27 Surprising Things You Don't Know About the Elf on the Shelf, Straight From the Creator

Since the stay-at-home mom first brought her idea to the market in 2005 with 5,000 books, each with a beloved elf, the company has blossomed to more than 10 million Elves on the Shelf adopted worldwide.

Each elf and elf pet doesn't first receive his or her Christmas magic until they are adopted by a family and given a name. This magic is what allows an elf to fly to the North Pole each night to tell Santa Claus about all of the day's adventures or a reindeer to grow full-size and help pull Santa's sleigh. Elves and reindeer all hibernate until they are given a name.

It turns out that not every elf is just an elf. Although there are some elves that do other things, like make toys, Scout Elves are the ones that your family can adopt and have been chosen by Santa to attend and complete official Scout Elf training school. They then receive an assignment from Santa and these Scout Elves are the only elves who can be adopted by a family. It's the job of the Scout Elves to watch over their families each day and report back to Santa at night and they all love interacting with the human world.

Elf on the Shelf isn't just for families — it was also created and brought to you by a family from Georgia. Carol Aebersold made sure that her daughters grew up with this adorable tradition and by the time that Chanda had kids of her own, she realized how magical her childhood was. "The elf came every year at Thanksgiving and went back to the North Pole every Christmas Eve," Chanda said. "When I grew up I had such magical moments and the elf always came. Through high school and college, through engagements and early marriage years, and the elf always showed up at my family’s house. It was such an important part of our family tradition."

Chanda was having tea with her mom one day when the idea suddenly hit: take the elf tradition from her childhood and turn it into a book. They began working on it together but both realized quickly that they were out of their element. "The crazy thing about it too is that none of us had any experience in manufacturing, or certainly Mom and I didn't have any experience in anything we were about to get into," Chanda said.

The mother-daughter duo sold 500 units at their first book signing with mostly just friends and family. "I tell people all the time who want to write a book or write a story, 'Your real step is to think about after all your family and friends buy it, now what?'" Chanda said. "We started going to local markets and local fairs and, literally one by one, stopping parents and telling them our story and telling them about this family tradition and what we think it means for them. That’s how it started to spread, by word of mouth."

In 2005, Chanda got an agent who took this now hugely successful brand to a number of publishing houses, but they all turned the Elf on the Shelf down. "Nobody wanted it; nobody wanted anything to do with it. It was one of those moments in your life where you just know you had to do something with it, or it was nothing more than a good idea you had," Chanda said. "So that’s when we decided to self-publish. We had, and I do mean zero money, and then we started the company on some personal credit cards. My sister had sold her house in Philadelphia and put a little bit of the profits from that into the company, and that was kind of our first foray into the experience."

This year, the top five most popular elf names are Buddy, Jingles, Snowflake, Elfie, and Sparkles.

Each year, thousands of families write the North Pole with one main question: “When will my elf return?” That’s why Santa’s helpers at the Elf on the Shelf have declared Scout Elf Return Week, which this year started on Friday, Nov. 25, and ran through Friday, Dec. 2. This is the week that is most common for families to welcome their elves home from the North Pole or adopt an elf from one of Santa’s official adoption centers. However, families can adopt an elf at any time, and if your elf doesn’t come back during the designated week, don’t worry — he or she may have had to finish up a special project at the North Pole and is on their way!

They allude to it in the Elf Story, the animated special, and it’s somewhat in the book but they have have never come out and said it before. Elves each match the personality of the families that adopt them. "While some elves are super creative and crazy, other elves can be very subdued or just play hide-and-seek with the family," Chanda said. "Or, in my family, our elf brings notes back to my daughter when she writes to her elf. So I think it’s important that people understand their elf is going to match the personality of the family, which speaks to that family moment."

Although it's typically the kids who come up with a name for their elves when they adopt them, Carol was the one to name the first-ever Elf on the Shelf — not her twin girls — and she called him Fisbee.

Although you don't need to go all out with your elf to create meaningful family moments, if there's an accessory that you think would be adorable for your elf, it most likely already exists. With the Claus Couture Collection, you can find everything from reindeer pajamas to a rockin' reindeer poodle skirt. If your elf needs an ugly Christmas sweater or glitzy dress for a holiday party, you can get it, but be warned: shopping for your elf might be even more addictive than shopping for your kids!

The Elf on the Shelf and Claus Couture items are not actually toys and are labeled "for ornamental use only." However, the company takes product safety very seriously and says that it tests these products to higher toy safety standards to ensure that all little ones are safe. The company behind Elf on the Shelf strives "to ensure that our products are safe for children even when the products are not categorized as toys," a spokesperson told POPSUGAR. "They are tested for toy safety out of an abundance of caution and in pursuit of the highest possible safety standards."

Just like adults and older kids need to be careful about how they discuss Santa Claus in front of children, people need to be just as cautious when talking about the Elf on the Shelf. For many kids who have one, they believe just as fiercely in their elf friend as they do in Mr. Claus and one slip-up could ruin it for them. "It's so important to try and preserve the magic for children. And we need to remember kids see their elf exactly the same way [as Santa]. It is a real elf from the North Pole," Chanda said. "Every bit of this is as real as Santa Claus. I think anything we can do to help keep the magic alive is important."

If your kiddo (or you!) struggles to understand Common Core, you can turn to Elf on the Shelf for some help. Included in its online teaching resource center are free lesson plans that support the Common Core State Standards Initiative so your little one can have some fun learning math with his or her pal. The variety of educational activities are inspired by elves for kiddos in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Jingles is followed by Snowflake, Rudolph, Sparkle, and Dasher.

Despite the flood of elaborate ideas on social media, the elf can be whatever your family wants it to be — and magic won't be lost based on the lack of originality of your ideas. "Your children will make special memories with their elf and this tradition," Chanda said. "Our elf simply flies back and forth to the North Pole and lands in a different spot. He might write a letter back and forth, and my daughter is making just as many special memories as these wild and crazy and creative elves."

The places where elves are sold are referred to as "adoption centers" not simply for the sake of cute branded lingo. Little eyes have access to the website, which has an entire section of activities, fun facts, and games for children, and since the elves' magic is based on the concept that they come from the North Pole, "adoption centers" protect this important principle.

Kids write a ton of letters to Santa daily not just in the mail, but through email and social media (especially Facebook!). If you are hoping for him to respond, be sure to include a question or two for him in the note. The elves work to make sure that Santa reads each note, no matter the form that is sent, and will have him respond any time a question is asked.

Elves are specifically small like birds so that they can easily fly. Their size also helps with the nightly sneaking in and out of homes without disturbing sleeping families.

For many families, Christmas wouldn't be the same without their elf friend, but that doesn't mean he or she can only show up in December. Whether you opt for the Elf on the Shelf: A Birthday Tradition ($20) or decide on surprise appearances for special occasions, you can foster your little one's love (and sense of magic!) throughout the entire year.

Aside from the variety of games online, there are also must-have apps for kids. From an app that allows your little one to love a virtual reindeer to tools for tracking acts of kindness for kiddos, these apps enhance the holiday magic for children and keep them connected to the spirit of kindness even when they aren't home. "The St. Bernard app is all about bringing Christmas spirit and kids can earn care badges as they mark off in the app the types of kindness they have done or what they have done to help Christmas cheer," Chanda said.

With an app dedicated just to elf ideas for parents, you can be sent two new ideas daily during the holiday season to help inspire your elf's next adventure. For busy parents or those who have been doing this for a few years, these creative options sent to your phone can be a big help and a major laugh.

As an older sibling starts to realize the truth about Santa Claus, the family elf can actually be used to help keep him or her from ruining the magic for their younger sibling. Allow the older child to get in on the fun and help with the nightly placement so they will become just as invested and still feel included in a new aspect of this holiday tradition. "My son is 15 and he has really embraced the more adult role in the family," Chanda said. "I think that has been really fun for him, to play along with the tradition and be a part of it and keep the magic alive."

The elves keeping track of who is naughty or nice for Santa serves a much bigger purpose than deciding who gets coal. "It's really because Santa gets his magic at the North Pole from these acts of kindness in faith, hope, and love. This magic generates from these children, so the more Santa knows what's going on and keeps tabs on the home, the more magic he knows he'll be able to do in the North Pole," Chanda explained. She doesn't want her two kids or any other family with an elf to be so consumed with what they are getting for Christmas and instead uses her elf to instill more important values. "I want them to first and foremost embrace the spirit of giving, thinking of others, and sharing is caring, which are all meant for the Christmas season. With this tool, I'm able to talk about things like Saint Nicholas and how was the first philanthropist and was generous before his time," Chanda said. "That's where that spirit of generosity comes from. Saint Nicholas giving to the poor and helping others."

There are minor differences in the design of the elves that have visited families over the past decade, as the mold used at the start isn't the same as the one operating now. However, they've always worn their Santa-issued red suit complete with a white collar.

The most popular items for elves this year are the Fa-La-La Footie Pajamas ($10) and Twinkle Toes Tutu ($10).

You will receive a personalized letter from Santa as well as a birth certificate for your new friend only after you complete the adoption process for your elf, reindeer, or dog by officially registering him or her.