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107 free Elf trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free Elf trivia questions with answers. Released in 2003, the movie Elf starring Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf has become one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time. From "Son of a nutcracker!" to maple syrup on spaghetti, test how well you know every corner of this holiday classic — from the North Pole workshop to the streets of New York City.
30 of 107 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01The elves name the orphaned baby after what?
A brand of diaper
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.
Q 02What does Buddy put on his spaghetti that horrifies his new family?
Maple syrup
Buddy pours maple syrup over his spaghetti at the Hobbs family dinner, explaining that syrup is one of the elves' four main food groups.
Q 03Which actor plays the estranged publisher father in the 2003 comedy Elf?
James Caan
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.
Q 04Which department store does Buddy work at when he arrives in New York City?
Gimbels
The chain closed its last store in 1987, so the film had to build its own.
Q 05What famous Buddy the Elf quote follows 'You sit on a throne of...'?
Lies
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.
Q 06Who directed the movie Elf?
Jon Favreau
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.
Q 07According to Buddy, what are the four main food groups for elves?
Candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup
He offers the list at the breakfast table, moments after asking for syrup to pour on spaghetti.
Q 08What does Buddy say is his favorite activity?
Smiling
When the store manager asks why he is grinning, Buddy replies, 'I just like to smile; smiling's my favorite.'
Q 09Who plays Papa Elf, the narrator of the movie Elf?
Bob Newhart
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.
Q 10Which exclamation does Buddy use in place of swearing?
Son of a nutcracker!
Buddy's substitute for swearing is 'Son of a nutcracker!', a candy-flavored oath that keeps the film's language at a PG rating.
Q 11What is the name of Buddy's younger half-brother in Elf?
Michael
The boy warms to him after a snowball fight, then helps him ask Jovie out.
Q 12Who plays Walter Hobbs' wife Emily (Buddy's stepmother) in Elf?
Mary Steenburgen
Mary Steenburgen plays Emily Hobbs, the stepmother who welcomes Buddy; she later played Will Ferrell's mother again in Step Brothers (2008).
Q 13What does Buddy do overnight before Santa's visit to the store?
Redecorates the whole floor
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.
Q 21How does the newly hired elf answer the phone in his father's office?
Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?
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.
Q 22In what year was the movie Elf released?
2003
New Line released it that November; in Britain it opened second, behind Love Actually.
Q 23What technique was used to make Buddy appear much larger than the other elves at the North Pole?
Forced perspective filming
Q 14Which sign prompts Buddy to congratulate a diner's staff?
World's best cup of coffee
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.
Q 15What song does Jovie sing in the shower that Buddy joins in on?
Baby, It's Cold Outside
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.
Q 16What actor plays Santa Claus in Elf?
Ed Asner
He was the only member of the film's cast to return for the 2014 stop-motion television special.
Q 17After the Candy Cane Forest and the Sea of Swirly-Twirly Gumdrops, how does Buddy enter New York?
Through the Lincoln Tunnel
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.
Q 18What brings Santa's sleigh down at the climax of the film?
Waning Christmas spirit
The engine falls off, Buddy finds it, and the sleigh ends up flying without it.
Q 19Which actor plays the irritable children's author who beats up Buddy?
Peter Dinklage
The character is a star ghostwriter brought in to rescue a failing publishing house.
Q 20Which song does Jovie lead a crowd in singing at the film's climax?
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
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.
Computer imagery was kept to a minimum, a choice the director says he had to fight hard for.
Q 24What does Buddy drink in one go before the film's loudest sound effect?
A two-litre bottle of cola
The star said the sugary props left him feeling genuinely ill during filming.
Q 25What is the name of Walter's publishing company in Elf?
Greenway Press
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.
Q 26What does a co-worker share with Buddy in the mailroom?
Liquor from a flask
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.
Q 27Approximately how much did Elf earn at the worldwide box office?
Over $220 million
Elf grossed over $220 million worldwide during its original run and topped the US box office in its second weekend.
Q 28What is the approximate production budget of the movie Elf?
$33 million
Elf was made for about $33 million and earned roughly seven times that at the worldwide box office.
Q 29Who wrote the screenplay for Elf?
David Berenbaum
The script sat around from 1993, and was quietly rewritten by several other hands before it was filmed.
Q 30What is the name of the jet turbine engine Papa Elf built for Santa's sleigh?
Kringle 3000
Papa Elf built the Kringle 3000, a 500-reindeer-power jet turbine, because Christmas spirit alone no longer kept the sleigh aloft.