I have a confession: I don’t understand Tickle Me Elmo, T.M.X. or otherwise. I don’t understand why people fight to get one. And while I can see why people sell them on eBay for a sizeable profit, I certainly don’t understand why people will pay well above the $40 retail to get one. In the past, my ignorance of T.M.A (Tickle Me Elmo Appeal…hey, if “T.M.X” equals “Tickle Me Elmo X,” why not.) was acceptable, but now I have a daughter. And I think that means I’m supposed to understand stuff like this.
So I gave it a shot. I watched the unveiling on Good Morning America. I read the news stories. I even waited a few days before posting this to see if it started to make more sense, but it didn’t. Is there some latent “daddy gene” that is supposed to kick in and make things clearer? Or is it because my daughter is only seven-months-old, just under a year shy of recommended age for T.M.X? Whatever it is, I still don’t get understand Tickle Me Elmo. But I’m willing to try.
Let me see if I have this right: Basically it’s an Elmo doll that you “tickle” so it falls down and giggles. That’s it? Oh sure, there are apparently three styles of falling and giggling. And only one of his arms moves? This is fun? Even for an 18-month-old? Really?
So please, help a new dad. Share your Tickle Me Elmo stories with me. Tell me why it’s worth $40. Because I want to understand. 
[Thanks to Daddy Types for the CNN link]