20 Best Elf Quotes

The best Elf quotes are so good that they can be used every day of the year but they're always especially fun to say around the holiday season.

Summary

"You See Gum On The Street, Leave It There. It's Not Free Candy." - Santa gives Buddy advice on the risks of the real world.
"I Just Wanted A Hug." - Buddy's naïveté leads to a hilarious encounter with a wild raccoon.
"Hey, Have You Seen These Toilets? They're Ginormous!" - Buddy's excitement at proportionally-appropriate toilets in the human world is endearing and funny.

Will Ferrell's 2003 Christmas comedy Elf is one of the most quotable holiday movies ever made, with the hilarious dialogue and unforgettable moments in Buddy the Elf's story immortalized by Ferrell's inimitable style and delivery. Directed by Jon Favreau from a screenplay co-written with David Berenbaum, Elf stars Will Ferrell as Buddy, a 30-year-old man raised by Elves and Santa in the North Pole after stowing away on Santa's sleigh as a baby. The adult Buddy returns to the human world to discover his roots during the movie, and his impossibly childlike wonder at life outside the North Pole makes for some of the best Elf quotes.

Elf is regarded by many as one of the best Christmas movies, and thanks to its PG rating, has been a gateway for younger viewers to discover Will Ferrell and his one-of-a-kind delivery, which in his early film career was usually reserved for more adult ventures like Anchor Man or Talladega Nights. Ferrell's performance as Buddy in Elf ensured the movie is full of quotable moments, and despite being released over two decades ago, it remains one of the most quoted Christmas movies throughout the holiday season.

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20 "You See Gum On The Street, Leave It There. It's Not Free Candy."

Santa Claus Gives Buddy Some Sagely Advice

While Will Ferrell is responsible for many of the best quotes in Elf, Ed Asner's portrayal of Santa Claus as a wise and lovable figure also gives the late Up star some of the funniest lines in the movie too. This Santa quote from Elf comes when Santa is advising Buddy on the risks of the real world. It's a quote that's made all the funnier later in the movie when Buddy completely ignores Santa's advice. Watching Buddy munch on old gum that he picked off of a railing in the middle of New York City could easily just be disgusting, but instead, it's an unforgettable punchline to this joke.

19 "I Just Wanted A Hug."

Buddy The Elf Learns About Raccoons

When Buddy first starts to see signs of the normal world after he ventures from the North Pole, he encounters his first non-magical creature — a wild raccoon that he naturally tries to hug. Of course, the raccoon instead launches into a vicious attack, and Buddy's surprise is as endearing as it is laughable. It's a great Elf that shows Buddy's eternal optimism, with his assumption that animals can talk and be reasoned with in the real world just like in the North Pole making it especially hilarious.

18 "Hey, Have You Seen These Toilets? They're Ginormous!"

Buddy Isn't Used To Proportionally Appropriate Surroundings

Aside from Santa, Buddy was the only human-sized inhabitant of the North Pole, and so all his life had only known the furniture around him to be comically undersized. Elf makes full use of this with a montage of sight gags that revolve around Budy being an average-sized man in an elf's world, and one of the funniest is watching him have to sit on one of the elves' adorably tiny toilets. So, when Buddy arrives in New York and marvels at all the things in human life, he's completely thrilled by the toilets being the right size for him.

While it's amusing to see a grown man so impressed by what must be a fairly standard public restroom, what makes the line truly hilarious is that it shows more of Buddy's sweetly inexperienced personality as he excitedly yells this line at the person in the stall next to him. The use of the word "Ginormous" is the icing on the cake to this Elf quote, too, with Ferrell's delivery making the moment even funnier.

17 "Treat Every Day Like Christmas."

The Code Of The Elves Is Hilariously Fanatical

An elf pointing at the code of the elves on a blackboard in Elf

At the beginning of Elf, the audience learns that Christmas elves live their lives by a simple code which becomes very important by the end of the movie, particularly the final of its 3 main points. However, the first rule in code of the elves is especially hilarious when it emerges that, to them, treating every day like Christmas doesn't mean celebrating every day or constant rest, relaxation, and gift-giving. Treating every day like Christmas is the code's way of saying that work never stops, and the dedication of the elves (and Buddy) to this belief is played on hilariously many times in Elf.

Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf smiling in Elf

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16 "I Like To Whisper Too."

Buddy Struggles With Conversational Norms

Having grown up in the North Pole, Buddy doesn't understand quite a lot of the most common social graces that appear in day-to-day human life — often with hilarious results. When Buddy's biological father Walter Hobbs (James Caan) starts whispering to his assistant about him, Buddy leans in and lets them know that he also enjoys whispering. From anybody else, this move would seem like a sarcastic threat of some kind, but from Buddy it's 100% sincere and all the funnier for it. His childish grin when he says it makes it another one of the best Elf quotes that Will Ferrell's delivery ensures is unforgettable.

15 "This Place Reminds Me Of Santa's Workshop Except It Smells Like Mushrooms And Everyone Looks Like They Want To Hurt Me."

Working In The Human World Is A Culture Shock For Buddy In Elf

After sufficiently annoying his father in his office, Buddy is sent down to work in the mailroom under the false pretense that it's a shiny and magical place. When he gets there, Buddy finds out Walter lied and discovers the grim reality of the dim and miserable room. However, Buddy remains somewhat positive and gives this sidesplitting assessment of his new workplace before he quickly turns things around. The best Elf quotes show Buddy's unceasing ability to look on the bright side and this one does that while fitting a relatively dark joke in too.

14 "Christmas Spirit Is About Believing, Not Seeing."

Santa Claus

For the most part, the best Elf quotes are comedic gags and sayings, but the movie does have quite a few heartfelt moments too, as well as some lines that sum up the magic of the holiday season as all classic Christmas movies do. This particular Elf quote comes from Santa Claus himself, who explains the workings of the Christmas spirit to Buddy's half-brother, Michael (Daniel Tay), in a short but powerful way. The sentiment is the core message behind Elf in many ways, as shown in the ending when collective belief in Santa is needed to power his sleigh and save the holiday.

13 "I'm Sorry I Ruined Your Lives And Crammed 11 Cookies Into The VCR."

Buddy The Elf's Goodbye To Walter

Buddy writing his goodbye letter on an Etch A Sketch

Though VCRs may effectively be a thing of the past, this Elf quote will live on for generations to come. It comes from Buddy's goodbye letter before he leaves his Walter's home, which he hilariously writes out using an Etch A Sketch. The news that Buddy crammed a bunch of cookies into the family's VCR is the perfect final act to all the destruction that Buddy brought to the Hobbs household in his efforts to make things more festive. However, the fact that Buddy views "ruining your lives" and destroying a VCR as equally bad is especially hilarious.

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12 "You Did It! Congratulations! World's Best Cup Of Coffee. Great Job Everybody!"

Buddy The Elf Falls For Advertising

After first arriving in New York City and being swept up in all of its beauty and wonder, Buddy marvels at a tacky neon sign outside a diner that states that they serve the world's best cup of coffee. Not understanding hyperbole, among many other things, Buddy immediately runs into the diner and yells out this brilliant Elf quote to everyone inside. It brilliantly sums up Buddy's infectiously optimistic naivety, and is one of the first — and funniest — glimpses the audience gets into just how unprepared Buddy is for life in the human world.

11 “Son Of A Nutcracker!”

Buddy Lets Off Some Christmas-Themed Curse Words

Many of the best Elf quotes arrived due to the North Pole culture Buddy grew up in, and this includes some truly unique and hilarious family-friendly cursing from Will Ferrell. In place of actual swear words, Buddy and the other elves use completely different insults that they have created at the North Pole. Instead of saying something a lot more offensive, the phrase “son of a nutcracker” is used in its place. It’s just silly enough to get a laugh when delivered by Ferrell, and of course, the mild double entendre of "nutcracker" adds to the humor.

10 “Bye, Buddy! I Hope You Find Your Dad.”

Mr. Narwhal Says His Farewells To Buddy

Mr. Narwhal waving goodbye to Buddy in Elf

When Elf starts, Buddy is living at the North Pole with the elves and the magical arctic creatures, with the scenes homaging the atmosphere of the early Rankin Bass Christmas classics such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. So, when an adorable narwhal wishes Buddy farewell, it’s a nod to these classic movies as well as a super cute moment for Buddy. The appearance of the claymation creatures is a surprise in the film, which makes the line stand out as one of the most memorable Elf quotes.

9 "Oh, By The Way, Don't Eat The Yellow Snow."

Leon The Snowman Teaches Buddy A Fundamental Winter Rule

Leon the Snowman is another of the movie's clear nods to the Rankin Bass Christmas specials, and even though he's not in the film for very long he has some great lines. After Buddy learns of his human origins, he's faced with having to leave the North Pole and Leon has some sage advice for him. Considering how Buddy ignores Santa's instructions about gum on the street, viewers can only hope that he paid a little more attention to Leon.

The fact that it's sincere advice because Buddy really would eat some yellow snow also makes it quite a sweet Elf quote instead of being a gross one while still showing the movie's fun and family-friendly sense of humor.

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8 “I'm A Cotton-Headed Ninny Muggins.”

Buddy The Elf Drops One Of The Worst Curse Words In The North Pole

This is another example of Elf having multiple new words for swear words and insults. Being a "cotton-headed ninny muggins" is definitely not a good thing, so when Buddy calls himself one the elves at the North Pole react with shock. It’s such a ridiculous and old-fashioned-sounding insult that doesn’t mean anything in the real world, so the reaction of the elves makes this Elf quote instantly timeless, as their collective gasp is akin to someone in the normal world saying the sort of curse word that would instantly get a movie an M rating.

7 “The Best Way To Spread Christmas Cheer Is Singing Loud For All To Hear.”

The Code Of The Elves Explains The Meaning Of Elf

The final part of the code of the elves ends up being the most important in the Elf, as it's only through the power of song that the inhabitants of New York are able to lift Santa's sleigh off the ground. The third rule of the North Pole code makes for a great Elf quote that can be taken and used as a general saying for the holiday season. In fact, the quote is so good that one day it could become a regular Christmas phrase in popular culture that's used without most people knowing where it originally comes from.

6 “Deb, You Have Such A Pretty Face You Should Be On A Christmas Card.”

Buddy's Christmas Compliments Hit The Mark For Deb

Buddy talking to Debra in his work clothes in Elf

Buddy is fairly innocent about the ways of the world, so his statements often seem a little antiquated, but they always come from the heart, so they always come off as being quite sweet. Saying that someone looks as pretty as a Christmas card is not a usual compliment, but it’s a very endearing one. Instead of going with something more typical, however, Buddy dips into his Christmas-themed North Pole heritage. This is definitely a compliment from Buddy’s heart and his father's assistant, Debra, is visibly flattered.

5 “Santa! I Know Him!”

Living With Santa Hasn't Curbed Buddy's Excitement

One thing that makes Elf so endearing is that Buddy is so earnest about so many things. When he goes to New York City and learns that Santa is coming to the Gimbels department store, he gets genuinely excited like a child would, even though he's met Santa and knows he exists. He is so happy that Santa, who he knows personally, is coming to the city and that he will get a chance to talk to him. Of course, the real Santa doesn’t actually show up and a lot of hilarity ensues, but this is definitely one of the best Elf quotes for summing up the excitement that surrounds Christmas.

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4 “We Elves Stick To The Four Main Food Groups: Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corn, And Syrup.”

Buddy Explains North Pole Cuisine

Buddy might be a human, but he was raised by the elves at the North Pole. Because of this, he has some strange habits that don’t make sense for an adult person. One such oddity is Buddy's diet, which he hilariously breaks down into four nutritional groups that are all incredibly high in sugar. When Buddy covers his spaghetti noodles in syrup and candy it's a great visual gag, and the audience can practically taste Buddy's festively sugary meal.

3 “Buddy The Elf, What's Your Favorite Color?”

Answering The Phone The North Pole Way

Will Ferrell as Buddy answering the phone in Elf

Instead of greeting the people he first meets with a normal hello, Buddy has a very different approach. He is obviously very inexperienced when it comes to the wider world and not the greatest at social interactions with humans in New York, but the fact that he’s so sincere about everything makes him endearing the many reasons there are to laugh at him. When Buddy immediately picks up his father's ringing phone and answers with this hilarious Elf quote, jumping straight into the kind of line of questioning usually reserved for preschoolers with one of Walter's business clients.

2 “I Just Like To Smile. Smiling's My Favorite.”

Buddy States The Obvious

Buddy could easily come off as a very awkward presence, but he works as a lead character because his sincerity perseveres even in the most uneasy of circumstances. However, part of what makes Buddy so funny is Well Ferrell's portrayal, which includes the grin almost permanently attached to Buddy's face.

However, this grin becomes the source of one of the best Elf quotes, since the residents of New York in the movie notice Buddy's smile just as much as the audience, and he's confronted about it. Most people would crack under the pressure if someone else greeted their happiness with suspicion and even a little bit of aggression, but Buddy just keeps going. His response was instantly timeless, as he politely explained that smiling is his favorite activity — and his grin, of course, never falters while he does so.

1 “You Sit On A Throne Of Lies.”

Buddy Doesn't Care For The Fake Santa

Will Ferrell looking surprised as Buddy in Elf

When the fake Santa shows up at Gimbels, Buddy goes from being really excited after spending the entire night decorating the store to being very angry and disappointed. He’s not happy at all about this imposter claiming to be Santa, and he makes this incredibly clear before the two get into a physical altercation. The point when Buddy tells the fake Santa that he sits on a throne of lies is one of the funniest moments in Elf, and it's unquestionably one of the movie's most memorable quotes.