Bah Humbug
NEW YORK — Eyes still glazed over from those assault-on-the-senses trips to the toy store during the holidays? Better splash some cold water on your face, because the industry is already back with its offerings for next time, which it showed off this week at the annual Toy Fair.
Aside from the new, facially altered Ken doll, among the most buzz-worthy was the only toy that wasn’t actually seen at all. It’s the “top secret,” 10th anniversary Elmo — aptly named T.M.X. for “Tickle Me 10” or “Tickle Me Extreme” — which Fisher-Price is keeping in the closet until Sept. 20, when the $39.99 product will be unveiled in all its fire-engine-red, furry, squeaky-voiced glory.
The fact that Elmo will be hidden away for the next seven months didn’t stop the toy giant from taunting the press and industry enthusiasts with a tongue-in-cheek, smoke-and-mirrors demonstration.
Spectators were cordoned off in a dark, curtained room, teased with a fake Elmo that popped up through a trap door and shown a video of the select few who have caught a glimpse of T.M.X. reacting to it. (All of them laughed with an almost maniacal glee and used hyperboles like “amazing” and “never seen anything like it.” All of them were also forced to sign confidentiality agreements promising not to breathe a word about the product until its big debut).
“Elmo really broke the mold for pre-school products, and 10 years later, it’s taken that concept and ratcheted it up a few notches,” said independent toy consultant Chris "The Toy Guy" Byrne, one of the privileged ones who have seen T.M.X. (he was in the video). “The hype is worth it. It’s really visual. It’s very much in the spirit of Elmo, and I think people will be charmed by it.”
I wonder what they did to the Ken Doll???? hahaha
