The Elf and the Shelf franchise is beloved by children around the world and is firmly installed within festive traditions since being established in 2004, being featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, a live musical, and several sweet snack boxes. Created off the back of an American family’s own Christmas tradition, The Elf and the Shelf started out as an idea between mother and daughter that branched out into a commercially successful brand bigger than they could have ever imagined.