Tickle Me Elmo and the ‘Elmo-Mania’ That Consumed America

In 1996, the giggling stuffed doll turned holiday shopping into chaos, a preview of every sneaker drop, PlayStation launch and Taylor Swift ticket rush to come.There was a mad rush to grab one of the few remaining Tickle Me Elmo dolls at a Toys “R” Us store in Manhattan on Dec. 4, 1996.