1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,640 Speaker 1: Let's say good morning now to the authors of The 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: Elf on the Shelf, the book that is celebrating its 3 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 1: twentieth anniversary this year, Shonda Bell and Krista Pitts. Good morning, ladies, 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: one morning. So Christmas is all about traditions, and this 5 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: one has been one of my favorites since I was 6 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:19,159 Speaker 1: a little girl, And as it turns out, I have 7 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: Shonda and Krista to thank for it. We know about 8 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: Elf and the Shelf. This year we're celebrating twenty years 9 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: of your book, which took your fun idea made it 10 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: catch fire. How did you come up with the Elf 11 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:33,520 Speaker 1: on the Shelf idea? 12 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 2: This is just such a fun question to answer for us, 13 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 2: because we grew up with this tradition. You know, when 14 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 2: we were little, Santa used to send an elf to 15 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 2: our home that would watch and listen, and then every 16 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 2: night it would fly back and talk to Santa Claus, 17 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 2: and in the morning, before we woke up, we would 18 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 2: race out of bed to be the first ones to 19 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 2: find the elf. We really it was like the best 20 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 2: part of our Christmas. And so when I grew up 21 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 2: and became a parent of my own, I wanted to 22 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 2: do this same tradition with my children, and so that's 23 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 2: when my mom and I wrote The Elf on the 24 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 2: Shelf and got Sanna's permission to share his story and 25 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:15,800 Speaker 2: send elves to the world. 26 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: I love this. So over the years, has the elf 27 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: become more mischievous? Or is that from your book? Or 28 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: is that because of social media. 29 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 2: So one of the things you have to remember is 30 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 2: that the elf takes on the personality of the family 31 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 2: that adopts it. 32 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: Okay, So if your family. 33 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 2: Is extremely creative, your elf will probably be very creative 34 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 2: or somewhat cheeky, as our friends in the UK like 35 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 2: to say. And for some of us, our elf is 36 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 2: a lot more laid back, just like our family is. 37 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 2: And so it really does depend on how your family 38 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,639 Speaker 2: celebrates the holidays. The book only references that the elf 39 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 2: flies to Santa and returns in the morning to a 40 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 2: new spot. So again it's very much up to a 41 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 2: family as to know how the elf interacts in their home. 42 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: Gotcha. So, when I was growing up, we did have 43 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: an elf, but he wasn't on the shelf. He was 44 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: in the Christmas tree and he would hide in the 45 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: Christmas tree every day and my parents'd say, he's watching 46 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 1: you and if you're bad, he's going to tell San 47 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: on you. So yeah, the fear of God put into 48 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 1: me very young. But what other things are we going 49 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: to see coming from the Elf on the Shelf now 50 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: that he's twenty years old officially. 51 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 2: Well, there's so much. You know. We have a really 52 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 2: cool twentieth anniversary line of products, everything from a Swarovski 53 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 2: crystal covered Elf to a twentieth anniversary box that is 54 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 2: collectible we have and it comes with Elf clothing and 55 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 2: little ornament. It's a beautiful collector's edition. The Elf also 56 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 2: has super standing posable powers, so it can stand still 57 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,960 Speaker 2: for a very long time in that box that We 58 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,640 Speaker 2: are going to be in a nazy Thanksgiving Day parade again. 59 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 2: It's the twentieth anniversary of the Elf. But this year 60 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 2: our Arctic Fox from the Santa Verse is going to 61 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 2: be flying down the street and our little Elf babies, 62 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 2: our frost Pips, are going to be rolling around on 63 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 2: the parade route. So it's a really exciting year for 64 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 2: us with a lot going on. Today is actually the 65 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 2: launch of Scout Elf Squad, our brand new preschool show, 66 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,359 Speaker 2: and that's on our official YouTube channel. 67 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: The Scout Elf squad on the YouTube channel. Okay, and 68 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: where do we find that? 69 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 2: Yes, so it's the Elf on the Shelf official channel 70 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 2: on YouTube. And our new preschool show launched today. And 71 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 2: then of course we have our brand new novel again. 72 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 2: We have so many fans who've come to the brand 73 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 2: over the last twenty years. And so our novel, Rise 74 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 2: of Nicholas the Noble is out and it is the 75 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 2: backstory of Santa Claus and the elves and how they 76 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 2: all meet, and it's a really fun fantasy adventure, very 77 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 2: much in the veins of I would say, like the 78 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 2: Chronicles of Narnia. 79 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: I love it. I love backstory books, and so the 80 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: Rise of Nicholas the Noble I was like, hm, I 81 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: bet that's about our favorite jolly old Elf. So and 82 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: this this book is for little It's not a children's 83 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: children's book. It's like a little bit. 84 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 2: Older, that's right. The novel is for kids who are 85 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 2: slightly older, so I would say nine plus. It's a 86 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 2: chapter book. It's a novel, limited illustrations, but such a 87 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 2: fun fantasy adventure. So kids who are into fantasy and backstory, 88 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 2: like you said, you know, you meet all of the characters, 89 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 2: like how did Sana come to be? You know, how 90 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 2: did he meet the elves? How old is Santa Claus, 91 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 2: what other characters existed at the time, and at the root, 92 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 2: it's a really brave adventure story about a boy and 93 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 2: his dog. But I think people will really come to 94 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,600 Speaker 2: fall in love with the rest of the characters as well. 95 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 2: And of course you can't miss the elf on the 96 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 2: shelf as the narrator of the story, introducing sort of 97 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 2: this backstory of Santa Claus. 98 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 1: I love this and just reading the jacket, I haven't 99 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 1: had a chance to read the book, but I will 100 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,599 Speaker 1: that it's a shard of the Christmas Star fell to 101 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: earth and so it's their job to protect it. 102 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 2: That is correct. So that's how they actually end up 103 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 2: sort of getting you know, their Christmas magic eventually, and 104 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 2: so people will see they can really lean into faith 105 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 2: based narratives, you know, through the themes that are available 106 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 2: in the book as well. I think it is a 107 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 2: very family friendly fantasy adventure story. My hope is that 108 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 2: families gather, you know together and read the book, because 109 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,679 Speaker 2: I think they'll really fall in love with this adventure story. 110 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 2: I had one friend of mine who told me she 111 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 2: was reading it with her kids and literally every night 112 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 2: they were like, Mom, can we read the best book ever? 113 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,359 Speaker 2: I was like, okay, are y'all saying that because you 114 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,000 Speaker 2: know us? But they were like no, no, the kids 115 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 2: were really into it. So my former background is a 116 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,479 Speaker 2: middle school teacher, and so I hope you know this 117 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 2: is leaning into my passion in literature as well. 118 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: Okay. The authors of The Elf on the Shelf Shonda 119 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 1: Bell and Krista Pitts, and also The Rise of Nicholas 120 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 1: the Noble by Shonda Bell, And thank you guys so much. 121 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 1: Congratulations on your twentieth anniversary. I know I've got my elf. 122 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: He's coming out of the box in a week or 123 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: two and he's going to start reporting in on me. 124 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: I hope I get good reports. 125 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:17,799 Speaker 2: We have so too. We'll check in on the nice list. Sorry, 126 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 2: you're on it. 127 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: All right, Shonda and Chris, thanks so much. So fun. Okay, 128 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:24,599 Speaker 1: so thank you. Have a great day.