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For as long as twin sisters and creators of popular children's book "The Elf on the Shelf" Christa Pitts and Chanda A. Bell can remember, Santa's little helper, an elf, has been a part of their household in the days leading to Christmas.
"We don't remember when the elf actually arrived because the elf was always in our home," Pitts told USA TODAY over Zoom earlier this week.
Decades later, their little elf, who they named Fisbee, is no longer alone. It is part of an entire Santaverse, described by the brand as "a world of magical characters and storylines from Santa's North Pole" that has captivated children across the world and become a holiday tradition with the first book "The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition" celebrating its 20th anniversary.
"Twenty years is an incredible milestone," Bell said. "When I think back where we started, which was pretty much with nothing except some grit and some blind faith, it's really hard to believe that the 'Elf on the Shelf' is as ubiquitous, at this point, as Santa Claus."
"We've been told it's a phenomenon, and so to think where we were from our humble beginnings of starting this really as a family tradition that we grew up with, to being rejected by all of the publishing houses, to now having this sort of global intellectual property and somehow managing to run the business that does all of that, it's miraculous," she continued. "And it's only when I hear myself say stuff like that, I'm like, wow, that's amazing."
The roots of the The Elf on the Shelf tradition can be traced back to 1974 with the sisters' grandmother, who used an elf as a tool during the holidays to discipline her children, one of them being Pitts and Bell's mom Carol Aebersold. Pitts said their grandmother would scold her kids and tell them Santa is watching them through the elf and that they "better behave." When Aebersold grew up and her own children were born, the pixie elf, named Fisbee, came with her. Fisbee would fly to Santa each night and would land in a different place the next morning.
"For us, that was Christmas," Pitts said. "It was like Christmas morning every single day."
When Chanda's own children were born, "she wanted to recreate this magical experience we had had in our own home." Soon, she and her mom starting writing what would eventually become "The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition," which published in 2005.
Bell said the family pitched their book to several publishing houses but when they received only rejections, they decided to self-publish to share it with their friends and acquaintances. Initially, business was local and most orders came in through word of mouth and guerilla marketing. But when the Hollywood actor Jennifer Garner was photographed holding a book in New York, things took a turn and their sales escalated. Shortly after, the book was featured on the "Today" show. From then onward, there was no looking back.
'One foot in front of the other'
Two decades later, the sisters are in awe of how things progressed. The secret to their success? Ignorance.
"Ignorance a little bit is bliss," Bell joked. "We didn't really walk into it with any expectation. I certainly never thought I would be starting a company."
Bell added it just started with them just deciding to write a story on their elf, but after multiple rejections, "it was just sort of one foot in front of the other."
"I was just trying to see the next step," she said, adding: "It was just sort of like this moment of, 'Hey, let's do this.'"
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What is the concept behind 'The Elf on the Shelf'?
"The Elf on the Shelf" concept itself is simple. Ten-inch-tall elves, called Scout Elves, arrive in children's homes ahead of Christmas with a mission to relay children's behavior back to Santa Claus for his naughty and nice list. Every night, the elves travel back to the North Pole and then in the morning, upon their return, land in a different spot than the nights before.
Children must abide by the rules for keeping the elves at home. They should not touch it, as this will cause the elf to lose its magic. Parents, however, may touch a Scout Elf if a situation is dire. Scout Elves cannot talk, but they are great listeners and children are encouraged to share secrets and holiday wishes with their new friend.
"I think people have gotten really creative with all that the elf can be in their home," Pitts said, adding the most exciting place she found an elf was inside the freezer "because it reminded them (the elf) of the North Pole."
Growing the elf universe
Like any good tradition, "The Elf on the Shelf" has grown and evolved and is now part of a multiverse with multiple characters.
"Twenty years ago, we had one SKU, one 'Elf on the Shelf' that ultimately became our hero brand," Pitts said. "And now we have hundreds of SKUs that all relate to the Santaverse, and we have characters that have sprouted out of that lore."
Pitts explained the expansion of "The Elf on the Shelf" universe "happened as kids started getting excited." Along with what the elf does in their home, "they also wanted to know what was happening at the North Pole."
Questions — "Where is my elf when it's not at my house?" or "Does it have pets?" or "Who else is at the North Pole?" — began popping up and the creators decided to take those on by introducing new characters and collections, such as "Elf Pets."
"Every single animal, creature, and character in our world has a story and a job that surrounds it that has to do with answering kids' questions around the North Pole," Pitts said.
Advice for tired parents
While "The Elf on the Shelf" is an exciting activity for kids, it can get a little tiresome for the parents, moving the elf each night.
Bell said that she understands that the holidays come with a lot of extra work, especially for parents, which is why they developed elf kits and have ideas listed on their website.
At the same, she says "it's important that people realize that 'The Elf on the Shelf' can be as simple or complicated as you make it."
"The elf in our family was very simple, both growing up and for my own children," Bell said. "It was not complicated. It was not elaborate displays. And my kids loved it and still talk about it and expect the elf to show up every Christmas. Speaking as a parent, there's nothing like that magic in your kids' eyes and you get that for such a short period of time."
20th Anniversary
For its 20th anniversary, "The Elf on the Shelf" is offering a wide range of limited-edition products, including 20th Anniversary Collectibles and a Swarovski-studded elf, collabs with major brands and retailers, and elf props, games, entertainment.
The company has also launched its first chapter book presenting the backstory of Santa Claus and how he gets to know the elves, as well as an animated preschool series, "Scout Elf Squad," aimed to "inspire joy, wonder and family connection." And then there's the music album, "The Elves Went Over the Mountain,” with 10 songs. While the album will release on Friday, Nov. 21, the animated series will premiere Monday, Nov. 24 on YouTube just when Santa's Scout Elves depart the North Pole to make their way to homes around the world.
What's next for 'The Elf on the Shelf'?
With "The Elf on the Shelf" celebrating a milestone birthday, the pressure is on the creators.
Pitts recalled the internet was "still in its infancy" when they began and "MySpace was the closest thing to social media," so exposure was limited. Now, the landscape has changed, and it is not only the young ones who are enjoying "The Elf on the Shelf" process.
"Kids who grew up with the Elf on the Shelf are introducing it to their own children," Pitts said. "It's going to be a new evolution of this tradition, because they have new things now. They have technology they didn't have back then. They have different experiences."
"They're huge fans, and now they are adopting the Elf on the Shelf world much earlier than what we saw even 10 years ago," Bell added. "We're expanding to make sure we're reaching all of these multiple generations now of fandom."
The creators' plans for the next 20 years "is to continue to share the stories of Santa's North Pole through characters and experiences and touch points that create joyful family moments," Pitts said.
Bell added: "There's 2,000 years worth of storytelling that we get to get to dig into. It is a landscape that is just so ripe for storytelling. No one's ever really owned it until, you know, until we stepped into that."
"It's an honor to get to be the voice of Santa Claus for millions of families, to get to be a part of their most special, sacred tradition and time of life," she said.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Elf on the Shelf' creators celebrate 'an incredible milestone' of 20 years
Reporting by Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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