The Story Behind T.M.X. Elmo

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

22 Dec 2006 03:32 PM

Did you know that when T.M.X. Elmo was unveiled on ABC's "Good Morning America," three months ago only about 50 people in the world had seen it? It was just part of the toy's creators master plan. For nearly two years before it became one of this year's hottest holiday sellers T.M.X. Elmo was shrouded in so much secrecy not even the sales force at manufacturer Fisher-Price Inc. knew exactly what they were selling before the toy debuted on national television in mid-September.

But, now that Elmo is flying off shelves, his creator's are singing like canaries. Recently, members of the design team spoke to news reporters about what went on behind closed-door meetings that were sealed with code words and oaths of secrecy.

If you are unfamiliar with the doll, T.M.X. Elmo, doesn't fly, however, he does perform some pretty tricky moves for a plush toy, including falling down, kicking its legs, scooting across the floor on its back and rolling over while laughing, then getting back up again.

Toy manufacturers say the reason T.M.X. Elmo was such a closely guarded secret, even within Fisher-Price was because he contains an advanced, two-motor mechanism, which they didn't want to be copied in any way.

But that was only part of the reason the toy remained a mystery prior to its unveiling. Elmo's creators said they wanted to do something different and big for the anniversary of the craze. Basically, they wanted to create a buzz and that's just what they did. Long before he was released Internet sites along with Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us took pre-orders from consumers. Meanwhile, Fisher-Price pictured T.M.X. Elmo in mysterious silhouette on its website. All that led to parents lining up outside stores to get one.

And some still are... earlier this week masses of people stood in line outside of the Toys "R" Us flagship store in New York to get their hands on one. The toy retails for about $40, but its going for much more on eBay.

"We all thought it was going to be hot, but nobody thought it was going to be as big as this," toy manufacturers said.

Ironically, I saw about 20 of them sitting on the shelf at my local Wal-Mart store just last night. My 2-year-old daughter doesn't have Elmo on her Christmas list so I passed on getting one. Now I wonder if I should have got one and sold it on eBay? Then again, looking around our toy room we have the original 1996 Tickle Me Elmo, Hokey Pokey Elmo, and Limbo Elmo... maybe that's enough.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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