American-made 'Elf on the Shelf' holiday tradition spreading magic around the world
'You're never too old or too young for tradition,' 'Elf on the Shelf' co-founder says
"Elf on the Shelf" co-founder Chanda Bell talks about creating the story of the famous holiday elf.
“The Elf on the Shelf” story has become a holiday staple among many families and believers in Christmas magic everywhere.
"Elf on the Shelf" co-founder Chanda Bell and her mother wrote “The Elf on the Shelf” children’s book in 2005, which tells the story of a “scout” elf who watches over kids during the day and reports to Santa at night.
After constantly being turned down by publishers, she and her mother decided to publish the story themselves, Bell told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on Monday.
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“And now there's a whole company with 90 people who work for Santa year-round,” she said.
Since its start, there have been more than 13 million "Elf on the Shelf" products sold, as well as two million "Elf Pets" products, according to Bell. She said their target market of “true believers” are about 2 to 11 years old.
Elf Pets product (Credit: elfontheshelf.com)
Elf Pets product (Credit: elfontheshelf.com)
Bell said she thinks the fun of the tradition is how believing in the magic involves the whole family.
“We tell people all the time, ‘You're never too old or too young for a tradition,’” she said. “It's really what it means to families.”
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"Elf on the Shelf" is an American-made company, but sales have also been surging in the UK.
According to Bell, a recent independent study revealed that 32 percent of children in the UK would choose "Elf on the Shelf" over any other Christmas present.
“We love our friends in the UK,” she said.