Less than 50 people--as opposed to the usual 1,000 or more--have seen a 10th anniversary edition of Elmo, the fuzzy, red Muppet with a falsetto voice, prior to its debut on "Good Morning America" next
Tuesday. Later that day, Rosie O'Donnell, who played a key role in popularizing the original Tickle Me Elmo a decade ago, will give the 14-inch "Sesame Street" monster to audience members on her show,
"The View." The hype seems to be working. Retailers--the very few who've seen it, and the legions who haven't--say they are ordering the maximum number of the $39.99 Elmos that Fisher-Price will
allow. The toys arrive in cases marked only by a code, telling stores when to load it on shelves. It is already appearing on eBay for prices as high as $99 for delivery after it's released. All the
hoopla could prove costly and embarrassing if the toy is disappointing. And the secrecy could backfire if one of the toys slips into the hands of a reporter or a blogger before Tuesday. Elmo's makers
have rolled out an annual version of the giggling, jiggling monster since its launch in 1996 caused stampedes in the aisles of Wal-Mart. Subsequent Elmos have never lived up to that first success.
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