The Dark Side of Elmo

In an article on Slate.com today, author Troy Patterson describes the marketing of TMX Elmo and considers Elmo's sunny but shallow personality. He concludes darkly, "The character—a symbol of innocent joy peddled with the utmost cynicism—is a pure product of consumer culture, an exemplary TV star, a monster."

I have mostly been trying to tune out the buzz over TMX Elmo; I won't get sucked into letting toy manufacturers tell me what the "must-have Christmas present" is this year. At some point, Ben will start asking for specific toys and wanting what his peers have, but at age 2 he is not nearly that sophisticated in his demands. While I find it mildly interesting that the toy can fall over and stand back up again, for the most part I find it creepy. Really, it's everything I don't like in a toy: a noisy, licensed character that discourages imaginative play. The only possible benefit? Maybe Tumble Time Tigger would finally have someone to talk to.