The toy was first produced in the United States in 1996 and slowly became a fad, reaching its apex during the 1996 Christmas shopping season, with some instances of violence reported over the limited available supply.

The toy was worked on for several months as Tickle Me Tasmanian Devil, and sold at the WB Studio Store in California.

[citation needed] Neil Friedman, who was then president of Tyco Preschool, recalled years later that, "When you played with Tickle Me Elmo for the first time, it brought a smile to everyone's face.

[4] Promotion was helped by Rosie O'Donnell, who had shown the toy on her TV show in early October,[5][6] although peak demand and stock shortages did not occur until nearly two months later.

[8] Two women were arrested in Chicago for fighting over the doll,[4] while in New York City some people ran after delivery trucks hoping to get their hands on Elmo before it reached stores.

[8] KBIG in Los Angeles had a radio auction for charity December 20, 1996; Bob's Pharmacy won and purchased a Tickle-Me-Elmo for $18,500.

Robert Waller, a clerk working at a Wal-Mart store in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, was among those injured by "Elmo-mania".

During a Midnight Madness sale on December 14, Robert was unpacking the latest shipment of Tickle Me Elmo, when he became uncomfortably aware of a crowd of about 300 people watching him carefully.

Trampled, he suffered "a pulled hamstring, injuries to his back, jaw and knee, a broken rib and a concussion".

Rather than simply vibrating like the original, the TMX rolls around on the floor, laughing and smashing his fist on the ground, begging for the tickler to stop.

[14] The full look of the doll was not revealed until it debuted live on ABC's Good Morning America and arrived on store shelves on September 19, 2006.

Toy experts said that the delay was unprecedented, with only a few people in the media allowed to preview the product, and only after signing confidentiality agreements.

[15] Toy analyst Chris Byrne told USA Today, "This is a quantum leap forward, another breakthrough in the preschool plush category."

[18][19] In January 2007, Mattel announced it would release TMX Friends, featuring Elmo, Ernie and Cookie Monster.