BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 15, 2006 - Starting today, Walmart.com will be the first retail site to make the highly anticipated T.M.X., 10th Anniversary Tickle Me Elmo, available for pre-sell. This first-to-market pre-sell option is exclusive to Walmart.com for two weeks and will continue until Elmo arrives on shelves in September. Thats six months before Elmo makes his grand entrance onto shelves - an exclusive early opportunity for fans to avoid the no-holds-barred frenzy thats sure to accompany the dolls general availability in September, just in time for the holidays.
The mystery continues -- not only will there be no photo of T.M.X. online -- no one other than a very few of Tickle Me Elmos best friends have even gotten a glimpse of his super-secret new look - and no one will until then!
First introduced in 1996, Tickle Me Elmo immediately became a furry, red, runaway hit, selling in excess of one million pieces in that first year. Now, 10 years later, Elmo-mania is about to begin again.
"With the 10th Anniversary Tickle Me Elmo, the Elmo-ification of America will continue," says Scott McCall, vice president and divisional merchandising manager with Wal-Mart. "Those lucky enough to buy T.M.X. sight-unseen during Walmart.coms two-week exclusive sale will be thrilled when he arrives in the mail in September. They wont be sorry!"
"T.M.X. is the most incredible Elmo toy weve ever created," says David Allmark, general manager, Fisher-Price Friends. "Its thrilling to be able to bring the Sesame Street sensation to a whole new generation of children in such an exciting and innovative new toy – one that were sure will tickle Americas funny bone, yet again, and again."
About Fisher-Price
Fisher-Price, Inc., a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) and located in East Aurora, New York, is the leading brand of infant and preschool toys in the world. The Company has a 75-year legacy of high-quality toys that enhance early childhood development. Its often-emulated Play Laboratory was the first child research center of its kind in the toy industry, allowing researchers to observe the way children play and how play benefits their development. Some of the Companys best-known "classic" brands include Little People(r), Power Wheels(r) and View-Master(r). Fisher-Price is also a leading developer of baby gear products (nursery monitors, infant swings, high chairs) as well as a wide array of character-based toys inspired by high quality childrens programming such as Sesame Street(r), Dora the Explorer(tm) and Winnie
the Pooh. The Companys web site, at www.fisher-price.com, provides valuable information and resources to parents.
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