Editorial Review

What's the No. 1 group dance for the pre-school set? Hint: it's not the "Electric Slide" or "Cotton-Eyed Joe." You guessed it, and so did Elmo: the "Hokey Pokey." Though Elmo doing the "Slide" would be a sight to see, he masters the Pokey quite convincingly, to the probable delight of his toddling fans. After loading his foot with four "AA" batteries, press his hand and he performs the popular jig. He sticks out both his right hand and foot, shakes his body all about, then smoothly spins in place, thanks to a rotating platform under one foot. Elmo even spices up the beat, and sporadically speeds up the action; both innovations crank up the fun factor. The only downside: he was de-plushed, presumably because of all the mechanisms needed to help him dance and maintain balance. The result, still, is an impressive performance. He's just not very cuddly. --Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (73)

We hokey pokey right along!
Since my 1-year-old is an Elmo freak, we bought this for her for Christmas. She loved it from the first beat! It was hard for her to turn on at first, but once she got him going, she danced right along! And I have to admit, it's kind of a catchy jig! Our only problem was that the batteries ran out pretty fast. But other than that, we love Hokey Pokey Elmo!

It is an awsome toy!
I love Elmo and so does my niece. My co-worker had it, and I thought it was neat. Now I would like to buy it for my niece for her birthday and i can't find it any wheres in syracuse New york.

great toy elmo
i bought this elmo for my 6 month old elmo he loved it and we as adults thought it was ahoot i wanted one so did some of my family it is so sweet

Our kids LOVE Elmo!
My daughter got this for her first Christmas this past year and she is going on 7mos now but she absolutely LOVES this toy. She giggles and squirms whenever he's singing and dancing. Her 2 yr old brother dances with him too and loves when he falls over because he asks you to pick him back up. Granted he doesn't sing the whole song but who cares? It's the fun of dancing with Elmo. So far Elmo has survived 2 kids and a curious cat. The entertainment value and watching what your kids do when he dances and sings far outweighs the noise and not singing the whole song. I recommend this if you want to have a great time with your children.

LOVE IT!
My Greatgrandmother got this Elmo for me for Christmas, and I can't stop bouncing when he dances. I'm still pretty little, so I like to eat Elmo's fur, but when Mommy and Daddy play and dance with me, it's SO much fun! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Get ready to learn shapes, colors, numbers, letters, face parts, animal sounds, and more with Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and the rest of the Sesame Street gang! This Sing & Teach Table features tons of buttons and other interactive gadgets that prompt fun lessons for babies and toddlers, all in the wacky, weird voices of the Muppets. (Presumably, tots are familiar enough with the characters to understand all the squeals and growls.) The semi-circular shaped plastic table stands 12 inches high, not counting the waggling Elmo head that presides over the action. Children sit or stand at the table, lifting the Cookie Monster head to learn about "open" and "closed," spinning a drum for the alphabet song, or picking up a cell phone to hear The Count soliloquize about numbers. Bright, cheerful, and noisy--just what the toddler ordered! --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Editorial Review

Elmo has certainly sold out. The fuzzy red Muppet is dressed up in a chicken suit, with only his red face and hands showing. The fuzzy suit is bright yellow with a white chest, orange feet, and a red comb on the hood. Push the button on Elmo's left foot and his high-pitched voice encourages little ones to do the Chicken Dance with him. His arms flap and his knees bounce up and down as he sings the lines, "Elmo wants to be a chicken, Elmo wants to be a duck" to the familiar, but annoying, tune. Press the button on his right foot and Elmo will cluck like a chicken and move his head. Note that these two actions are the only ones Elmo does; there is no volume control, repeatedly hitting a button will cause a "rap effect," and the body under the chicken suit is hard plastic, which hurts his huggability factor. --Pam Lauer ... Read more

Reviews (111)

Chicken Dance Elmo
I read some of the other reviews, and I disagree with alot of them. Some of these people say that the toy is loud and obnoxious, but I think that it's fun for kids. My nephew is 4 now, and he's had it since his third birthday, and he still loves it and plays with it all the time.

Deafening
I recently bought a chicken dance Elmo for my daughter, but it is too loud (and there is no way to adjust the volume). I actually really like Elmo and his songs but this is just earsplitting. Also, Elmo is not cuddly at all. His body is hard plastic with a thin "fur" covering.

I'm dissapointed in how long the toy worked!
This is one of my son's favorite toys. He also loves the Elmo piano. He received the Elmo piano in 12-02 and has played it constantly. We have only just changed the batteries in 3-04. We gave him the Chicken Dance Elmo when Toys R Us was out of Tickle Me Elmo (even though their commercial said they'd never run out, they did). Anyways, he absolutely loved Chicken Dance Elmo and unfortunately it stopped working on 3-29-04, a little over 90 days of use, that's all he got out of it. For the price I am really disappointed at how poorly it held up.

A love/hate relationship
We purchased Chicken Dance Elmo when our son was about 12 months old because he loved it in the store. For about 2 months, my son liked and and would flap his arms and try to chicken dance. We have taught my son sign language and whenever he saw Elmo anywhere, he would flap his arms like a chicken.
Then, at about 14 months, my son became terrified of this toy. I hid Elmo in my son's closet thinking this would solve the problem, but then he saw it in there and then would point to the closet and shriek while making his sign for Elmo. I put it in our closet and then made the mistake of leaving the closet door open while my son was in there. More shrieking! While not having Elmo around was a bit of a relief to us (he's a bit noisy), we thought it best to try some deprogramming. My husband took Elmo out of the closet, hugged him in front of my son, and told him that Elmo is our friend (hilarious). After several days of this, Elmo was welcomed back in the family. NOW, my son adores him, and gets very upset if he falls over (which he often does). It really is too cute to see him chicken dance. Still, Elmo is loud, not at all cuddly, and likely pretty scary for kids under 18 months. Additionally, all he does is the dance. Amusingly, while my son now loves the Chicken Dance Elmo, he is still terrified of the Limbo Elmo.

Holds up well
We got this for my step son Christmas of 2002. He was 11mos old then but we decided to get it since he adores Elmo. When he was opening gifts he unwrapped this one and had no interest in any of the others. He still loves to play with this one and hokey pokey...at the same time and combines the two dances. He holds it so it won't move all the time and it still dances. This toy has held up so well to a very curious toddler, a stuffed toy box, and 2 moves. This Elmo also has 2 buttons, one on each foot, that can play at the same time! When he's singing and dancing you can press the other foot and he will balk like a chicken and roll his head and the song doesnt reset it will breifly pause do the head roll then pick up right where it left off. All in all I recommend this toy to any one. My 7mo old daughter also gets a kick outta this toy too! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Elmo may not be on the cutting edge of pop culture with this incarnation, but he still makes playtime fun. Instead of mimicking the latest hit, which always seems to drive kids wild, he sings and dances his own version of a 70s classic: "YMCA." It never dies, does it? The 13.5-inch Elmo sings out letters to a catchy rhythm while dancing what can only be described as pseudo-Egyptian. It's quite a feat, actually, to see what he does with his arms and legs: standing on one foot, bobbing his head, moving several limbs at once. His cute, familiar voice hasn't changed, either; kids can hear it with each press of his upheld hand. Required: 4 AA batteries.Diane Beall ... Read more

Reviews (1)

too cute for words
This Elmo is the cutest one that I have ever seen. By daughter loves to dance with Elmo. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great toy but not very durable
My son received this toy for his first birthday, actually he received two of them. He absolutley loves the toy. He will make it play a song and he will run around in cricles like he is dancing. He loves it!!! However, he threw-up on it and it just started to die slowly. The next thing my husband and I knew, it made a long drawn out sound and then it just quit working. I personally think that this toy should be more durable for the price. We had taken the second one back after his birthday party, but I know we will be going back to the store to buy another one because this was his FAVORITE toy. I also think it is ironic that there was another person on the review who had the same incident happen with vomit.

Excellent toy with one design flaw
My one year old received this toy as a Birthday present and it was a big hit. He absolutely loves it! Daddy never tires of the music because it is always accompanied by giggles and a bright smile! The toy has one design flaw... There are three modes of play. You change modes by turning the music page on the piano. Mode 1 and 3 work as advertised when you turn the page. Mode 2 works as whatever mode was used before it (1 or 3) unless you turn the toy off and back on while in mode 2.

Great toy!!!
I bought this toy for my 2yr old son and he loves it. Also my 9 month old nephew fell in love with it I just had to purchase him one too. This is definitely a great toy!! I highly recommend it!!

He loves it!
I bought this for my son's 1st birthday, and he loves it! He was able to play with it immediately. He loved to flip the pages on the book, watch the lights on the keys, make the fishy move and press on the crayons. There are many activites for your little one on this toy that will help him with cause and effect. There is also a hi-low volume setting, which is nice if Elmo's voice drives you nutty like it does me! It's a nice sized toy, perfect for little hands to hold and use, and it's small enough to travel with you. Steven never stopped playing with his piano and I think he still would be if it hadn't broke. Don't get me wrong! I think it is a quality toy. He had the stomach flu and Elmo and his Piano were a victim of it. I don't think any electronic toy would have survived that =( Almost a year later, Steven still tries to play with it, hoping it will make music again. this toy is definately worth purchasing! ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Not so great!
My parent's bought this for my daughter for christmas. In the package it is pretty loud but when you took it out the packaging and pulled the tab it got so quiet that you can barely even hear it. Also about 3 weeks after she got this, the flip part on the phone broke right off!

Absolutely ridiculous!
The fact that the volume is barely audible when you take it out of the package is so ridiculous!!!! Don't waste your time and money!

Total false advertising!
I too bought this phone, and when I took the packaging off, the volume was barely audible! the instructions inside said that was not an error, that is how it is supposed to be. Well then maybe they shouldn't have it so the volume is so loud when it is in the packaging! Obviously, you need the volume up to sell the damn toy, why turn it down? My daughter rarely plays with this phone. I wouldn't recommend it, if not solely for the false advertising!

Agree the volume is too low
We stuck the tab back in and taped it in place so our daughter could hear it. Otherwise, it's a great toy.

Fasle Advertising
There is no indication prior to buying this toy that the volume will be turned down to nothing when it is taken out of the box. I can understand the Fisher Price people's concern for children's hearing but the volume doesn't need to be so low. We were very excited about getting the phone and looked forward to playing with it when we were still able to hear it! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

WATCH OUT FOR THE LIMBO STICK!!!
My daughter received this for her 3rd birthday. The next day she was playing with the limbo stick...each end pulls out from it. When she shut the stick, it shut quickly and pinched her leg in it. I really had to work to get it open to free her leg. She has a good size spot and bruise. The doll is fine but, the stick is a hazard.

Fall over Elmo is a better name
The instructions say to put Elmo on a hard floor to ensure it works, but that doesn't make much of a difference. It falls over and the music doesn't last long enough. I liked the Rock'n Roll Elmo best because he had a guitar and played music while rockin'. That was more entertaining for this age group. This is more frustrating -- even me, a grown up, is frustrated with this toy. The limbo stick can get lost easily in the piles of toys not attached to anything. Too much effort between Elmo and the stick. Chicken Dance or Hokey Pokey Elmo look like better choices, but I have not tried them.

my one year old tiwn boys love him!
My one year old twin boys love him- but only for about a minute. he sings the limbo song, and then they go over and knock him down, because when you do, Elmo says, "OOPS!! elmo limbo'ed too far- can you help him up please?" and then when you pick him up, he says, "THANK YOU!!" Too cute! the limbo stick is useless, but they now know who elmo is and when he comes on the tv screen, they go nuts! Plus, he teaches them that when you help someone, you say thank you.
very cute toy. I would buy chicken dance elmo if it's as cute. All that really matters is that he makes my boys laugh.

I love this toy
My daughter recieved limbo elmo for her second birthday and loves it unlike other reviews ours works fine on carpet and floor. My daughter likes dancing along with elmo and watching her try to limbo is funny. We love this toy.

I agree, I love it, but it does not hold my child's interest
I love the tune, and so do our friends (without children) who visit and like to play with Elmo. However, it does not hold the attention of my 15-month-old son at all, unfortunately. ... Read more

Editorial Review

"La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, Elmo's World." Greeting children and parents alike with the theme song to the popular Elmo's World show, this Elmo plush looks and sounds like the real deal. Adorned with soft red fur and a bright orange nose, Guess What? Elmo is equipped with a built-in clock that activates a new conversation topic every day for seven days. When Elmo's hand is squeezed he'll talk about popular topics from the Elmo's World show, including birthday cakes, bugs, balls, hats, bananas, crayons, and shoes. He can say over 200 phrases in all, and whenever Elmo sings or talks, his mouth moves up and down. Measuring a little over 20 inches from the top of his head to the bottom of his furry feet, Elmo is soft enough to cuddle with, but you can feel a solid plastic body inside when you squeeze his tummy or chest. Requires three AA batteries (included) for operation. --Chris Burns ... Read more

Reviews (46)

Broke within a few days
I bought this toy from a department store and it was broke within a couple days. His mouth got stuck on and just kept moving. I took it back and didn't replace it. The problem with places I got this from and toys like it is the kids walk by constantly playing with them so they aren't in "new" condition by the time you get them home. I also didn't notice ours saying many phrases at all which disappointed me before it did break. Very cute concept, don't know about educational value as the one I had didn't say much, and I am sure it would be a great toy if it were durable enough. I can make a warning for anyone who buys toys like this for their children that moving mouth is probably going to entise them to hold it closed and if they do that it will break and make an awful annoying noise and will be rendered useless.

Why is Elmo screaming at us?
This is a cute toy that our 1 y.o. loves, but the volume is dangerously loud! I called to complain, but was not offered any solutions. I can hear elmo from my basement while my daughter plays with it upstairs! I think that I am going to have to take it apart and tape over the speaker because it is way too loud. It is quite uncomfortable and I am concerned about the volume especially when my daughter is holding it close and Elmo starts shouting at us!

Sent It Back!
What a great idea for a toy. I wish you could have the same toy without the moving mouth. I can't get past how badly the mouth opens and closes. I sent it back.

A Mom
This is an awesome toy! I've only seen it on-line and bought it for my one year old based on the reviews of others. He loves it! He really likes Elmo on TV and this one is realistic and loveable. The soft arms and legs make him so huggable, his mouth moves which really intrigues my son, and the fact that Elmo can sit on a window sill or chair makes him easy to put away and fun to watch. Elmo is also very durable. My son drags him every where! His voice is great and the fact that he changes his topics daily is lots of fun for my older children as well. We look forward to seeing what the topic will be each day. I highly recommend this toy for Elmo lovers.

Guess what Elmo...this toy is creepy!
I ordered this toy for my 2-year-old son for Christmas and was looking forward to watching his face light up as Elmo talked with him Christmas morning. However, as soon as I pushed Elmo's hand I realized this was not going to be the warm fuzzy moment I had anticipated! Elmo's mouth moves while he's talking... Unfortunately, it's not in sync with what he is saying! The mouth opens really big at a very slow pace and then shuts quickly, kind of like the game Mr. Mouth for those of you who grew up in the 70s-80s. Anyway, my son will not be receiving Guess what Elmo for Christmas! I was, however, pleased with the Elmo cell phone and Elmo guitar that we ordered. Although the cell phone was a little banged up.
I can't evaluate the durablity or educational value because I will not be keeping the toy long enough to find out. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Adorable!
This is one of the cutest toys I have ever seen. I bought it for a friend's child. The personalized name (Eli) and birthday are pronounced perfectly! (However, I suppose the true test would be with a very uncommon or difficult name.) It has a number of phrases and sayings. I thought it would only say Eli in one phrase, but it manages to incorporate the name in a number of phrases. I can't speak to the durability, since it was a gift for someone else. However, it really is adorable and if I had children, I would definitely buy it for them.

Perfect 2nd Birthday Gift
The Birthday Elmo is adorable and my son loved it so much when I ordered it for his friend that I ordered one for him too. Kids around 2 just seem to respond to Elmo's voice and its so special to have it say their name AND their actual birthday! A very fun gift for a toddler!

Great Idea
My daughter has a very unique old fashioned ethnic name handed down from our family tree yet Elmo got it right (how, I'll never know). Wow, I'm impressed! Only thing I don't like is that this Elmo is more of an orange color and looks different than her chicken dance elmo and the dancing elmo.

Love Elmo
I bought this for my sons first birthday and I have never seen him more excited. He gets so excited to hear Elmo say his name and all the kids at his party couldn't wait to play with him! He was definately worth ordering and I would do so again!

Super Adorable Toy!
I got Personalized Birthday Elmo for my 2 year old's birthday. My daughter's name is not a common one, so I loved the idea of personalizing Elmo with her name. Everytime Elmo says her name, my daughter smiles and says "Elmo say Kendall" She gets such a kick out of it!! She also enjoys counting and singing with Elmo. She has a little difficulty pressing his hand correctly, but that could be because she's small for her age and her hands are tiny. Anyway, we all love this toy and I plan on buying it for for several upcoming kids' birthdays!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

this is a great toy but...........
I got this toy for my niece. she loves it, it is very unique. I think that most kids would like it. The only reason I put but is that it is easy if your kid has a name like tom, mary , mark etc. There are some odd spellings that have odd pronunciations. You are best off to not buy this from a toys r us on line unless your kid does have a standard name with a standard pronunciation. If it is an odd spelling or an odd pronunciation, you are much better off going to a toys r us store and getting them to program it, and listen to the name as she programs it. As it was with me saying her name is margaret, she did program one as margarita. They did immediately fix it, but you are smart to use normal spellings for normal pronunciations. I hope this makes sense. If your kids name is pronounced as Gina, and you spell it like GEENAH.......... write down the typical spelling it will give you a better chance of getting it right. Also there are many different personalized elmos. The generic ones do more things.

My nephew loved this!
I bought this for my nephew and could not wait until Christmas to give it to him. He absolutely loved it. It was amazing to his reaction when Elmo spoke his name. It's the perfect gift for any child who loves Elmo.

ELMO HAS AN ACCENT!
CAUTION! Elmo only knows the Spanish pronunciation of Benjamin (ben-ha-MEEN) instead of (BEN-ja-min). How many famous ben-ha-MEENs have there been? None that I know of. How many famous BEN-ja-mins? I can think of one big one...a politician, inventor, business man and the man whose portrait appears on the US $100 bill...Benjamin Franklin. Why does Elmo say "ben-ha-MEEN?" Granted, there is some Spanish history and usage to the name Benjamìn, but the name (from the sources I've been able to find) are of Hebrew descent (Benyamin) and the name was made famous by the aforementioned. I could understand if I ordered the "Feliz Navidad Elmo," or if I lived in a Spanish-speaking country, but I didn't and I don't (well, I am only 35 miles from Los Angeles). A supervisor at Personalized Gifts for Babies "R" Us stated there is nothing they can do except take it back and refund my money. Apparently all of the computer chips were programmed to pronounce Benjamin with a Spanish accent. How many other names will be pronounced in foreign tongues? Be wary.

Great gift for an Elmo fan
I just got this for my daughter for Christmas. I am really pleased with it. Elmo's fur is very soft and he is a good size for her (she is 16 mos). She is crazy about Elmo (so am I, I must admit -- he's much better than Barney or teletubbies!) and I know she will love hearing him say her name. I plan on getting her the birthday one later. It is a great, unique present. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Elmo Is Great
I bought this for my 2 year old daughter and my 12 year old said she wanted one! It is a great toy for ages of all kinds.My daughter took it to preschool and a week later every one had one. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Baby loves Elmo, Mom says it's OK
Baby loves her new Elmo. She got it a week and a half after her first birtday. Do not order by mail or with a check, no matter what they tell you it is a nightmare! Mommy thinks the puppy he is holding is cheap looking, and white! Elmo does say a variety of things. He sings one song and it is not his famous Elmo song.
He really sounds like Elmo which is what the baby loves. He is soft and she loves to cuddle and carry him around.

Options?
I can't believe they have a personalized Elmo for some of the names they do and yet nothing for a name as simple and basic as Christine. What is the problem with personalizing it with ANY name. I'd be willing to pay extra.

Great Present
My 1 yr old son got this as a gift from my sister. He loves it! He likes everything about him. Only thing is that my 8 yr old now wants one for himself.

Elmo is fun for 2
I got this Elmo for my nephew's 2nd birthday. I did have to send it back for a name fix (it was Spanish the first time), but it was worth the wait. He loves it, and unlike his other Elmo's this one is "my Elmo". Now I think I'm going to have to get his 4 year old brother one too.

absolutely wonderful toy
This doll is amazing! My little girl is 9 months old and just loves to watch and listen to elmo. I look forward to how she will react and play with him with his songs and activities he engages kids to do as she gets older. ... Read more