Extreme Giggles.

It's barely dropping below 60 degrees and already the toys are coming out in full force. Remastered nanos in many new colors (oh no wait there will be at least three new products released before December...Apple's strategy seems to be centered around making you feel bad and redundant for what you just bought. Sigh.) and "extreme" Elmo.
Extreme what?

That's right. The adorable red fuzzy guy who rakes in millions being tickled. Now that's what you call a beautiful life.

So some marketing guys sat around at the toy company and thought to themselves, how can we possibly make Tickle Me Elmo more exciting and sell more fuzzy red guys? Aaaah the brainwave. The outside-the-box thinking in full action.
We'll make him laugh harder. That's what we'll do. I mean real people don't just giggle cutely when they are tickled. They roll over, slap their thighs, pound their fists on the floor, double over. Genius. Make Elmo really laugh 'extreme'ly hard.

I can't get over the fact that they are actually naming the doll (sorry dude you're a guy and all but you're a doll) 'Tickle Me Extreme Elmo' aka TMX. Elmo. TMX sounds almost evil. The only thing extreme about this toy is going to be the extreme shortage during the holidays and crazy prices on eBay and the media hype that will follow. Eye roll. Ok, ok talk to me five years from now and I'll be one of those frantic parents with the frantic children screaming "mommy, mommy I have to have it."

Those marketing guys really knew what they were doing.

The new doll is in fact pretty darn hilarious. I recommend the easy way-watch a video of him 'cracking up' online. At first it's a little weird, especially when he's just standing and laughing hysterically (I don't think he should stand at all) but the minute he falls backwards and laughs -my favorite when he is on his tummy banging his head and hands on the floor, the thigh slapping is pretty funny too...you will find yourself smiling, laughing even. It takes a while to warm up to it.

I can see kids loving this obviously (and some being plain scared...how many toddlers have had a good hearty laugh like that before?) and what is cuter than kids giggling? Oh but if I were a mom I would go crazy listening to that laugh over and over again. We all know kids love repetition just like teens listening to JT on repeat mode. Yikes. Now that's extreme.
For us grown-ups, watching TMX Elmo reminds us of a time when we laughed like that and the memory makes us smile more than the robotic dancing doll...or not.