A laughing doll in the Volksmuseum at Schloss Porcia, Carinthia — the older kind of toy Ron Dubren said came first (“there had been dolls that laughed before”). Photo Jacquesverlaeken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. No free image of Tickle Me Elmo exists — the toy is a licensed Sesame Street character.
Tickle Me Elmo
What it took directly
- documentedTickle Me Elmo took from Tickles the Chimp, the giggling monkey Greg Hyman and Ron Dubren made first"Together, they came up with a giggling monkey called Tickles the Chimp and began to shop it around." The New York Times obituary of Greg Hyman, as published in The Boston Globe (May 2026)
- documentedTickle Me Elmo took from Tickle Me Taz, a giggling Tasmanian Devil version of the chimp"Tickle Me Elmo started four years ago as Tickle Me Chimp, a joint effort of Dubren and co-inventor Greg Hyman, who lives in Florida. Then, toy designers turned him into Tickle Me Taz, for the Tasmanian Devil--a most uncuddly character." Lisa Black, Chicago Tribune (December 10, 1996) — the 1996 report calls the first version Tickle Me Chimp; the 2026 obituary, Tickles the Chimp
- documentedTickle Me Elmo took from an unnamed Tyco executive, who saw the tickle as a fit for Elmo rather than the chimp"An executive at Tyco was intrigued, but not with the laughing chimp. He thought the tickle technology would be a nice fit for a toy version of Elmo" The New York Times obituary of Greg Hyman, as published in The Boston Globe (May 2026)
- documentedTickle Me Elmo took from Tyco winning the Sesame Street plush licence, which had been Hasbro's"But before Tickle Me Taz left the drawing board, Tyco won the plush license for “Sesame Street,” and Mr. Hyman and Dubren pivoted to Elmo." The New York Times obituary of Greg Hyman, as published in The Boston Globe (May 2026)
- documentedThe 1996 Tickle Me Elmo rush took from Sesame Street Parents magazine's endorsement of the doll"When Sesame Street Parents magazine endorsed the Tickle Me Elmo doll - a sweet, cuddly little guy who giggles and wriggles when you tickle his tummy - editors had no idea that they were on the leading edge of a tidal wave." Maria Elena Baca, Star Tribune, Minneapolis (December 10, 1996)
- documentedThe 1996 Tickle Me Elmo rush took from Rosie O'Donnell featuring Elmo on her television show"Adds Rosie O'Donnell, who helped spark Elmo-fever by featuring him on her show" PEOPLE (January 13, 1997)
What it learned to do
- statedTickle Me Elmo learned from Ron Dubren's idea of a giggle that escalates the more you tickle"But it was the way I defined it. It was a doll that giggled when you tickled it, and when you tickled it more, it giggled more." Ron Dubren, co-inventor, to Lisa Black, Chicago Tribune (December 1996)
- documentedRon Dubren's giggling-toy idea learned from Greg Hyman, a veteran toy inventor known for being clever with sounds"A fledgling inventor named Ron Dubren, who knew Mr. Hyman’s reputation for being clever with sounds, proposed that they collaborate on an idea he had for a giggling toy." The New York Times obituary of Greg Hyman, as published in The Boston Globe (May 2026)
- documentedGreg Hyman learned from Larry Greenberg, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and family friend, his mentor"He was mentored by a family friend, Larry Greenberg, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, who set him up with an uncle, Ron Greenberg, a producer of TV game shows." The New York Times obituary of Greg Hyman, as published in The Boston Globe (May 2026)
- documentedGreg Hyman learned from building the lights, buzzers and chimes of TV game shows for producer Ron Greenberg"The elder Greenberg commissioned Mr. Hyman to create the aural and visual accompaniments to the genre: the lights, buzzers and chimes that signaled failure or a win." The New York Times obituary of Greg Hyman, as published in The Boston Globe (May 2026)
- documentedGreg Hyman learned from making Major Morgan, the 16-note electronic organ Playskool began selling in 1979"The pair began to tinker with it, and the gizmo morphed into Major Morgan, a 16-note handheld electronic organ in a frame that resembled a cartoon of a drum major. Toy manufacturer Playskool bought it and began selling it in 1979." The New York Times obituary of Greg Hyman, as published in The Boston Globe (May 2026)
- documentedTickle Me Elmo learned from Greg Hyman's earlier talking toys: the robot Alphie and a talking Barney"The pair had been known for their electronic innovations, including a talking robot named Alphie. On his own, Mr. Hyman had made a talking Barney, a toy version of the goofy purple dinosaur from the children’s TV series “Barney and Friends.”" The New York Times obituary of Greg Hyman, as published in The Boston Globe (May 2026)
- inferredTickle Me Elmo's escalating giggle learned from the cue-and-payoff sounds Greg Hyman built for game shows"Ron Dubren, who knew Mr. Hyman’s reputation for being clever with sounds, proposed that they collaborate on an idea he had for a giggling toy." inferred — the obituary documents both Hyman's game-show buzzers and chimes and that Dubren sought him out for his way with sounds; that this work shaped the giggle is a reading of the record, not anyone's statement
The tradition it sits in
- documentedTickle Me Elmo comes from Elmo, the Sesame Street Muppet — a red baby monster who refers to himself in the third person"Elmo, the red baby monster with a squeaky voice and a habit of referring to himself in the third person -- one of the most popular Muppets on the public television show “Sesame Street.”" The New York Times obituary of Greg Hyman, as published in The Boston Globe (May 2026)
- inferredTickle Me Elmo comes from the long line of dolls that laugh"It's true there had been dolls that laughed before" inferred — Ron Dubren acknowledges laughing dolls came first but presents his tickle-to-giggle rule as the difference; he does not name an ancestor
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