As we’ve covered extensively, TMX Elmo is the must have gift of this holiday shopping season. Unfortunately, the high demand means that it is sold out everywhere. But, on several occasions over the past 48 hours, WalMart had TMX Elmo Hispanic Version in stock for $40 until it sold out. Since they may have more and may release another batch soon we recommend you bookmark the following link (you can right-click and choose to bookmark) which will bring you to the right page on WalMart should Elmo reappear:
There are obvious language differences as Elmo speaks Spanish, not English, but you still get the great TMX Elmo experience. Here is a video if you want to see it in action:
If you are looking for a laptop and you don’t want to break the bank, check out this $598 Toshiba laptop at Walmart.com. At that price it may not be the most powerful laptop on the market but it does pack enough features to make it interesting. The Toshiba Satellite A105-S2101 comes with a 15.4″ widescreen (1280×800) LCD display and is powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Celeron M Processor 420 and 512MB of SDRAM. The 60GB hard drive comes with Windows XP Home Edition and graphics is powered by an ATI RADEON Xpress 200M. Other hardware include built in WiFi (b/g), CD-RW/DVD-ROM, Ethernet, Modem, built in speakers, and a PC Card slot.
This great deal is in stock right now and does not require any coupons or rebates.
Shopperism (the concept, not this website) has taken over our world and no where is that more evident than the new Monopoly Here and Now. The latest reissue of the classic Parker Brothers board game has been redesigned to what Hasbro considers “a representation of America in the 21st Century”. The game boasts five new tokens including a Toyota Prius Hybrid, New Balance running shoe, McDonald’s French Fries, a cup of Starbucks coffee, and a Motorola RAZR. The remaining three tokens are not branded and they include a Jet, a Labradoodle, and a laptop (couldn’t get Apple or Dell branding on this one?). It’s interesting that these products, representing the best and worst of mainstream American commercialism, were chosen. Despite their denials, I still suspect it has more to do with deals cut by the Hasbro team than anything else. Also, unlike the other products, Toyota is not an American company but they are the largest car company on the planet and if you look at the roads today, you’ll see that they are as American as Soccer and Gelato (meaning we’ve adopted them as our own).
Continuing the modernization of the game, which was based on Atlantic City real estate in the Great Depression, the new properties represent expensive real estate across the country. Boardwalk is now Times Square while Park Place was dropped for Fenway Park. How will kids ever know about Ventnor Avenue or Marvin Gardens? The four railroads were replaced by the four busiest airports in the country: Atlanta’s Hartsfield, Chicago’s O’Hare, LA’s LAX, and New York’s JFK. Also, inflation hurts, so dollar amounts are higher (pass “Go” get $2 million).
Monopoly Here and Now is available for around $30 from several online merchants including, Amazon, eToys and WalMart. Expect to see a significant advertising campaign in the near future. Those of you still craving for the original Monopoly (as designed in 1935) can continue to purchase the classic version and the many custom versions out there.
WalMart is taking pre-orders on Zune 30GB MP3 Players for $249.94 (retail price) with expected ship date of 11/14/06. We expect a mad dash for these so you may want to pre-order soon.
As we previously discussed, Zune is a portable media player which stores and plays music, videos, and photos. The device is built by Toshiba and includes a 3-inch screen, WiFi, and an FM tuner. Zune interfaces with the Zune Marketplace software which allows you to manage and download music and other content.
A few years ago, EA Sports ran a terrific print ad which summarized the Madden football series. The ad showed a sad woman with her head in her hands. The text said something like “Madden Football arrives in August, break it to her nicely”.
Yes, on Tuesday, August 22nd, Madden NFL 07 is finally out and millions will buy the game and spend the next month huddled around a TV, computer screen, laptop, or portable gaming device trying to show that they too can beat the Jets by the score of 84-7 (sorry Jets fans). Fan sites who tested/demoed that game have already issued their lists of complaints, but as always, once you play it for real for the first time, you’re hooked no matter how easy it is to score or beat up on 1972 Dolphins.
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