24 — Wednesday, December 25, 1996 — North Shore News

Tickle Me Elmo
dolls trample.

TICKLE Me Elmo is
the latest craze for
adults and children
alike.

Personally, I think this
craze is going a little too far.
It is one thing for a toy to
be popular — it is another
for people to literally fight
over it.

The Tickle Me Elmo doll
is cute to look at, and the
laugh is really adorable.

But think fora moment
that you yourself are two
years old and excited to sce
what Santa left for you
under the Christmas cree.

Think of picking up one
of your packages and having
it laugh at you first, and
then vibrate violently in
your arms.

Can you honestly say
that it wouldn’t frighten
you?

It would interest me to
know whether it is the chil-
dren demanding the elusive
toy, or whether it is now the
adults who will pay big
bucks to simply say they
have one.

In the stampede to attain
onc of these Elmos, a
Walmart employee from
Fredericton, New
Brunswick, was sent to hos-
pital following a fight

etween two customers over
the huggable doll.

Displays such as this one
have resulted in the Tickle
Me Elmo doll getting nick-
names such as Trample Me
Elmo.

Td like to know what
happened to the “Christmas
spirit” and I’m sure that the
Walmart employee would
too.

Tickle Me Elmo has
caused desperate shoppers
to hurt each other in
attempts to get a doll, and
for those who have them, to
sell them for exorbitant
amounts of money.

Do the parents selling
the dos even think abo
the reason they bought it
for their own child?

In a Vancouver newspa-
peron Dec. [8th, there
were fifty-five individual
classified advertisements for
Tickle Me Elmos.

The prices for the dolls
range from $100 to a hetty
$3,000.

That same day the North
Shore News’ classified sec-
tion contained three Tickle
Me Elmo advertisements
with prices ranging from
$250 to $4,000.

Money seems to be no
object in the rush to own a
Tickle Me Elmo.

If 1 had known how pop-
ular they were going to
become, or realize how

Spirit

much money | could have
made by re-selling a doll, 1
would have bought one the
day not so long ago when I
stood in Walmart and
laughed at them.

It is safe to say that all
stores sold out of Tickle Me
Elmo dolls before closing
time fast night.

Luckily for Toys R Us,
they were receiving a ship-
ment of the dolls from the
Orient.

However, they would not
say when the shipment was
to arrive.

TE suppose they didn’t
want desperate parents
camping outside their stores
on the eve of the arrival of
Tickle Me Elmos.

This whole business of
Tickle Me Elmos makes me
laugh.

Parents are fighting over
these dolls, willing to pay
large sums of money for
them, and for what?

A fuzzy red doll that will
be forgotten next year when
there is a brand new toy
sensation.

Kimberley Versteeg is a
Grade 12 Sutherland student
enrolled in Video Production
12 at Leo Marshall Centre.

BOXING ES
West Van.

SAMPLE SALE
SIGRID OLSEN
Over 600 pieces
At wholesale prices
Sorry no refunds or exchanges Dec 26

2463 Marin
West Vancouver a
one 926-07) 2 : ae

‘ mS

Wallace, Rozalyn Chok, Dustin Noble,

e Drive ‘Thursday Dec 26th
‘ Doors Open 9:30 ,

Getting in tune

4a40 West Oth’ Ave.
>, * Vancouver —
222-1028, “

THE North Shore branch of B.C. Music Teachers’ Associatior, awarded scholarships to the following stucients:
who received top marks in recent plane exams (clockwise from top right): Chris Chok, Willard Wong, Kecie-
Biair Hammond, Nicole Yip and Aya Sato. ;

The Corporation of the
District of West Vancouver.

750-17th. Street, West Vancouver
Telephone: 925-7000

"Holiday Garbage &
Recycling Pickup"

Pick up days will be on
Friday and Saturday respectively

Week of Dec. 30-Jan, 3, Wednesday and Thursday
Pick up days will be on

Thursday and Friday respectively

Season's Greetings |

ae.

To you, our good friends and patrons, we wish
joy and peace. Thank you for your continued
support throughout the year.

We will be spending the holidays
with our families and will
reopen Dec. 27th.

Look for our Christmas week sale starting
December 27th.

KRISTI

1408 Marine Drive, West Vancouver
922-8889