He's baaaack!  That furry little MONSTER,  Elmo!!  What exactly is it that he does different then before?  Imagine the shock when I found out!  He's sooo awesome! 

When I first heard Tickle Me Elmo was returning,  I said "oh no,  not again".  I assumed he was just going to be the same little giggly monster he was a decade ago,  only with a semi changed personality and a special "silver box".  (boring)  Boy was I wrong.  It's amazing what Elmo can do now.  Even the box is cool!  

The 1st time he is tickled he raises his hand laughing,  grabs his tummy,   doubles over,  falls onto the floor on his back,  continues to laugh,  and returns to his feet as if all were normal......letting out a sigh.  Tickle him a 2nd time and he repeats the 1st step adding even more stages to his act,  including laying flat on his back kicking the floor to death.  The 3rd tickle is the best.  He performs all of the 1st and 2nd stages,  starts shaking uncontrollably,  then adds rolling onto his tummy and smacking the floor endlessly with his hand as if he cannot take anymore (basically acting like he is insane from the tickle-speaking in Elmo jibberish). 

He has 3 interactive spots that will get him going;  1 on his chin,  1 on his foot,  and 1 on his tummy.  Not to mention the box.  When you lift the flap on the box,  you will hear Elmo say "ah ah ah,  no peeking",  then he lets out an Elmo laugh.  (That is if you have gotten the first release Elmo packaging.  There is a second release package that says "Elmo feels really ticklish in here,  hahahaha" and has green under the flap instead of silver.)  The first release Elmo was issued on 9/19/06 and the second release Elmo was 2 days later.  You can tell the difference between the two just by looking at the front of the boxes.  The first issue says TOP SECRET across the front.  The second release says WARNING MAY CAUSE UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER on the front of the box. 

The duration and quality of his performance is well worth every penny you spend on him.  Fisher Price has out done themselves.  Once I saw Elmos performance in it's entirety,  I was on the floor laughing myself and couldn't believe my eyes.  (I nearly wet my pants!)  This toy is not just for kids,  it's definately for adults too (even my 15 year old thought he was a riot!).  No wonder only 50 people within the Fisher Price company were allowed to view the new Elmo prior to his release.  The Mattel corporation kept him extremely hush hush until September19th,  when his made his big debut. 

He is very technical and durable.  Right down to the fact that he will return to his feet no matter what.  Even if a child knocks him down accidentally,  or his routine is disturbed,  he will get right back up on his own and return to his normal position.  No gears to grind,  chatter, or break-like most battery operated toys.     

Elmo is back,  better than ever......and he will once again haunt parents at christmas time.  He is well worth the money,  if you can get your hands on him!  Rumors has it,  due to the complexity of Elmo,  manufacturing has been slower than originally anticipated and Mattel/Fisher Price is only able to make nearly 50-60% of their expected projections for the year.  Rumor also has it that due to the serious demand and slowed productions of the toy,  these may not be even available again in stores for purchase until mid December!!!   

If you are considering buying a TMX Elmo,  I personally would recommend him to anyone likes a good laugh.  He is truely awesome.  I give him 6 STARS!!!!  (Get your hands on one now before it's too late)