Dying to know the secrets of Elmo Live, one of this season's hottest toys?
Let me end the suspense right here by saying that Elmo Live is a fantastic toy, and I can't say that very often about the dozens of toys that I handle every week.
I'm a seasonal toy clerk (for the sixth straight year!) who spends lots and lots of time explaining popular toys to customers. I also work the customer service desk, so I get to know all about the ones that customers return, too.
Over the years, I've become a sort of toy-information broker. I get no-holds-barred product reviews from kids and customers, and I pass those on to consumers who are about to open their wallets.
First off, Elmo Live is a super-fun, interactive toy designed for toddlers 18 months and older, although I've seen children even younger positively light up, smile, laugh, and point their fingers as soon as they see Elmo Live on the shelf. That's the power of Sesame Street branding.
Here's my list of Elmo Live features that I've personally tested myself (OK, played with). These comments also take into account customer feedback, which we get in abundance at the store. Let these real-world comments and observations guide your purchase decision.
Great Quality. One of criteria used by the toy industry to assess product success is the number of returns, which for Elmo Live have been shockingly low. I say that because new toys that push the envelope of technology and, here, interactivity, often get returned in droves. Usually, my prime play time with a toy is when I'm repackaging a return (sorry, boss). Not this season. I had to get all of my playing time from the Elmo Live demo model during coffee breaks.
Perfect Choice. Elmo is the flagship character of the Sesame Street brand. Parents and children trust and love him. Like I said, even pre-toddlers recognize him immediately. Elmo Live is flying off the shelves as much for reasons of trust and recognition as it is for his advanced animatronics. So if you need a fast gift for a toddler, Elmo Live is the perfect choice.
Total entertainment! Elmo Live talks, sings, laughs, jokes, tells stories and dances. Squeezing one of his pressure/tickle points like his nose, foot, tummy or back will elicit different reactions, all of them highly entertaining. He comes with a little, blue plastic chair. When he sits down, he crosses his legs and tells a story. He flails his arms, tilts his head way back, opens his mouth (in sync with speech), bows and twists. He is the full entertainment package.
Elmo Live is the mirror image of his TV persona. Fisher-Price has really captured the essence of Elmo's on-camera personality. He's just as silly, funny, loving, spontaneous and crazy as he is on Sesame Street. I don't often find this kind of perfect match in other toys/dolls/action figures that attempt the spin-off from TV/film to toy-store shelf. So the good news with Elmo Live is that you're getting exactly what you expect.
Educational, too! Elmo Live's expressions, speech, gestures and personality are all so spot-on lifelike that children see him as human, too. You should see just how engaged children become when playing with Elmo Live. It's as though they're interacting with a real family member, who, in this case, happens to be a fuzzy, red baby monster. I mention this for the real education and socializing features that Elmo Live offers. He's very polite, and he'll teach that to your child, nephew, niece or godchild.
Batteries included! Yes, you read that right! Elmo Live comes with 6 AA batteries. Fisher-Price has also wisely designed a power-down feature into the toy. If Elmo Live doesn't get any attention for a few minutes. He'll politely shut himself off to save on the batteries. The store where I work has a limit on Elmo Live purchases. You can't buy more than two. This is to discourage the kind of hoarding and subsequent eBay scalping that happened with Tickle Me Elmo and other in-demand toys. That said, we have to restock Elmo Live continuously throughout the day. Some days we have no stock at all. This is a very, very popular toy for the holiday season. My strong suggestion is not to wait, especially as we get into December.
Best of luck to you and be on the watch for my other toy-article reviews. Thanks!
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