZ," BASED ON THE TASMANIAN DEVIL. SOME TIME PASSED AND TYCO’S LOONEY TUNES LICENSE LAPSED. THEY DID, HOWEVER, ACQUIRE THE RIGHTS TO MAKE TOYS BASED ON SESAME STREET CHARACTERS. FACTORIES IN CHINA STARTED PUMPING OUT THESE RED FURRY DOLLS, WHICH HIT STORE SHELVES IN JULY OF 1996, FOR ABOUT $27-99 EACH. IT WAS A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH, AND TICKLE-ME-ELMO BEGAN TO GROW IN POPULARITY. PLUS, TYCO IMPLEMENTED SOMETHING TO ENTICE BUYERS EVEN MORE. THEY LET THEM EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF TICKLE-ME-ELMO, IN STORES, ADDING THE “TRY ME” OPTION. FAST FORWARD A FEW MONTHS AND THIS IS WHEN THE SEEDS OF TICKLE-ME-ELMO MANIA WAS SOWED, AS ROSIE O'DONNELL, HOST OF THE VERY POPULAR ROSIE O'DONNELL SHOW AT THE TIME, PLUGGED THE TOY IN OCTOBER. TICKLE-ME-ELMO BECAME THE MUST-HAVE TOY OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON. FOR THE MOST PART, SUPPLY WAS ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND UNTIL, THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, EVENTUALLY, SELLING OUT. THE FRENZY TO FIND ELMO WAS ON. STAMPEDES AND FIGHTS BROKE OUT. TWO WOMEN WERE ARRESTED IN CHICAGO FOR COMING TO BLOWS OVER THE TOY. IN NEW YORK CITY, PEOPLE RAN AFTER DELIVERY TRUCKS. IN CANADA, A WAL-MART EMPLOYEE WAS TRAMPLED BY A CROWD, SENDING HIM TO THE HOSPITAL. HIS STORE HAD 48 DOLLS FOR SALE. 300 PEOPLE LINED UP TO VIE FOR THEM. THE SCALPER STORIES ARE WHAT REALLY SEND IT OVER THE TOP FOR ME THOUGH. SOME SERIOUS BACK ALLEY, IN-THE-SHADOWS TYPE OF STUFF. LISTEN TO THIS ACCOUNT WRITTEN UP ON DECEMBER 21ST IN THE WASHINGTON POST. People who meet him in darkened parking lots after work always want to touch his Tickle Me Elmo, but William is firm. He tells them, "You look; I hold. I'll let it giggle, then I'll put it back in the bag. You pay, then you get the bag." When he makes his deals to sell one of the coveted Sesame Street monster dolls at 15 times its retail price, or more, William always takes along at least two friends for protection. "These people are crazy," explained the Cumberland, Maryland man who bought Elmos when you still could … and has been selling them to pay overdue bills. "You figure if they want it that bad, they could shoot you for it." THAT SAME ARTICLE GOES ON TO MENTION JOHN GOTTI JUNIOR, SON OF REPUTED MOB BOSS JOHN GOTTI, BEING PHOTOGRAPHED LEAVING A TOYS-R-US IN QUEENS WITH AN ARMFUL. ACCORDING TO STORE OFFICIALS, THERE WAS NOTHING SHADY GOING ON AND HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ONE-HUNDRED DOLLAR TIPS THE DAILY NEWS REPORTED SEEING HIM GIVING STORE CLERKS. TO HELP FEND OFF FIGHTS AND POSSIBLE THEFT, TOYS-R-US HAD A SYSTEM FOR ALERTING ITS RAINCHECK HOLDERS. THEY WOULD GIVE YOU A CALL AND LEAVE A VAGUE MESSAGE THAT YOUR “ITEM” WAS READY FOR PICKUP. WHEN YOU ARRIVED, THE CLERK WOULD HAND YOU A PRE-WRAPPED PACKAGE SO YOU COULD SLIP OUT OF THE STORE WITHOUT ANYONE KNOWING WHAT YOU HAD IN THE BOX. IN THE END, TYCO REPORTEDLY SOLD OVER A MILLION TICKLE-ME-ELMOS BY CHRISTMAS, AND MORE THAN 5 MILLION BY CHRISTMAS OF 1997.

Category