107 Fun Facts About Elf

The elves name the orphaned baby after what?

The baby crawls into Santa's sack wearing Little Buddy Diapers, so the elves name him Buddy after the brand of diaper; Papa Elf raises him at the North Pole.

What does Buddy put on his spaghetti that horrifies his new family?

Buddy pours maple syrup over his spaghetti at the Hobbs family dinner, explaining that syrup is one of the elves' four main food groups.

Which actor plays the estranged publisher father in the 2003 comedy Elf?

James Caan plays Walter Hobbs, Buddy's workaholic father, who Santa says is on the naughty list and who at first has security throw Buddy out of his office.

Which department store does Buddy work at when he arrives in New York City?

The chain closed its last store in 1987, so the film had to build its own.

What famous Buddy the Elf quote follows 'You sit on a throne of...'?

Buddy tells the department store Santa, 'You sit on a throne of lies!' after declaring him a fake, then yanks off his beard and starts a brawl.

Who directed the movie Elf?

He took the job partly to work with the star on his first film after Saturday Night Live, and rewrote the script as an homage to the Rankin/Bass specials.

According to Buddy, what are the four main food groups for elves?

He offers the list at the breakfast table, moments after asking for syrup to pour on spaghetti.

What does Buddy say is his favorite activity?

When the store manager asks why he is grinning, Buddy replies, 'I just like to smile; smiling's my favorite.'

Who plays Papa Elf, the narrator of the movie Elf?

Bob Newhart plays Papa Elf, the toymaker who adopts Buddy and narrates the film from his North Pole workshop; Newhart was 74 when it was released.

Which exclamation does Buddy use in place of swearing?

Buddy's substitute for swearing is 'Son of a nutcracker!', a candy-flavored oath that keeps the film's language at a PG rating.

What is the name of Buddy's younger half-brother in Elf?

The boy warms to him after a snowball fight, then helps him ask Jovie out.

Who plays Walter Hobbs' wife Emily (Buddy's stepmother) in Elf?

Mary Steenburgen plays Emily Hobbs, the stepmother who welcomes Buddy; she later played Will Ferrell's mother again in Step Brothers (2008).

What does Buddy do overnight before Santa's visit to the store?

Buddy redecorates the whole floor in one night, and is delighted for about a day until he works out the store's Santa is a man in a costume.

Which sign prompts Buddy to congratulate a diner's staff?

Seeing a sign claiming the 'World's best cup of coffee', Buddy bursts into the diner shouting 'You did it! Congratulations!' to the baffled staff.

What song does Jovie sing in the shower that Buddy joins in on?

Jovie sings 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' in the store locker-room shower and Buddy, not realizing she is undressed, joins in from outside the stall.

What actor plays Santa Claus in Elf?

He was the only member of the film's cast to return for the 2014 stop-motion television special.

After the Candy Cane Forest and the Sea of Swirly-Twirly Gumdrops, how does Buddy enter New York?

Buddy tells Walter he walked through the seven levels of the Candy Cane Forest, the Sea of Swirly-Twirly Gumdrops, and then through the Lincoln Tunnel into Manhattan.

What brings Santa's sleigh down at the climax of the film?

The engine falls off, Buddy finds it, and the sleigh ends up flying without it.

Which actor plays the irritable children's author who beats up Buddy?

The character is a star ghostwriter brought in to rescue a failing publishing house.

Which song does Jovie lead a crowd in singing at the film's climax?

Jovie starts 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' on live television from New York; the crowd joining in raises enough Christmas spirit for the sleigh to fly without its engine.

How does the newly hired elf answer the phone in his father's office?

Buddy answers Walter's office phone with 'Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?', having never been told what a receptionist is supposed to say.

In what year was the movie Elf released?

New Line released it that November; in Britain it opened second, behind Love Actually.

What technique was used to make Buddy appear much larger than the other elves at the North Pole?

Computer imagery was kept to a minimum, a choice the director says he had to fight hard for.

What does Buddy drink in one go before the film's loudest sound effect?

The star said the sugary props left him feeling genuinely ill during filming.

What is the name of Walter's publishing company in Elf?

Greenway Press is run by Fulton Greenway, played by Michael Lerner, a boss so uncaring that he ends up as the film's main villain.

What does a co-worker share with Buddy in the mailroom?

A mailroom co-worker shares liquor from a flask; Buddy takes it for syrup, gets drunk, and leads the whole mailroom in a dance party.

Approximately how much did Elf earn at the worldwide box office?

Elf grossed over $220 million worldwide during its original run and topped the US box office in its second weekend.

What is the approximate production budget of the movie Elf?

Elf was made for about $33 million and earned roughly seven times that at the worldwide box office.

Who wrote the screenplay for Elf?

The script sat around from 1993, and was quietly rewritten by several other hands before it was filmed.

What is the name of the jet turbine engine Papa Elf built for Santa's sleigh?

Papa Elf built the Kringle 3000, a 500-reindeer-power jet turbine, because Christmas spirit alone no longer kept the sleigh aloft.

The North Pole scenes were conceived as an homage to whose Christmas specials?

That decision is also what turned a script the director calls much darker into a PG film.

Besides New York, which Canadian city hosted much of the filming?

Part of the shoot used Riverview Hospital in nearby Coquitlam.

Which voice actor was dubbed in for Buddy's enormous belch?

He is better known as the voice of Brain in Pinky and the Brain.

Which doll does the little girl in the waiting room want for Christmas?

The girl in the doctor's waiting room asks for a Suzy Talks-A-Lot doll, and Buddy promises to put in a good word with Santa.

Which Broadway show, based on the 2003 film, ran during the 2010 Christmas season?

Casey Nicholaw directed it, with Sebastian Arcelus in the lead and George Wendt as Santa.

What complaint does Buddy make about the department store's fake Santa?

'You sit on a throne of lies,' Buddy tells him, having decided he smells like beef and cheese rather than like Santa; the row becomes a brawl and Buddy is arrested.

Which director turned this film down in favour of Bad Santa?

Terry Zwigoff turned down Elf and instead directed Bad Santa, which opened just three weeks after it in November 2003.

What is the name of Buddy's biological mother in the movie Elf?

She had given him up for adoption and died before the story begins, leaving his father unaware he existed.

On which network did the 2014 stop-motion special based on the film first air?

Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas premiered on NBC on December 16, 2014, adapting songs from the stage musical into a stop-motion special.

Against a quota of 1,000, how many Etch A Sketches does Buddy finish in a day?

Buddy finishes just 85 Etch A Sketches, which Ming Ming says leaves him 915 pieces off pace, so two other elves have to work double shifts to cover for him.

Which legendary stop-motion animator voices a polar bear cub in the film?

Stop-motion pioneer Ray Harryhausen, who animated the skeleton fight in Jason and the Argonauts, voices the polar bear cub in an uncredited cameo.

What does Mr. Narwhal call out as the departing elf sets off for New York?

As Buddy drifts off on an ice floe, Mr. Narwhal surfaces and says, 'Bye, Buddy. Hope you find your dad,' and Buddy replies, 'Thanks, Mr. Narwhal.'

How many cookies does Buddy confess to cramming into the VCR in his farewell note?

Buddy's note reads 'I'm sorry I ruined your lives and crammed eleven cookies into the VCR', scratched out on a toy before he slips away from the Hobbs home.

By what deadline does Walter's boss demand a new book?

The company is reeling from the failure of its last title, which is why the ghostwriter is summoned.

Which New York City landmark does Santa's sleigh crash-land near at the climax of Elf?

Buddy meets Santa in Central Park, where the pair are promptly chased by the park's rangers on horseback.

How old is Buddy when he discovers he is actually a human, not an elf?

Buddy is 30 when Papa Elf finally tells him he is human, and he sets off for New York to find his birth father, Walter Hobbs.

In Elf, Walter Hobbs publishes children's books from an office in which New York landmark, where Buddy first finds him?

The Empire State Building is where Buddy, fresh from walking through the Lincoln Tunnel, tracks Walter down and is thrown out by security.

Walter first mistakes the newly arrived Buddy for what?

Walter takes him for a Christmas-gram messenger sent as a prank and has building security eject him, even after Buddy sings him a song about finding his dad.

What does Walter take Buddy for after bailing him out of jail?

Walter drags Buddy to his doctor for a DNA test, which confirms Buddy is his son and ends Walter's hope that the man in tights is a prank.

Buddy wins over his half-brother Michael by beating a gang of bullies at what?

Michael then helps Buddy ask Jovie on a date.

Why does the children's author storm out of the meeting with Walter's team?

Finch, who has dwarfism, reacts violently and Walter angrily disowns Buddy afterwards.

On what does Buddy write his letter of apology before leaving the Hobbs home?

The toy was invented by Frenchman André Cassagnes and launched in 1960 for $2.99.

What is the first name of Walter's boss, the CEO of Greenway Press?

Walter's boss is Fulton Greenway, the Greenway Press chief played by Michael Lerner; Walter finally walks out on him mid-pitch on Christmas Eve.

Who chases Buddy and Santa through the trees at the climax?

The Central Park Rangers chase Buddy and Santa on horseback through the trees while Buddy struggles to get the sleigh's engine reattached.

What is the first bestseller of Walter's new independent publishing company?

Walter starts his own company, and its first bestseller is a children's book about Buddy, the very storybook Papa Elf is seen reading as the film closes.

What is the name of the Gimbels manager played by Faizon Love?

Wanda Sykes was originally cast, and Love used the nametag made for her.

Who plays Deb, Walter's executive assistant?

Sedaris later voiced Princess Carolyn in BoJack Horseman.

Which Howard Stern Show regular plays the department store Santa who brawls with Buddy?

Artie Lange, a Howard Stern Show regular from 2001, plays the fake store Santa who brawls with Buddy after Buddy rips off his beard.

Will Ferrell's brother Patrick appears in Elf as what?

Patrick Ferrell, Will's brother, plays one of the Empire State Building security guards who escort Buddy out of the lobby.

Director Jon Favreau's on-screen cameo in Elf is as what?

Jon Favreau plays Dr. Leonardo, the family doctor who confirms Buddy really is Walter's son; he also voiced Mr. Narwhal, uncredited.

Which TV channel does reporter Charlotte Denon work for when covering the Central Park crash?

Charlotte Denon reports for NY1, New York's cable news channel, from outside Central Park; Matt Walsh plays the eyewitness she interviews.

Which producer appears uncredited as head elf Ming Ming?

Billingsley is best known as Ralphie in A Christmas Story.

Which jazz-and-blues revivalist voices the snowman at the North Pole?

Leon Redbone, the gravel-voiced revivalist of 1920s jazz and blues, voices Leon the Snowman; he also duets with Zooey Deschanel over the end credits.

Which comedian was offered the role of Walter Hobbs but declined?

Garry Shandling turned down the role of Walter Hobbs; the Larry Sanders Show star took few film roles after that series ended in 1998.

What is the gauge on Santa's sleigh that measures Christmas spirit called?

The Clausometer on the sleigh's dashboard reads Christmas spirit; it sits near zero over New York until the crowd's singing sends it climbing.

What does Buddy call himself after falling far short of his toy quota?

Buddy laments that he is 'a cotton-headed ninny-muggins' after finishing far fewer toys than the other elves; Ming Ming assures him he is not.

What did Will Ferrell say caused him ill effects during filming?

Will Ferrell said that eating Buddy's sugary foods on set left him with headaches and feeling ill by the end of shooting.

Why did Favreau add singing for Jovie, which was not in the original script?

Deschanel later formed the duo She & Him with M. Ward.

What did Ferrell improvise when Wanda announces the store's special guest is coming?

He also improvised singing in the middle of Gimbels' Santaland.

Which brand of soft drink does Buddy down before his famous belch?

The belch was dubbed by Maurice LaMarche, who says he still gets residual cheques for it.

Which studio released Elf in November 2003?

New Line was later folded into Warner Bros. in 2008.

Who produced Elf alongside Jon Berg?

Komarnicki, also a novelist, later co-wrote The Professor and the Madman.

Who composed Elf's orchestral score?

John Debney composed Elf's orchestral score, recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony; he later scored Favreau's Iron Man 2 and The Jungle Book.

Which animal attacks Buddy when he offers it a hug on his journey south?

Buddy asks a raccoon 'Does someone need a hug?' on his walk from the North Pole, and the animal leaps at his face.

Whose version of 'Sleigh Ride' appears on the Elf soundtrack?

Ella Fitzgerald's 1960 recording of 'Sleigh Ride' is on the Elf soundtrack; the same album carries Lena Horne's 'Let It Snow!' and Eartha Kitt's 'Santa Baby'.

Whose recording of 'Pennies from Heaven' plays in Elf?

Louis Prima's swinging 'Pennies from Heaven' plays as Buddy first wanders wide-eyed through Manhattan, and it opens the Elf soundtrack album.

Which Billy Preston song appears on the Elf soundtrack?

Billy Preston's 'Nothing from Nothing', a US number-one hit in 1974, is among the non-holiday tracks on the Elf soundtrack.

Whose swing version of 'The Nutcracker Suite' is on the Elf soundtrack?

Setzer previously fronted the Stray Cats.

Whose recording of 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' features on the Elf soundtrack?

Country crooner Eddy Arnold's version of 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' is on the Elf soundtrack; the song was written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934.

Who wrote 'Baby, It's Cold Outside', featured in Elf, in 1944?

Frank Loesser wrote it to perform with his wife Lynn Garland at parties, then sold it to MGM for Neptune's Daughter (1949), where it won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

Whose 1934 radio performance made 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town', heard in Elf, a hit?

Eddie Cantor sang it on his radio show in November 1934, and within 24 hours orders for 500,000 copies of sheet music had come in.

Elf was released on DVD and VHS in November of which year?

Elf reached DVD and VHS in November 2004, a year after its theatrical release; a Blu-ray edition followed in 2008.

How much did Elf gross in the United States and Canada?

Elf took about $178 million in the United States and Canada, counting its later holiday re-releases, on top of roughly $50 million overseas.

Which film kept Elf out of the number one spot on its US opening weekend?

The Matrix Revolutions opened the same weekend, November 7-9, 2003, and its $48.5 million debut held Elf to second place.

Which film did Elf beat to top the US box office in its second weekend?

In its second weekend Elf took $26.3 million, edging out the debut of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

How much did Elf's US opening weekend earn?

Elf's US opening weekend took $31.1 million from November 7-9, 2003, good for second place that weekend.

How many stars out of four did Roger Ebert give Elf?

Roger Ebert gave Elf three stars out of four, writing that it 'charms the socks right off the mantelpiece'.

The 2004 Elf tie-in title was released for which handheld console?

The 2004 tie-in Elf: The Movie was a Game Boy Advance platformer that follows Buddy's journey from the North Pole to New York.

Who wrote the music for Elf: The Musical?

Matthew Sklar composed the score, with lyrics by Chad Beguelin; the pair also wrote The Wedding Singer and The Prom.

Which Broadway house hosted the original 2010 run of Elf: The Musical?

Elf: The Musical played the Al Hirschfeld Theatre from November 2010 to January 2011 and returned to the same house for the 2012 holiday season.

Who originated the role of Buddy in the 2010 Broadway musical?

Sebastian Arcelus originated Buddy on Broadway; he had previously played Fiyero in Wicked and Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys.

Which Cheers star played Santa in the original Broadway cast of Elf: The Musical?

He reprised the role on the 2017 tour at Madison Square Garden.

Who narrates Elf: The Musical instead of the film's Papa Elf?

In the musical Santa himself narrates, reading the story from a book; Papa Elf does not appear at all.

Which department store does the musical use in place of the film's?

The musical moves Buddy's job to Macy's, a store that was open to stage a real Santaland, unlike the long-closed chain used in the film.

Which film character is cut entirely from Elf: The Musical?

Instead, Buddy shreds the only manuscript of a story by a dead author, Chris Smith.

Which number does Buddy get Jovie to sing loudly to spread cheer in the musical?

'A Christmas Song' is the number Buddy coaxes Jovie into belting out on their date; she reprises it in Central Park to repower the sleigh.

Which song replaced 'Christmastown' as the opening number in later productions of the musical?

'Happy All the Time' became the opening number from the 2012 Broadway return onward, replacing 'Christmastown' from the 2010 original.

Where does Buddy take Jovie to dinner in the musical?

Buddy asks Jovie to dinner at Tavern on the Green in Central Park, then turns up late, prompting her song 'Never Fall in Love (With an Elf)'.

At which London venue did Elf: The Musical play its 2015 Christmas season?

Elf: The Musical played the Dominion Theatre on Tottenham Court Road for the 2015 holiday season, reportedly the fastest-selling show in the venue's history.

Which former Girls Aloud singer played Jovie in the 2015 West End production?

Kimberley Walsh played Jovie opposite Ben Forster's Buddy in the 2015 London production.

At which venue did Elf: The Musical return to Broadway in November 2024?

The 2024 revival played the Marquis Theatre, inside the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square, with Grey Henson as Buddy.

Which Goonies actor played both Santa and Mr. Greenway in the 2024 Broadway revival?

Sean Astin, Mikey in The Goonies, doubled as Santa and Mr. Greenway in the 2024 Broadway revival.

Who voices Buddy in the 2014 special Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas?

Jim Parsons voices Buddy in the stop-motion special; he was starring as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory at the time.

Which Star Wars actor voices Walter Hobbs in the 2014 special?

Hamill is also famous as the voice of the Joker.

Who voices Jovie in the 2014 animated special?

Micucci is half of the comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates.

What does Buddy do in the office building elevator on his way to find Walter?

Buddy presses every floor button in the elevator and beams that the lit panel looks like a Christmas tree.

Which studio produced Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas?

Warner Bros. Animation produced Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas, with the stop-motion animation itself handled by Screen Novelties.