The Amazing and True Story of the Knee-Hugger Elf

Yes. I did mean to say knee-hugger. Not tree-hugger. Knee-hugger.

Not this:

This:

See how s/he hugs her/his knees? That's a knee-hugger elf.

Get a load of these guys:

They're going for a starting bid of $9.99 on eBay right now. Just over 2hrs left in the auction and a wad 'o cash in my PayPal account...a match made in heaven!

Oh, but wait...look at this one...

Or - wow - my fave:

To tell you the truth, I had forgotten about these cute little ornaments/decorations until I saw this picture when googling "Santa's Elves" for a different purpose:

And a wave of nostalgia hit me.

I felt like a little girl all over again, playing with these adorable little felt dolls with my sisters, counting down the days until we could open the pile of presents under our tree. It was a time of unadulterated magic for me and my sisters - the lead-in to Christmas. And these little knee-huggers are emblematic of that wonderful, magical time for me.

So, of course I got obsessed with knee-huggers and their origins. Can you believe they were made in Japan? True! They were made in the 1960s by a company called "Yuletide of Japan". I can't seem to find any kind of information on this company, but eBay and other collectibles sites are full of them. Apparently they're worth more if they still have this "Made In Japan" label on them:

Sometimes truth is just stranger than fiction.

I wonder what happened to those old knee-huggers I grew up with? (Mom? Are you there? Do you still have them?) I'm not sure how well they weathered the seventies with three little girls who played with them like dolls, but I sure hope they're still around. I remember them being a little careworn, their faces a little smudgy, their skinny felt bodies all pilled and threadbare, their little pixie faces so full of innocence and that twinkle of mischief that  reflected our own.

For more weird-but-trueness, you DO NOT want to miss Kath's recent post at her personal blog, This Is Kat.

Comments

[Allyson]

God I loved those!! They look a little creepy now but I used to love playing with them. Thanks for the memory.

[Diane]

Sorry Kath but those little Elves were just so loved that they wore out! Hope that the memories are enough.
Mom

[Anne]

I, too have one on my tree. It's green and was given to me by a boy who drew my name in a gift-exchange in Grade 6. It's definitely my most precious decoration.

[Margot]

I still have one of these on our tree!! You have to check out this link that I found for a similar item.

http://www.signals.com/signals/Item_The-Elf-On-The-Shelf_VD9172_ps_srm.html