Christmas 2006 Hot Toys!

TMX flew off the shelves today at Toys R Us stores across the US. Reports from shoppers seem to have about 80-200 TMX’s per store and in almost every case they sold out with in minutes of the store opening up. There is some encouraging news as there reports of Toys R Us store managers expecting a decent supply of TMX Elmo to come in the following weeks.

If you are in a time zone where you can still get to a Toys R Us before it opens today (Sunday 29th of Oct) you probably have a decent chance of getting at TMX Elmo as reports have most stores getting 80-100 of the little guys.

I’ve hunted around and so far it seems SlickDeals.net is the best bet for up to date info on hot products. Here is a direct link to the TMX Elmo discussion. I’ll do my best to post some “breaking news” here as the SlickDeals boards can be quite a read as many members seem to have discussions around the topic. That being said, it’s worth the time if you want the best info.

And so it has begun, the holliday campout season! Tonight people are sleeping snug in thier sleeping bags and on thier lawn chairs with dreams of TMX Elmo, PS3 and Wii!

cbs4.com - Customers Line Up At Doral Toys R Us

Shop for Great Deals at ToysRUs.com

Barbie Gets Some Help From Elmo - New York Times
We don’t disclose specific sales figures, but I can tell you that as far as we can tell, they were the strongest sales of any toy on any single day, with the possible exception of some products on the day after Thanksgiving. But no one has ever seen this level of sales on an item on a September day before.

The answer shouldn’t surprise you. It’s what’s destined to be one of the hottest toys of the 2006 Holiday Season. TMX Elmo.

Sacramento Bee

AP article again citing low energy prices and T.M.X. Elmo rush helping to propel this year’s retail sales. While not much in the world today may be predictable, consumers can at least have a good Christmas/Holiday Season. Expect a good start and a strong finish to Holiday Season with Chanukah stardign on December 25th.

Is it just me, or is there some good “reason” every year for increased retail sales?

Whittier Daily News

It’s not like this wasn’t expected!  I think the “selling” is bit misleading as that’s the listing price.   I also find it funny that as soon as ABC hits the wires with this story, there are a flood of $1,000,000+ listings that pop up!

Legitimate sales for individual TMX Elmos seem to be topping out around $120 or so.  I’m sure that will go up as C Day approaches.

ABC News: Tickle Me Elmos Selling for $5,000

But if youre willing to pay a few thousand dollars, there are more than a few sellers at online auction sites like eBay willing to part with theirs — at least one seller is asking for $5,000 for the little guy.

Industry publication annoucnes it’s Hot Dozen Toys of 2006 list. Adds a Five Pack of non electronic toys that are expected to make a mark as well.

HOT DOZEN

• BARBIE AND THE 12 DANCING PRINCESSES
• BRATZ FOREVER DIAMONDZ
• BUTTERSCOTCH MY FURREAL FRIENDS PONY
• DIGI MAKEOVER
• FLY WHEELS XPV
• KID TOUGH DIGITAL CAMERA
• LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT
• MAGTASTIK
• MONOPOLY HERE & NOW
• SPEED STACKS STACKPACK
• T.M.X. ELMO
• WII

FAB FIVE

• CRAYOLA TWISTABLES
• DRAGONOLOGY: THE GAME
• FITDECK JR.
• GEL COLONY ANT FARM
• PLAY-DOH CREATIVITY CENTER

For more check out the Toy Wishes Press Release