Backpack:Tickle Me Elmo! Backpack

Little Tickle Me Elmo, the red plush toy from CTW's "Sesame Street" series, became the Outa-my-way-I-must-have-it toy of the Christmas 1996 season. One of many "Sesame Street" toys manufactured by Tyco, Elmo benefitted from cagey promotional techniques begun on the new and popular Rosie O'Donnell TV talk show in the fall of 1996. Within weeks, the novel (but now more familiar) idea that toy sales is news earned Elmo a spot on NBC's "Today" show. The television exposure created a demand for Elmo that the manufacturer could not satisfy. Demand increased when some large retail chains dropped the price on Elmo as a way to jump-start the holiday shopping season. Things among consumers got ugly, as adult fought adult for the few Elmos available. The Elmo frenzy was but one example of an unattractive trend in consumer spending that characterizes each holiday season: a stampede for that one popular toy demanded by every kid and/or their parents. This Elmo, innocent-looking as he is, represents this rather unappealing habit of mass consumption as well as the enduring (and endearing) popularity of "Sesame Street." And Elmo's Tickle persona endures and fosters spin-off merchandise such as this backpack, years after the initial craze swept holiday shoppers.