According to “Elf on the Shelf” lore, Santa Claus sends an elf scout to spy on children from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Each morning, it appears in a new place in the home for kids to find. Each night, it reports naughty and nice behavior to the North Pole.
The whole thing stems from a 2005 children’s book written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell, and illustrated by Coe Steinwart.
Bell told CNBC that Aebersold played a similar game with her and her twin sister Christa Pitts as kids, leading them to write and market the story with her as adults.
Today, the sisters are co-CEOs of The Lumistella Company, which houses…
The massive Elf brand
Despite criticism that the elf is creepy and normalizes surveillance, the glassy-eyed dolls have become a full-fledged empire.
Now, parents are being encouraged to also buy pets, clothes, accessories, “mates,” and a carrying case (since you’re not allowed to touch the Elf lest it lose its powers).
The Elf has also appeared via:
- A balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
- TV specials
- A drive-thru experience
- Partnerships with brands including Kellogg’s, Allstate, and The Honey Baked Ham Company
The company hasn’t released recent financial data, but Pitts told Fox Business that Lumistella employs 100+ people and has “adopted” out 22.9m+ elves, pets, and mates to date.
Pop culture loves Elf on the Shelf, too
It’s become a popular meme format and an SNL parody — not to mention inspo for the Mensch on a Bench, a Hanukkah version developed by Neal Hoffman and featured on “Shark Tank.”
