Tickle Me Elmo

Give him a tickle and watch him laugh! Tickle Me Elmo was the must-have Christmas toy of 1996.

The idea was simple - Tickle Elmo's belly and he laughs, giggles and shakes. Tickle him again and he laughs even more. Combine that with one of the most popular Sesame Street characters, and you have Tickle Me Elmo.

Tickle Me Elmo became the toy to have for Christmas in 1996. Stores couldn't keep them on the shelves. People waited in lines, rushed stores when new shipments arrived, and generally went a little crazy trying to find one before Christmas.

One early version of the toy (before becoming Tickle Me Elmo) was a stuffed monkey, and at one point the idea was Tickle Me Taz, a laughing, shaking Tasmanian Devil. When Tyco acquired the rights to make Sesame Street toys, Elmo turned out to be the perfect choice.

Tickle Me Elmo was an instant hit and received national and international attention. Demand exploded, and by Christmas the Tickle Me Elmo shelves at stores were bare. Private sellers were advertising them for hundreds of dollars - or more. I remember my nieces were crazy to get one, and they weren't alone. I also remember one of them being scared silly the first time Elmo started dancing and laughing!

There have been plenty of different Elmo toys since then, including the newer singing Elmo Slide version, Hokey Pokey Elmo, and mini keychain Elmo versions. But if you remember Christmas 1996, you probably remember Tickle Me Elmo - and all those people trying to find one.