Fact Funhouse

Elfin Magic!

It’s the season when Santa’s hard-working helpers get some of the attention they deserve. But how well do you really know your elf culture and facts? Take this month’s quiz and find out!

1. In Finland, Christmas elves are known by this name:

1. Julenisse
2. Joulutonttu
3. Christmas Gnomes
4. Krampus

2. Which publication introduced the idea of elves making toys for Santa?

1. The Saturday Evening Post
2. Harper’s Weekly
3. Godey’s Lady’s Book
4. Life

3. Tomte or nisse are Scandinavian household elves who have a particular affinity for this, which is offered as a gift every Christmas Eve for their help and protection:

1. Beer
2. Chocolate
3. Licorice
4. Porridge

4. This band of mischievous Icelandic elves arrives one by one over the 13 nights preceding Christmas:

1. The Sinful Sots
2. The Yule Lads
3. The Baker’s Dozen
4. The Winter Night Gnomes

5. In 2005, a mom-and-daughter duo published a storybook based on a family Christmas tradition that closely parallels Scandinavian lore. What’s the rhyming title of that book?

1. A Pinch for the Grinch
2. The Fright on Christmas Night
3. Elf on the Shelf
4. The Mouse in Santa’s House

6. Fifty years ago, the classic stop-motion animated television special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” told the story of a band of misfits, including an elf who desired a career other than toy making. What vocation did he desire?

1. Bus driver
2. Dentist
3. Architect
4. Shoe salesman

7. St. Nick himself was described as “a right jolly old elf” in which of these literary works?

1. A Visit from St. Nicholas (a.k.a. The Night Before Christmas), by Clement Moore
2. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, by L. Frank Baum
3. The Road to Oz, by L. Frank Baum
4. Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride, by Katharine Lee Bates

8. In the 2003 movie Elf, this revered actor played the adoptive father of Will Ferrell’s character, Buddy the Elf:

1. Ed Asner
2. Don Rickles
3. Bob Newhart
4. Jerry Stiller

9. True or False:

In African culture, Atakurma are elf-like beings with large heads who live in termite mounds and make clay pots.

10. Well-known for its depiction of Santa Claus in its marketing, Coca-Cola also featured an elfin mascot in its advertisements who wore a bottle cap on his head. What’s the name of this grinning, impish character?

1. Sprite Boy
2. Sammy
3. Pinky
4. Bubbles

ANSWERS:

1. Joulutonttu (pronounced YO-lun-ton-too) is the Finnish term for a Christmas elf. Tonttus are small, traditional creatures from Scandinavian folklore known for being important helpers to Santa and bringing good luck and protection to homes. The Fins even have a type of elf known as saunatonttu, who live in saunas. That’s a pretty good gig in a place like Finland!
2. The image of elves in Santa’s workshop was made popular by Godey’s Lady’s Book, a 19th century women’s magazine published in Philadelphia. Godey’s influenced many of today’s Christmas traditions, including the modern Christmas tree.
3. The house elves of Scandinavia have a taste for porridge with a pat of butter on top.
4. Sounding more like a holiday boy band than a group of mischievous elves, the Yule Lads visit in the nights leading up to Christmas. Among their antics: Rewarding naughty children with rotten potatoes.
5. The Elf on the Shelf was written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell. Rejected by publishers, they decided to self-publish their tale, which became a cultural phenomenon and full-blown marketing juggernaut, spinning off TV specials, musical theater productions, food products and merchandise.
6. Hermey the misfit elf (voiced by Canadian actor Paul Robert Soles) wanted to be a dentist.
7. “He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf…” is part of the delightful description in Clement Moore’s 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, or The Night Before Christmas, which significantly influenced the modern image of Santa Claus.
8. The character Papa Elf was played in characteristic deadpan fashion by veteran comic actor Bob Newhart.
9. False. Atakurma are just as described; however, they don’t make clay pots. They make pearls.
10. Sprite Boy was the name of the cheeky mascot who appeared in Coca-Cola advertisements from 1942-1958. The character’s moniker later became the brand name of Coke’s sparkling lemon-lime beverage, Sprite, introduced in 1961.