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Library/Product/Tickle Me Elmo
Grade B8 sourcesHIS-01638

Tickle Me Elmo

Product · 1996 · Niche

23Editable slideCertificate

Tickle Me Elmo sold about one million dolls during a Christmas shortage.

Tickle Me Elmo
Wikipedia (non-free, fair use)
Oral History: When Tickle Me Elmo Ruled the World
Mental Floss

Spread Score

How it works
ReachNo data yetContagion35Breadth10VelocityNo data yetLongevityNo data yet23

Numbers

Peak proxy date
Dec 1996
Jul 1996 to Dec 1996
Platforms
4
Started on Retail
Origin
Mixed
Toys & collectibles

Mechanics

  • Scarcity drop
  • Sell-out loopPrimary

How it spread

Trace the origin

Tyco released Elmo in July. A supplied Rosie O’Donnell giveaway and TV demonstrations preceded holiday sell-outs. December is a shortage proxy; no contemporary attention series was established.

Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Dec ’94Mar ’96SepDecAug ’98Mar ’01Oct ’03May ’06Apr ’11Jul ’16Oct ’21Aug ’26RetailTVPressOpen web
RetailTVPressOpen web

8 more events on this chart

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Timeline (11)

  1. February 1996

    Tyco Preschool / Freeman Public Relations precursor · Feb 1996

    Tyco previewed Tickle Me Elmo to buyers and the media at Toy Fair.[1]

    Oral History: When Tickle Me Elmo Ruled the World
    Open the first post ↗

  2. July 1996

    Tyco Preschool seed · Jul 1996

    Tyco put the laughing, shaking Elmo doll on store shelves in July.[1][2][3]

  3. October 1996

    Rosie O’Donnell / Freeman Public Relations platform jump · Oct 1996

    Freeman supplied dolls for a Rosie O’Donnell audience giveaway in October.[4][5]

  1. press · Nov 1996

  2. commercial · Nov 29 ’96

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Why it worked

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Origin
Mixed
Sector
Toys & collectibles
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade B

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