<Tr> <Th> Availability </Th> <Td> 1996 ---present </Td> </Tr> <P> Tickle Me Elmo is a children's plush toy from Tyco Preschool, a division of Tyco Toys, of the Muppet character Elmo from the children's television show, Sesame Street . When squeezed, Elmo shakes and vibrates . </P> <P> The toy was first produced in the United States in 1996 and slowly became a fad . The doll's limited supply, due to the unexpected demand, led to a second generation market where scalpers would sell the plush toy for thousands of US dollars . Some instances of violence were reported over the limited supply amidst heavy consumer demand . People reported that the toy, which retailed for US $29.99 according to its MSRP, had been advertised in newspapers and on the Internet, with sellers asking up to $10,000 by the end of 1996 . </P> <P> "Tickles The Chimp", the precursor to Tickle Me Elmo, was invented by Ron Dubren and Greg Hyman in 1992 . In 1992, it was presented to Tyco Preschool as "Tickles The Chimp," which was a toy monkey with a computer chip which laughed when tickled . At the time Tyco didn't have rights to make Sesame Street plush, but did have Looney Tunes plush rights so it was worked on for several months as Tickle Me Tasmanian Devil . A short time later, Tyco lost rights to do Looney Tunes but gained the rights to Sesame Street, thus starting Tickle Me Elmo . The invention was originally introduced under Cabbage Patch at Hasbro Industries . </P>

When did the original tickle me elmo come out