The Energon Pub

News Credits: 49 · by **Senor Hugo** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:49 pm

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.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/21 ... h-threats/

Video
http://www.tbo.com/video/xml/MGBBBA7WXCF.html

Edit: I knew that little red bastard was evil. Which also proves that Rosie O'Donnell is even more evil for promoting this red scourge upon our lands.

by **Evil_the_Nub** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:01 pm

Aww I want one now. Did anyone else notice the mom said she didn't want her son to hear it, but he kept playing it while he was like 2 feet away?

Woo 100 posts!

News Credits: 3 · by **ShGarland_1383** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:07 pm

Senor Hugo wrote:Edit: I knew that little red bastard was evil. Which also proves that Rosie O'Donnell is even more evil for promoting this red scourge upon our lands.

Sad, isn't it?

News Credits: 8 · by **Liege Evilmus** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:10 pm

That video made me laugh harder than you know!!!!!!!!!!

We should fix him up with Talking Tina

But seriously, if you got a little demon doll, wouldn't you put it in the garage or something!?!

I remember my sister use to get dolls that would repeat what you say, and we'd keep her up all night with "mommy poisoned you pillow" and stuff like that, but this is great cause it's real

News Credits: 3 · by **ShGarland_1383** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:23 pm

Liege Evilmus wrote:That video made me laugh harder than you know!!!!!!!!!!

We should fix him up with Talking Tina

Yeah, it is kinda funny.

News Credits: 2 · by **Tekka** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:47 pm

"she has not attempted to reprogram the doll, as she fears the toy could do the same thing even if she does."

Oh lord. I bet it would fix him right up too.

Still funny though.

News Credits: 1014 · by **First Gen** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:51 pm

I always wondered why my 1 year old son always came up to me and hit me after playing with his elmo. Lil red bastard.

News Credits: 2 · by **Shadowman** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:55 pm

You know how this is a clear example of AI insanity?

Look at the kid's name: Bowman! As in, David Bowman, the guy from 2001: A Space Odyssey! Clearly, this evil robot was getting revenge for Bowman destroying HAL9000.

by **Moonlight** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:02 pm

Its Chucky reborn into Elmo :shock:

Is the mom going to get a refund? I would hope so.

by **Grahf** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:09 pm

If only his head would rotate by itself.

News Credits: 7 · by **Roadbuster** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:49 pm

Seriously, did she not check to see if there was a switch that made the doll good or evil?

Quick! Somebody warn Homer Simpson! :lol:

News Credits: 1 · by ***Galvatron*** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:38 pm

Roadbuster wrote:Seriously, did she not check to see if there was a switch that made the doll good or evil?

Quick! Somebody warn Homer Simpson!

Damn! I was just going to make that reference but someone beat me to it!

Anyway of all the damned times for my speakers to be blown out I cannot hear anything in the video!

Grrrrrrr! :evil:

News Credits: 1 · by **Sherade** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:23 pm

What will they think of next?
Oh right, a related video was about truck nuts.

*Ahem*
Honestly, "kill" sounded like "kell" which sounds like a stunted "hello."
Maybe it's just faulty.

News Credits: 1 · by **Scatterlung** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:31 pm

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TjvdCd4AuLk

Uncanny.

News Credits: 8 · by **Liege Evilmus** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:49 pm

Meverix wrote:http://youtube.com/watch?v=TjvdCd4AuLk

Uncanny.

While The Jerky Boyz are missed, this one was so much more fun(if not to short)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lNfBZTz2xQ

by **Pyrostrata** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:50 pm

W...T...F...?

News Credits: 1 · by **Ninja Sixshot** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:59 pm

can you say "Chucky?"

News Credits: 32 · by **UltraPrimal** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 2:29 pm

Maybe Soundwave is controlling him.

But seriously, he's saying "kell", not "kill". If you listen to the last time they make it talk, he says "Kell, James. Nice to meet you". He's oviously supposed to be saying "Hello", not "KILL! :twisted:

". Maybe this lady should stop buying crappy batteries. Or maybe just leave the batteries and let the kid play with it, instead of teasing him by leaving it in plain site for him to try and climb up and reach it and showing to reporters when they come by. Still, I think she's just an exstortionist(sp?).

Also those Furbie videos are awesome. So are those stuff in the microwave ones. I've always wanted to put crap into the microwave. Just never been stupid enough to do it. The soap one reminds me of he Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.