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ROCHESTER — In the 1996 holiday movie "Jingle All the Way," rival fathers Howard Langston and Myron Larabee — played by action star Arnold Schwarzenegger and comedian Sinbad, respectively — fight over the last Turbo-Man action figure toy in town.

That town, of course, was Minneapolis. And the movie was based, in part, on the toy craze that rocked the nation in 1983: Cabbage Patch Dolls.

All this should have been some sort of portend of an approaching toy-apocalypse when the movie premiered at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on Nov. 16, 1996.

Yet, no one saw it coming.

"It," of course, was Tickle Me Elmo, a laughing, vibrating replica of the Sesame Street character who had a habit of referring to himself in the third person.

In fact, in a Nov. 21, 1996, article in the Post Bulletin, toy experts pointed to another holiday movie that premiered that fall: "Space Jam."

"How can you lose when you combine Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny?" asked Christopher Byrne, editor of a publication called Market Focus: TOYS. He predicted, among other items, toys related to "Space Jam" would lead the way in sales that holiday season.

In fact, Byrne named off a "nice" list of toys ranging from Barbie, tie-ins to the Goosebumps book series, Star Wars-related merchandise, and even items related to Sesame Street, though no mention of a certain red monster. "The only sure thing this year is that there is no phenomena such as Power Rangers, no break-out absolutely must-have toys for 1996."

He failed to mention Elmo.

However, a second story in that same day's Rochester Post Bulletin did mention — briefly, and for a half a sentence in paragraph 21 — an item from Tyco Toys Inc. called ... Tickle Me Elmo.

With Black Friday only eight days away on Nov. 29, 1996, shoppers who had an eye on Elmo were certainly not prepared for the Schwarzenegger-esque battle that awaited them.

According to a Dec. 10, 1996, Star Tribune article, Tickle Me Elmo was released on the toy market back in July 1996 when 400,000 of the toys were shipped to retailers. Another 600,000 were ordered in anticipation of the holiday season, which might have seemed sufficient except the toy got a free plug on the then-popular "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" in October.

Suddenly, and without much warning, Tickle Me Elmo was the must-have toy of the season.

By Black Friday, the demand became obvious.

According to a Post Bulletin article tracking the early morning shoppers on Nov. 29, 1996, shoppers were hot for two items: the Nintendo 64 game console and Tickle Me Elmo. Rochester shopper Troy Ingvaldson was first through the line at Target in Rochester that morning. His shopping prize: Tickle Me Elmo.

"I've looked everywhere," he told the Post Bulletin. "Now I can go home."

By Saturday, Dec. 7, 1996, Toys R Us in Rochester mentioned to the Post Bulletin that, among many other items, Elmo seemed to be the must-have toy for the preschool set. A story in the Post Bulletin that week mentioned the shortage, and how the shortage brought some very naughty behavior for parents determined to delight a child with an Elmo under the tree.

How badly did parents need Elmo?

That Dec. 10 article in the Star Tribune mentioned two Chicago women who were arrested after fighting over an Elmo at a Windy City retailer.

Locally, greed crept into the Elmo craze as well. On Dec. 21, 2023, the Saturday before Christmas, three notices in the Post Bulletin's classified advertising section listed new, in-box Tickle Me Elmo toys for sale. One asked $3,000 for the doll. A second offered the toy for $195 or best offer. The toy originally retailed for $28.99, according to the manufacturer's suggested retail price. A third classified ad said it would take calls through Sunday but not after, putting further pressure on parents to make a decision.

A snowstorm on Monday — two days before Christmas 1996 — ensured a white Christmas for Rochester. But for parents of young children, many saw red that morning, either in the form of a Tickle Me Elmo giggling in a child's hands, or from the frustration of missing out on the must-have toy of the year.