If you’re a parent (or if you have parents on your social media feed), you know what season it is: That’s right, it’s THE ELF ON THE SHELF season!
THE ELF ON THE SHELF that we know and, well…many people love today began appearing in 2005, and was based on the creator’s own family traditions in the 1970s. CCA & B, LLC, doing business as Lumistella, registered THE ELF ON THE SHELF mark for books and dolls sold with books in 2008. Today, Lumistella owns more than 80 active applications and registrations for THE ELF ON THE SHELF and other marks.
But THE ELF ON THE SHELF has its detractors…including in the judiciary. In 2021, a Georgia judge Tweeted a mock “order” “banishing Elves on Shelves in Cobb County.” The order was affirmed in a Tweet by Justice Carla Wong McMillian of the Georgia Supreme Court.
If you like holiday cheer but THE ELF ON THE SHELF isn’t for you, here are some EOTS alternatives on the Nice List, or at least the Principal Register of the USPTO:
- REINDEER IN HERE: According to its website, this “special little reindeer with mismatched antlers … celebrates the uniqueness of every child.” And – perhaps more importantly for parents – apparently does not move about the house during the night.
- MENSCH ON A BENCH: Since appearing on “Shark Tank” in 2014, trademark owner Monkeybar Consulting LLC has helped “Add more Funukkah to Hanukkah” with other characters like Dreidel Dog, Mitzvah Moose, and Snow Mensch.
- SANTA’S LAZY GNOME: As the name indicates, this little guy’s M.O. is that he doesn’t move because he can monitor children from anywhere.
- FLORA ON THE MENORAH: This “Fun Hanukkah Tradition!” is an anthropomorphic flower that comes with a plush LED-lit Menorah and “visits children around the world to make sure they are helpful, kind, and understand the importance of honoring the history of Hanukkah.”
Not all EOTS substitutes were able to register their trademarks. Lumistella opposed THE MONSTER ON THE SHELF for “plush dolls” and ALE ON THE SHELF for beer. Both applications were later abandoned for failure to respond to the oppositions.
At least a few tongue-in-cheek “traditions” for grown-ups also appear in the USPTO database, including DICK ON A DESK (a 6-inch-tall scruffy plush dude who “is here to tell all you workaholics to make time for the good times”), MILLENNIAL ON A PERENNIAL, and SHIRAZ ON THE SHELF.
No matter what your traditions, we wish you peace and joy this season.