Best Toys

Sesame Street’s furry red marketing genius has come up with yet another tickle me product that’s cropping up on kids’ wish lists. Elmo’s Tickle Hands are the latest follow up to the all time biggest headline-grabbing toy, the Tickle Me Elmo. This toy phenomenon took parents, retailers and even the manufacturer by surprise when it exploded in 1996. The first generation of this toy became a huge fad with very little warning. No one had any idea how sought-after it would become. A combination of high demand and short supply caused near-riot conditions that holiday season. This latest addition to the Tickle Me brand is not expected to cause nearly as much hoopla as its famous progenitor, but it does look like it will quickly become a very popular item. It promises to let children not just play with Elmo, but instead pretend to be Elmo just by donning these fuzzy hands. It is one of the best toys 2010.

Description

The toy is comprised of two large, stuffed hands. They’re furry and red, just like the beloved little monster on TV. Elmo’s face is embroidered on one hand and serves as the controller for the “tickle power”. The hands are meant to be worn over the child’s own hands like gloves while the child touches, tickles and dances with the gloves.

Actions

Press Elmo’s nose once to activate the “tickle power”. When a child touches something, the gloves will vibrate for a tickling sensation. Press again and the gloves go into dance mode where sensors can tell if the child is following along with the verbal instructions on how to do Elmo’s new dance, “The Tickle Hand Groove.” Elmo’s Tickle Hands play the music for the dance and give audible instructions on how to perform it. The hands have several phrases to say and sing plus they giggle in the inimitable voice made famous on Sesame Street.

Extras

A DVD of Elmo’s new dance is included with this toy. Elmo himself gives children a step by step lesson in how to dance “The Tickle Hand Groove.” Children are encouraged to get moving while playing with this toy, an admirable endeavor on the part of manufacturer Fisher Price. The DVD features Elmo and several children and it is very engaging and entertaining to watch.

The suggested retail for Elmo’s Tickle Hands is around $29.99. Fisher Price seems to be banking on lower priced toys to be this year’s big fad during a troubled economic time. This pricing move will likely make the toy more popular with parents while the fun DVD will be a hit with kids. How long these warm, heavy gloves will stay on in indoor temperatures may be an issue. But as long as they’re