Nothing quite celebrates the spirit of Christmas like rampant commercialism. And we're not talking about the every day, let's-go-out-and-buy-some-chocolates-for-mom type of commercialism here. No. What we are talking about is those crazy toys and gadgets that come up every so often that somehow grab people by the lapels and scream "You MUST purchase this item as a Christmas present!"

Every year around Christmas time, there are some products that are considered to be big sellers. These items are in demand as presents for the holidays, so stores can expect to move stock with ease. Most of the time, these items do not cause a lot of panic and hysteria and a general disregard for what the season is all about. There have been several items over the past few decades, however, that make shoppers go crazy with the idea that they simply HAVE to purchase it right now. The result is that these items sell out almost immediately after being put on the shelves, general pandemonium, and an incredible lack of common sense as people offer exorbitant prices to anyone who had the good fortune of picking an item up while it was still on the shelves. Here is a look at some of the goods that have caused some Christ-mass-panic.

Star Wars Action Figures (1977): The popularity of the Star Wars movie took everyone by surprise, and the toy marketing business was no exception. Up until this time, lines of movie goods were intended to include some playing cards, and maybe some board games. Manufacturer Kenner purchased the rights to develop products for the Star Wars line, and it came up with a basic set of four action figures (Luke, Chewie, Princess Leia, and R2D2), By Christmas time, these figures were not yet created, so parents would buy their kids a cardboard box with depictions of the characters included. The box contained a promissory note that said that the actual toys were on the way, and the concept sold thousands of toys.

Cabbage Patch Kids (1983): The Cabbage Patch Dolls took crazy Christmas toy season to a whole new level. Huge heads, a certificate of adoption, the signature of the designer on the butt, who wouldn't want one of these amazing toys? Parents waited for hours in lines in order to get some of these dolls, especially the ones which were considered rare.

Game Boy (1989): Capitalizing on the success of its game consoles in the mid-80s, Nintendo Game Systems introduced the hand held unit Game Boy in 1989. The units were sold containing the game Tetris, which had mass appeal for kids and adults alike. In addition, the Game Boy unit could be played by up to four players at once. The toy was highly sought after by parents who wanted to distract their kids during long car trips and by people with mind numbing cubicle jobs.

Tickle Me Elmo (1996): The plush depiction of Sesame Street's annoying little red monster was huge in 1996. The toy would laugh when squeezed, and if he was squeezed three times in a row, he would begin to shake and laugh hysterically. The incredible popularity of the toy was unforeseen by manufacturers, and it quickly sold out whenever new shipments became available, often causing fights to break out among parents in the store. There were reports of injuries, and many newspapers claimed that people were re-selling the dolls at hugely inflated rates (this was in the days before E-Bay).

PlayStation 3 (2006): The third version of PlayStation's popularity is evident to anyone who has any kind of connection to the outside world in the days leading up to Christmas 2006. The developers of the console have evidently taken advantage of the demand that low supply creates, and the limited amount of systems shipped to North America were sold out within a matter of hours, again often causing mass hysteria and sometimes violence. Prices on Ebay show that this console can sell at double the price, with several bids placed on PS3 units listed at $760.

Although there are certain toys that sell better than anything else each year, the items that truly create hysteria must have a combination of desire on the part of the public as well as limited quantities available. It seems as though, while most occurrences of limited quantity items have been unintentional, in 2006 Sony at least has caught onto the game and created a hysteria all its own.