The year was 1996 and all of America was in a frenzy over an adorable–but extremely hard-to-nab–laughing little toy. Tickle Me Elmo was the hottest Christmas item of the season, and remains to date one of the most sought after holiday gifts of all time. It was total chaos, and families were torn asunder in the quest to secure one for a spot under the tree. The rules of polite society were thrown out the window in a gross display of yuletide commercialism run amok. We all came out losers, even those lucky enough to get their hands on one, because we traded a piece of our collective soul for nothing more than a giggling piece of plastic and fur.

And now, over two decades later, the day of reckoning has finally come for us all, for our deadly sins of greed, wrath, and envy. The hell we created all those years ago has manifested itself in a fitting retribution of demonic monstrosity.

Shield not your eyes! Look upon the nightmare our follies have wrought! Behold the demon we birthed with our unholy arrogance!

A totally furless Tickle Me Elmo.

https://twitter.com/ScienceMobileEN/status/852184926736838656

We’d pray for help, but what type of god capable of creating something so heinous would answer us? Our only hope might be to simply burn this monster with a jet engine. It’s our only hope… unless this was forged in the fires of Hell itself.

But thank you–we think–to Mashable, for bringing this to our attention and making us face our past mistakes. This is the fate we deserve for our sins, and it’s no laughing matter.

What does this nightmare remind you of? Tell us in the comments below.

Featured Image: Toys R Us/Hasbro

Here are some of the most WTF-worthy movie monsters, since we’re on the topic