Tickle me Elmo was first introduced in 1996 by a toy company named Tyco. It was based on the little, furry, red muppet character on the children show Sesame Street. The toy fascinated many kids because of its shaking and laughing ability when it is squeezed.

Upon the launch of Tickle me Elmo it already reached a high demand on the market in just a short time. But fuss with the toy began when the supply did not match it. Fights arise from parents that badly wanted to bring home the toy for their child. An accident even occurred at Wal-Mart where one clerk was badly hurt because he was seen with the last piece of the toy.

On the following year 1997, other Sesame Street characters tickle me dolls such as Big Bird, Ernie and Cookie Monster were distributed on the market. Unluckily these products failed to match the number of sales and fame of the Tickle me Elmo toys. Then, in 2001 the laugh of Elmo became silent.

After ten years since the creation of the Tickle me Elmo dolls, new tickle me Elmo dolls had been introduced to the market. Announced in 2006 at American International Toy Fair, the latest Elmo toy was named TMX in short of Tickle Me Ten or Tickle Me Extreme. The toys were much more fun to watch than the previous tickle me toys because now Elmo falls on the floor while laughing hard and begging the tickler to stop the tickle while smashing his fists.

The Tickle Me Extreme Elmo dolls also had three versions. The first one is with the warning sticker in front of the box. Then, the other one is with the top secret sticker and the last one does not have flap but rather a hole for customers to try the doll. These three versions differs with Elmos statement when opening the flap or trying the toy from the hole.

The Elmo doll mania came back. A report even came out early about a guy pointing a gun to somebody just to give him the Elmo doll. Consumers may assure their safety if they can buy the toy online rather than stores even though the price is a little higher.