the buzz log
Batman vs. Elmo?
The Caped Crusader has already crushed the box office, must he dominate innocent felted Muppets, too?
The hotly anticipated Elmo Live will make his retail debut in October. The talented little guy sings, cracks jokes, and tilts his head. After the toy's spectacular showing at the industry fair, retailers talked excitedly of a "crush of consumer demand" for the animated plaything. Yesterday, stores began accepting pre-orders for the king of cute.
Maybe Elmo Live will be the hottest toy of the holidays. There's time, still, and he certainly has a record of sparking Yuletide stampedes. Yet, the current picture in Search isn't so lively. The newest offering from "Sesame Street" has been trampled over by surging demand for toys representing the most famous crime fighter in Gotham.
Yesterday, interest in "elmo live" logged a modest uptick; "Batman toys" surged nearly 300%. Interest in "elmo games" doubled; lookups for "batman games," "lego batman toys," "batman vintage toys," and "new batman toys" swept formidably across the Search box.
Of course, Batman has a smash hit playing on screens around the globe and little Elmo isn't even available in stores yet. Come December, the plucky red plushie may show the Dark Knight a thing or two about cornering the market. Until then, he'll just have to grin and bear it.
Tickle Me Buzz
Perhaps the world's most famous fuzzy and red three-year-old inspired a monster-size spike in Search yesterday. Searches for "Sesame Street" mainstay Elmo gained a 3,547% jump in the Buzz, hopping merrily into the top 20 searches of the day.
Granted, news of a new 10th anniversary Tickle Me Elmo (+1,986%) doll earned placement on the Yahoo! front page, which can inflate search statistics. But T.M.X. Elmo, as the new toy is called, also had promotions at Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, and got a spotlight on "Good Morning America." All in all, searches for "elmo tmx" made the toy the top mover in Search, rising 3,865%. The world is, indeed, Elmo's world.
And who can forget the first Tickle Me Elmo? Released in 1996, the giggling little monster had parents brawling in toy store aisles like a bunch of grouches. Elmo has his haters, too: those who can't stand that he always refers to himself as "Elmo" in the royal third person, those who can't stomach a happy, curious, ebullient little being. Yet, if history repeats itself, the $39.99 doll should have Mattel, "Sesame Street" (+26%), and kids everywhere singing "Elmo's Song" all the way through holiday season.
Filed under: Toys, Elmo, Sesame Street
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.