When did Elf on the Shelf start? What is the new Christmas tradition all about? The meaning behind Elf on the Shelf

Elves first arrived on UK shelves in 2013 after the toy became widely popular in the US, but what is it and where does it come from?
The Elf on the Shelf toys arrived in the UK in 2013. (Pic credit: Paul Simpson)The Elf on the Shelf toys arrived in the UK in 2013. (Pic credit: Paul Simpson)
The Elf on the Shelf toys arrived in the UK in 2013. (Pic credit: Paul Simpson)

The Elf on the Shelf is a toy elf that comes in a keepsake box, with a hardback picture book.

The toy has been purchased by parents all over the country and the US as part of a Christmas tradition for their children.

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Here is everything you need to know about The Elf on the Shelf.

Where did Elf on the Shelf come from?

The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is a 2005 children’s picture book written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell.

It was illustrated by Coe Steinwart and it’s a Christmas-themed story, written in rhyme, about how Santa Claus knows who is ‘naughty and nice’ and follows a group of elves getting ready for Christmas and visiting children from the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

After this, they return to the North Pole until the next holiday season. The authors of the book say that the story was inspired by a family tradition which Carol started for her twin daughters, Chanda and Christa Pitts in Georgia, US.

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The Elf on the Shelf was first written in 2004. Carol’s co-author and daughter, Chanda, suggested they write a book about their childhood tradition of an elf sent from Santa who came to watch over them at Christmas.

The Elf on the Shelf won Best Toy Award by Learning Express, Book of the Year Award by Creative Child Awards and the National Best Books Award sponsored by USA Book News in 2008.

After his big success in 2013 when it got to number one in the USA Today Bestsellers List, it took off internationally and arrived in the UK. In that same year, Carol and Chanda published another book of the same theme called The Elf on the Shelf: A Birthday Tradition which was illustrated by the same person as the original book. It gives guidance for inviting a scout elf to visit for a child’s birthday party and illustrates how the elf decorates a chair for the child.

In 2016, The Simpsons episode The Nightmare After Krustmas, referenced The Elf on the Shelf as ‘The Gnome in the Home’ as part of a parody.