Our Story
The story of The Lumistella Company begins in 1974, when a small elf named Fisbee arrived from the North Pole to visit the household of Bob and Carol Aebersold. Fisbee watched over their children—Chanda, Christa and Brandon—finding new hiding places in the family’s home after reporting back to Santa each night. Many years later, Carol and Chanda co-wrote and, in 2005, published The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, the bestselling book and activity that features Santa’s Scout Elf pals, who visit their families during the holiday season and help Santa manage his Nice List. Now the company continues to reveal the exciting, legendary world of Santaverse™- the enchanted world of Santa Claus – with exciting characters, lore and legends that answer the questions children have about the mysteries and magic of the North Pole.
1974
Fisbee joins Aebersold family
The Aebersold children adopt Fisbee, Santa’s original Scout Elf helper, who delivers all their Christmas wishes to Santa while playing a daily game of hide-and-seek.
2004
Mother/daughter duo pen first book
Carol Aebersold and daughter, Chanda A. Bell draft The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, honoring both their family and their favorite elf.
2005
A tradition and a family business are born
Aebersold and Bell self-publish The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition and hold their first book signing at the Marietta Museum of History in Marietta, Georgia. After selling out of the initial 5000 boxsets, Chanda’s twin sister, Christa Pitts, leaves her job at QVC and the trio launch a family business centered around joyful moments at Christmastime.
2007
A wave of media
Celebrity press coverage features Jennifer Garner carrying The Elf on the Shelf boxset, fueling a wave of popularity and a surprise segment on The Today Show.
2009
Awards amass; new products revealed
With new retailers like Barnes & Noble on board and awards bestowed, products move into Canada and the Claus Couture Collection® launches, introducing a new line of elf clothing.
2010
Bestseller is the word of the year
Having hit the bestseller lists of Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition has sold nearly one million copies.
2011
An Elf’s Story premieres
The company’s first animated special, created, composed and produced in-house, airs on CBS to an audience of over four million.
2012
Macy’s balloon sets record
Popularity continues to soar as The Elf on the Shelf® becomes the largest ballon to ever be featured in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
2014
Elf Pets® make first appearance
Elf Pets®: A Reindeer Tradition delivers a new North Pole pal and is embraced by fans as the company pushes into additional international markets, truly taking the world by storm.
2015
Celebrating the 10th anniversary
Honors and accolades, including a Stevie Award for the Women-Run Workplace of the Year, reinforce the company’s family-centered place in American popular culture, and a national print campaign in People magazine spotlights The Elf on the Shelf® for its iconic status.
2018
In-house animation studio founded
The company’s in-house animation studio, Scout Elf Productions, was founded and released its first special—Elf Pets: Santa’s St. Bernards Save Christmas—to rave reviews from fans.
2019
Elf Mates® and stage musical debut
Santa’s Champions of Kindness—the Elf Mates—arrive on the scene, as playable counterparts to Santa’s Scout Elf friends, while “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Musical” debuts with an original story and score to eager theatre audiences.
2020
Netflix partnership; LA light journey
Netflix announces partnership with The Lumistella Company to stream existing animated specials and develop original series and films from the company’s entire portfolio of brands, while “The Elf on the Shelf’s Magical Holiday Journey”, an experiential holiday light show, opens in Los Angeles to enthusiastic fans.
2021
Gaming spaces expand
The Elf on the Shelf® Official Snowball Fight launches on Roblox, the immensely popular gaming platform, where fans enjoy epic snowball fights alongside their Scout Elf® and Elf Pets® companions.
2023
Santaverse™ announced to trade audiences
The Lumistella Company sets out to build what no other company has built before – an entire universe based on Santa’s enchanted North Pole; trade audiences and licensing partners are enthusiastic to take part in the reveal to consumers in 2024 and 2025.
2024
Fans embrace Santaverse™
With the debut of new characters like Frost Pips™ baby elves and SnoBiggie™ yetis, fans can’t get enough of Santaverse! Madame Founder, the podcast, premiered on Apple, Spotify, and iHeartRadio, bringing empowering conversations to listeners everywhere.
2025
20th Anniversary of The Elf on the Shelf!
Fans around the world take part in sharing their beloved Scout Elf stories from years past. New friends like Razzle, Santa’s official celebration snowman, arrive on the scene along with several limited-edition, 20th anniversary collectibles and a brand-new middle grade novel, The Rise of Nicholas the Noble, reveals the origins of Santa Claus, taking Santaverse by storm.
