How one metro Atlanta family's Christmas "Elf on the Shelf" tradition became a worldwide empire
The Elf on the Shelf has quickly became one of the most popular toys associated with Christmas. No matter where you go on social media these days, parents are sharing the elaborate setups left by Santa's elves.
The roots of the mischievous elves are in metro Atlanta.
Chanda Bell — the head of the multi-million dollar 'Elf on the Shelf' empire — grew up in Snellville and attended Brookwood High School. Her love for Christmas began at an early age, and it was all thanks to her mother's unique tradition.
"We had a very modest upbringing. My parents didn't have a lot of money. My dad was self-employed. So my parents worked really hard all year to make Christmas really special and magical. And part of the magic, right, was the elf on the shelf," Bell said.
Bell went on to graduate from the University of West Georgia and became a school teacher. Six years later, after finding out she was pregnant with her first child, she started working for her dad. That's when she first thought about starting her own business.
"I was sitting at the table with my mom one day, and I looked up and on a shelf was the elf that we grew up with," she said. "And I'm like, 'Mom, we should write a story about our elf.'"
It was easier said than done. Bell and her mom quickly found out the publishing world wasn't eager to share a story about Santa's elves.
"We couldn't get anyone to publish it. We got all these nasty letters," she said. "First, they told us rewrite this as a narrative or 'No one likes rhyming books' or 'This is destined for the damaged goods bin.' We had to follow our gut, and we had to follow what we were called to do, regardless of what anyone else had to say about it."
So the family ended up putting their faith and money in themselves. Her twin sister, Christa, sold her home and used the funds to publish the very first Elf on the Shelf book in 2005.
"When we first launched, it was really all just family and friends, right? And we invited all of them to a book signing here in Marietta. And they all showed up, and we sold 500," Bell said. "And I remember thinking, like, 'Wow, now what?'"
Their next challenge was finding customers. They hit the road to get their book in the hands of as many people as possible.
"One by one, we're telling people about this out of the back of our cars," she said. "People were meeting us in parking lots. We were at small junior leagues and fairs explaining to people what the Elf on the Shelf was."
The publicity tour started to pay off as word of mouth spread.
The watershed moment happened when actress Jennifer Garner was seen with an "Elf on the Shelf" book. The book ended up on The New York Times Best Sellers list.
"We didn't necessarily know that what we had was gonna become as synonymous with Christmas as Santa Claus," Bells said.
"Elf on the Shelf" has topped the charts in 29 countries. Now, they're looking toward its future. When asked about her plans for the next 20 years, Santa's chief storyteller wasn't shy about reaching for the stars.
"We believe our franchise can be as big as 'Star Wars,'" she said.
According to a recent report from Bloomberg, the Elf on the Shelf empire is now valued at $100 million. Their recent partnership with Netflix will also allow their products to be marketed in more than 300 million households in over 190 countries.