Greg Hyman
Co-creator of the 1996 sensation Tickle Me Elmo.
Greg Eaton Hyman (June 25, 1947 – May 1, 2026) was an American toy inventor who helped create Tickle Me Elmo, the vibrating, giggling plush doll that became a massive hit in 1996.
Born in New Rochelle, New York, Hyman was already tinkering as a pre-teen. He taught schoolmates about electricity—offering the first three lessons free—and charged them for rides on a rocket ship he built from an old washing machine. After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in electrical engineering, he worked on inventions in his basement, including a hovering bumper car and an anti-siphoning device for car gas tanks.
With partner Larry Greenberg, Hyman developed dozens of toys. Their first success was an electric musical toy that Playskool bought in 1979. They also created dolls that appeared to drink milk from a bottle and another whose heart seemed to beat when a toy stethoscope was pressed to its chest. In the 1990s, Hyman made a toy based on the character Barney, and with Greenberg he also built a talking robot. The pair produced more than 40 inventions together before Greenberg died in 1993.
After that, fellow inventor Ron Dubren approached Hyman with the idea for a laughing toy. They built a prototype called Tickles the Chimp, a giggling monkey. When they showed it to Tyco Toys, the company wasn’t interested in the monkey but thought the giggling technology could work for an Elmo doll from *Sesame Street*. At the time, Tyco only held the license for plastic *Sesame Street* toys; Hasbro had the plush rights, which were about to expire. So the project started as Tickle Me Taz, based on the Tasmanian Devil from *Looney Tunes*, which Tyco could license. Once Tyco secured the plush rights for *Sesame Street*, Dubren and Hyman switched to an Elmo toy. It vibrated three times and said, “That Tickles!” when squeezed. Released in summer 1996, the initial run of 400,000 units sold out on Black Friday. Hyman later said that after creating Tickle Me Elmo, “I don’t have to worry about money.”
Hyman lived in Boca Raton, Florida, and died at home on May 1, 2026, at age 78.
- Born
- June 25, 1947
- Died
- May 1, 2026
- Field
- Toy inventor
- Nationality
- American
- Known for
- Co-creator of Tickle Me Elmo
Lore & Background
Hyman was born in New Rochelle, New York, on June 25, 1947. As a pre-teen, he offered paid lessons to teach schoolmates about electricity, with the first three lessons free, and charged for rides on a rocket ship toy built from an old washing machine. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in electrical engineering before crafting inventions in his basement, including a hovering bumper car and an anti-siphoning device for gas tanks. Together with Larry Greenberg, Hyman developed a variety of toys, including an electric musical toy acquired by Playskool in 1979, dolls that 'drank' milk, and a doll whose heart beat when a toy stethoscope was touched to its chest. In the 1990s, he created a Barney toy and, with Greenberg, a talking robot; the pair developed more than 40 inventions before Greenberg's death in 1993.
Reader's Guide
Greg Hyman's significance lies in his role as co-creator of Tickle Me Elmo, a toy that defined the 1996 holiday season and became a cultural phenomenon. The toy's development began when fellow inventor Ron Dubren approached Hyman with a giggling monkey toy called Tickles the Chimp. Tyco Toys rejected the monkey but saw potential in the giggling technology for an Elmo character from Sesame Street. Because Tyco initially lacked the plush license for Sesame Street, the project started as Tickle Me Taz, based on the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes. After Tyco secured the plush license, Hyman and Dubren pivoted to Elmo, creating a doll that vibrated three times and said 'That Tickles!' when squeezed. Released in summer 1996, the initial run of 400,000 toys sold out on Black Friday. Hyman later remarked that he no longer had to worry about money. His legacy includes over 40 inventions with Greenberg and a lasting impact on the toy industry through a single, wildly successful product.
Did You Know?
- He built a rocket ship toy from an old washing machine as a pre-teen.
- Tickle Me Elmo was originally developed as Tickle Me Taz, based on the Tasmanian Devil, because Tyco lacked the plush license for Sesame Street.
- Larry Greenberg, Hyman's long-time partner, died in 1993.
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