Melissa Bowman says this Elmo Knows Your Name doll says "kill James."
News Channel 8 photo by MICHAEL EGGER
Posted on 02/22/2008 6:44:17 AM PST by Cagey
A Lithia family says a cuddly, programmable Elmo doll revealed its dark side yesterday after fresh batteries were installed.
Instead of singing songs or reciting the favorite color of its 2-year-old owner, James Bowman, the doll started making death threats, the family says.
With a squeeze of its fuzzy belly, the Sesame Street character now says, in a sing-song voice, "Kill James." "It's not something that really you would think would ever come out of a toy," said Melissa Bowman, James' mother. "But once I heard, I was just kind of distraught."
The Elmo Knows Your Name doll, which connects to a computer to learn certain phases and names, recently ran out of battery power, Bowman said.
About an hour after she put new ones in, "I noticed exactly what it was saying," Bowman said. "And my son was repeating exactly what it was saying."
Bowman said Elmo is James' favorite character. James even has Elmo slippers, but the malfunctioning, death-threat-spouting Elmo Knows Your Name doll is now being kept away from her son, Bowman said.
"This is his absolute favorite toy," she said. "So we've been going through a lot of hassle because he's trying to climb up the counter and up the closets to get it."
Fisher-Price, the toy company that manufactures the dolls, said it will issue the Bowmans a voucher for a replacement doll. The company said it will examine James' model for the source of the problem and check whether other Elmos are experiencing the same malfunction.
Melissa Bowman says this Elmo Knows Your Name doll says "kill James."
News Channel 8 photo by MICHAEL EGGER
I’d call a priest in myself.
There was a Twilight Zoe with Telly Savalas that this sounds like.
Here’s your problem. Someone left this thing switched to ‘evil’.
"It's over now. You can all go on ahead. I'll lock up here. Just a few notes to finish entering."
(cue creepy music, and twitching red furry parts.)
Sesame street is in a tough part of town.
I’ve ALWAYS wanted to make a toy like that!!
“hey little girl, go get mommies’ purse...”
Let me guess “made in china?”
Yep, and training an army of Elmo's to invade Taiwan.
LMAO!
Emo's gonna busta cap in yo ass!
Mebbe Elmo knows something about James the rest of us don’t...
Elmo, or Chuckie?
They left out the comma.
"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"
Maybe this mother will wise up and not let her kid watch TV any more.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.