'L.O.L. Big Surprise!' The 'Tickle Me Elmo' Hottest Toy This Christmas
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Every year there is that one must-have holiday present that sends parents searching way too long and spending way to much just to make their kids happy.
Remember Tickle Me Elmo?
Well, this year it's the 'L.O.L. Big Surprise.'
L.O.L. stands for 'Little Outrageous Little,' and the 'Surprise' is what you get when they open the glittery, plastic dome of delight. There are as many as 50 small toys inside, including dolls, clothes, and other trinkets.
Kids love them, apparently, because they all have to be individually unwrapped.
MGA, the company the craze, also brought us Bratz dolls and Lalaloopsy.
"At MGA we've had many, many big hits, but this is by far the biggest I've ever seen," founder and CEO Isaac Larian told the Washington Post. "A lot of times, we have products that work in the U.S. but don't work in Germany or Russia or Korea. The thing about the L.O.L. Surprise is that it is in demand everywhere."
That demand has made the toy a pricey, hard-to-find prize for even the most persistent parents.
Toys R Us describes L.O.L. Big Surprise as "the ultimate unboxing experience."
Opening this gift is as fun as playing with it. So much so, MGA has set up video booths in 15 cities -- the best unboxing videos make it to YouTube. Some have gotten more than a million views.
Toys R Us has reduced the price from $69.99 to $59.99. Don't get your hopes up, though. L.O.L. Surprise is 'SOLD OUT.'
Ditto at Target.
Not so on Craigslist, where they can be had for $100, or more. Walmart sells the toy for a whopping $159.99!
Back in the 90s, one parent reportedly spend more than $7,000 for a Tickle Me Elmo doll. That little guy is probably worth about five bucks now.
How high the LOL Big Surprise will go remains to be seen. That may be the real 'Big Surprise' on Christmas morning. LOL.
CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer Bay Sunday, Black Renaissance and host of The Bronze Report. She lives in Northern California. Follow her on Twitter @janmabr.
