T M X - Tickle Me Elmo X

[Cvstos]

I should buy as many as I can afford and then eBay them in early December. Should be able to post a tidy profit.

[Kogarashi]

K'know, this is why I never once pretended to my kids that Santa, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy ever existed. I never went out of my way to stop others from indoctrinating them, but santa doesn't stop at our house... they just get presents from loving family and (in some cases) thoughtful strangers.

See, I'm fine with Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. I believed in them when I was growing up (though I do remember the heartbreak the year my youngest aunt told me Santa wasn't real--I was 8 at the time), and I'm just fine (I think). But the understanding in my family was that the Tooth Fairy only gave us $.25 per tooth, the Easter Bunny only got us candy and raided the fridge for the hard-boiled eggs we'd colored the night before, and Santa only got us one item apiece and was in charge of stuffing our stockings. And Mom and Dad were in charge of sending out our wishlists, so we never mailed anything off to Santa. We'd wake up on Christmas morning expecting only one unwrapped present and a stuffed stocking, and everything else under the tree (wrapped) was gifts amongst us family members. The "Santa gift" was left unwrapped so we'd have something to play around with until we were allowed to wake up Mom and Dad. We still keep this tradition even though my sisters and I are all plenty old enough to know that the "Santa gift" is actually from our parents. I plan to carry these ideas through with my own children so they don't expect Santa to come and fill up the entire living room with presents, and it shouldn't be too hard since Hubby's parents had similar traditions. And I'm not even going to try for "Hot Item Whatever" with the kids unless it's easy to get and they really want it. I hate Elmo, anyway. Much prefer Cookie Monster or Grover or the Count.

As for TMX, we've already had three customers asking about them and we're sold out already, though thankfully no one's gone psycho over it. I do want to put a hammer through the Wal-Mart TVs whenever that commercial comes on, though. (That one, and the Suave one with the "invisible moms" and the Glade Light Show commercial. Really annoying music.)

[Jester]

This is the reason I like to spend my Christmas Eve in a mall, sipping a soda, watching everyone else go nuts. Talk about great entertainment! Some of these people act worse than your average psycho football fan--and I AM a psycho football fan, thank you very much!

But these crazes are just ridiculous. As one poster said, how many people ended up putting their kids through college due to Beanie Babies? How many of them out there selling for megabucks now? (Just checked ebay....the first page of "classic beanie babies" I came up with had none selling for more than about $20 per. Not quite tuition money there, Super Parents!)

Heck, one of my nieces is, to be honest, becoming quite materialistic, and I don't like that. But after 14 years, you know what her favorite toy is still? The silly-looking stuffed manic-eyed bath toy alligator that I, her Favorite Uncle, bought for her when she was born. And do you know why it is her favorite toy to this day? Not because everyone else wants or wanted one. But because her Favorite Uncle bought it for her when she was born!

Figure that one out, Marketing Geniuses.

[Ree]

OK...call me warped and silly, but I just have to ask....does this brand new "T M X - Tickle Me Elmo " have "test tickles" *Ree, remembering a joke posted by a member, possibly on a previous board, because I couldn't find it in a search.

OK...just found the joke on another site's joke page. Apologies to the member who originally posted it here, but the name escapes me.

"A new employee is hired at the Tickle Me Elmo factory. The Personnel Manager explains her duties and tells her to report to work promptly at 8.00am.

The next day at 8.45am there is a knock at the Personnel Manager's door. The assembly line foreman comes in and starts ranting about this new employee. He says she is incredibly slow and the whole line is backing up. The foreman takes the Personnel Manager down to the factory floor to show him the problem.

Sure enough, Elmos are backed up all over the place. At the end of the line is the new employee. She has a roll of material used for the Elmos and a big bag of marbles. They both watch as she cuts a little piece of fabric, wraps it around two marbles and starts sewing the little package between Elmo's legs.

The Personnel Manager starts laughing hysterically. After several minutes he pulls himself together, walks over to the woman and says "I am sorry, I guess you misunderstood me yesterday, I said, your job is to give Elmo "two test tickles". "

[ShockQueen]

Two test tickles.......

I couldn't believe the stupid things I ran across (and wish I'd run over) for toys this year. Well, one was a toy and one was a Christmas decoration (before Halloween???? Oh yeah...we're materialistic here).

The "decoration" was a singing snowman that FARTED while it sang. Yeah...great way to teach your manners there, guys. EESH!

The toy was a new Barbie doll that had a dog that POOPED! Even came with a pooper-scooper! I saw that and just thought...EWWWWW! Bad enough to see that in real life....but to make a TOY that does that? Those manufacturers are some sick puppies.

[Kusanagi]

This is the reason I like to spend my Christmas Eve in a mall, sipping a soda, watching everyone else go nuts. Talk about great entertainment! Some of these people act worse than your average psycho football fan--and I AM a psycho football fan, thank you very much!

Kick it up a notch and do what I do.

Just walk along in the parking lot with your keys in your hand.

[Ree]

Just walk along in the parking lot with your keys in your hand.

I don't get it. Sorry.

[Rapscallion]

Parking spot vultures would see this and follow him, assuming that he's going to get into his car and drive away. If done properly, I would imagine that a pied-piper effect would be possible, leaving decent car users free to find the spots remaining.

Rapscallion

[Ree]

Parking spot vultures would see this and follow him, assuming that he's going to get into his car and drive away.

Ahhh...thanks.
Now it makes sense.

[JustaCashier]

I can just picture the woman in Ree's joke (and that joke was about the only good thing to come out of the TME craze) at a post TME Factory job interview......

Interviewer: *Looking over Resume* "Hmmmmm, I see you worked at the Tickle Me Elmo Factory...."

Applicant: "Yes, I was there about five years..."

Int: "And what were your main duties there?"

App: "I handled Elmo's test tickles..."

Int:


Mike

[Argabarga]

It's not even October yet, and we've already recieved and put up a huge display of pointlessly overblown and cheesy halloween stuff that screams bloody, simulated, electronic murder when you press the "Try Me!" button. From 8 aisles over, it sounds very convincing, and that's NOT a compliment

Make it stop, for the love of god, September ain't even over yet, some of the trees are still green, I'm in no mood for fads as it is, specialy' when they come this early.

[TNT]

Somewhere between the Pet Rock and Cabbage Patch Kids, the early 70's brought us... "Baby Alive." The doll nursed from a bottle... ate special "Baby Alive" food... and defecated. I think that was the moment I realized boys and girls do have their differences... none of us guys ever felt left out because GI Joe didn't drop some bricks in his underwear when things got tough.

It didn't seem like a great idea then, and it doesn't seem like one now... but, while searching the web... guess who's coming back? According to a press release from Hasbro:

"BABY ALIVE:GET THE POOP ON HASBRO’S BABY ALIVE DOLL IN 2006"

http://www.hasbro.com/media/default....se&release=424

Can Pet Rocks be far behind?

[rdp78]

Can Pet Rocks be far behind?

Uh, let's hope not and it's still boogling my mind why anyone would make a non-animated object into a pet not to mention something people don't even have to buy since you can pick up one somewhere outside. Well, I Googled "Pet Rock" and found like over 800 thousand entries and I just used first one. Anyway here is the link: http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/petrock/petrock.htm

I still think the guy(Gary Dahl) was on something especially since he told his friends he had a rock as a pet and his friends were probably on the same stuff too because they throught it was a good idea too. Anyway because of this he became a millionaire and I'm assuming inspired the Vitual Pet in the late 90's (I did have one of those things but died on me becuase I didn't do good job taking care of it) since it's on the Virtual Pet website. The good thing about the Pet Rock was it was big for only half a year (August-December '75) and yes, there were other folks making money on this too by selling their own Pet Rocks (that happens with alot a fads/trends especially if they can't get it copyright or other legal measures).

[Becks]

THEY HAVE THOSE??!?!??!? REALLY??!?!?!!? WHERE!?!?!?! I WANT ONE! I WANT ONE!!!!!!! ME, ME, ME!

Wrestle you for it?

We can wrestle for it, sure...if/when I get one.

They made their appearance a year or two ago, I believe.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Ahh, the Cabbage Patch dolls. My family, we were not poor, but my parents didn't believe in spending ass loads of money on toys that we didn't take care of so therefore, I was unable to have a Cabbage Patch doll.

I was ridiculed by the other girls who had one. I'm scarred for life!

I was getting ready to start high school when that crazy started and my mother traveled to every toy store between Greensboro and Charlotte and brought home 6 of them. And back then, they were selling for around $125 each.

And don't get me started on the Furbies (have 2 of those blasted things and I ended up sneaking the batteries out of them) or the Beanies. Our doll room runneth over, suffice to say.

However, those Lee Middleton dolls are worth something. But my mom would rather sell me or my brother than part with one of those.