Tickle Me Elmo was one of the most difficult to find toys during the 1996 Christmas shopping season and it appears that Tickle Me X-treme Elmo, Fisher-Price's Twenty-First Century version of the furry red preschooler, has quickly surpassed the original in popularity.

Using sophisticated engineering, Fisher-Price has created a 14-inch laughing dynamo. This Elmo represents the best in toy technology with an astounding ability to replicate the way it looks when uncontrollable laughter shakes your belly and causes you to drop hysterically to your knees. Adults and children alike are mesmerized by this Muppet's capabilities.

In fact, since the Elmo TMX debut on Good Morning America in September, parents have hounded retailers to re-stock their shelves with more of what Toys 'R Us experts have dubbed the "Hot Toy" of 2006. Although it retails for $39.99, collectors are selling it on Amazon.com and eBay for as much as $535.

Elmo TMX (the X stands for X-treme) is all about action! Consumers want to laugh with Sesame Street's giggling fun fellow. Sit TMX Elmo down and hit one of his three "tickle" spots. There's one under his chin, one on his belly, and one on top of his foot. This Elmo wiggles as he did 10 years ago, but then Elmo grabs his belly, falls forward, stands back up again only to fall over backwards, kicks his legs over his stomach, and then stands right back up, all while laughing hysterically.

This year's Elmo TMX will surely be one of the hottest toys of the Christmas shopping season.