So the Elf is a cheap doll... That does not make it any less magical! My children love our newest addition. They named him "Macks" and wake up early every morning to find out what kind of mischief he gets into overnight. We really do not do the "be good or he will tell Santa". We really kind of find that pointless since we are not going to not give them Christmas presents, and good behavior is expected regardless of an elf watching. So we just kind of play along like he is just a visitor for Christmas and tells Santa what they want and all the GOOD things they do. We love it.