Over 10 years ago North American retail outlets couldn’t keep up with the “Tickle Me, Elmo” doll craze. Elmo – the beloved character from Sesame Street (turned Sesame Park), became a household phenomenon. By Christmas 1997, it was virtually impossible to get your hands on a “Tickle Me, Elmo” doll. Back then eBay was unheard of so even if you wanted to pay $1000 for the doll to make your kid happy you couldn’t. Since then several Elmo merchandise such as the “Hokey Pokey” Elmo, break dancing Elmo and the “Elmo knows your name” dolls have hit the store shelves increasing Elmo’s popularity.
So what happened to this cute, cuddly, loveable and happy little red puppet? On several occasions in the news, I hear about recalls of Elmo because this furry red friend was saying some not-so-friendly things to little children. Apparently in Florida, a mother changed the battery of an “Elmo knows your name”, doll and since then, Elmo has been making threats saying “Kill James.” Poor kid, I mean what did he ever do? Fisher Price offered a voucher for a new doll once the defected one was returned. But in my opinion, the damage is done. I don’t know about you but If I were that kid I’d be quite scarred. On a separate occasion, another talking Elmo doll uttered some profanity when it was hugged or squeezed. I must say I’ve never seen that side of Elmo.
These glitches have been more common recently. It seems like poor Elmo may be experiencing a melt down. I wonder if these glitches altered peoples’ perception of little Elmo, for me, I can’t help but think of an angry, stressed out doll…tired of being exploited, poked, squeezed and ticked for all these years. Either way I will never look at Elmo the same way. Maybe Elmo wants an image change due to all these years of being the cute nice guy not being taken seriously. I can actually relate to that but still…death threats? Come on now!
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