If 2005 marked the year of The Elf on the Shelf®, 2011 would be known as the year of An Elf’s Story. Debuting on CBS in late 2011, the half-hour animated special marked the next big step for The Elf on the Shelf® brand. As An Elf’s Story garnered fans’ praise, Carol and Chanda were already looking ahead to their next project as they began writing their first sequel—The Elf on the Shelf: A Birthday Tradition. By the end of 2011, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition had sold more than 2 million copies, and the company had added another licensing partner.