Elf on the Shelf is a children’s Christmas book written by Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell, and first published in 2005. The book tells the story of a family’s Elf on the Shelf, a toy elf who is sent to live with children at Christmas time to help Santa Claus watch over them. The elf is named Scout, and each day he flies back to the North Pole to tell Santa about the children’s behaviour. At the end of the book, Scout is allowed to stay with the family permanently.

In 2011, Elf on the Shelf was adapted into a …