Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day – December 18, 2023

History of Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day

We’re not exaggerating when we say that Elf is the best Christmas movie of the 21st century. In fact, it was recognized as such by Fandango users in 2017. But did you know that Elf as we know it could have been a completely different movie? Will Ferrell wasn’t even the original choice to play Buddy! Gasp!

Screenwriter David Berenbaum had initially wrote the script for Elf in 1993 with Jim Carrey in mind to star as Buddy. The screenplay went through years of rewrites and edits with his later writing team consisting of Adam McKay and (second gasp) Will Ferrell. The script at this stage was very dark, and Jon Favreau initially didn’t have much interest in it, despite wanting to be apart of Ferrell’s first post Saturday Night Live film project. So instead of declining the opportunity, Favreau rewrote the script and turned Buddy’s world into an homage to the Rankin Bass Christmas specials.

Changing the movie from a raunchy dark comedy to a genuine Christmas movie allowed them to rate it as PG instead of the PG-13 rating the original script would have had. Will Ferrell took a huge risk and played Buddy in what he described as a role that could either make or break his future career. Terry Zwigoff was approached to direct the film, but declined due to a prior commitment to another Christmas comedy, Bad Santa. After searching for multiple directors, Jon Favreau eventually decided to direct it himself. With Favreau’s willingness to give Ferrell the flexibility to make Buddy his own (many of our favorite classic lines were improvised by Ferrell, including “You sit on a throne of lies”) Buddy was allowed to become the funny, charming, and charismatic character we all fell in love with in 2003!

Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day timeline

David Berenbaum wrote the original Elf script, which was a dark comedy and meant for an older audience.

Will Ferrell left SNL and embarked on his own film career.

Elf the movie debuted in theaters, opening at number 2 in the box office, right under The Matrix Revolutions

Elf the musical debuted on broadway for the Christmas season

Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day Statistics

Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day FAQs

Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf?

What does Buddy the Elf say?

What was Buddy the Elf’s real name?

Though we’re unsure if Susan Wells ever named Buddy before giving him to the orphanage, the elves that found him named him Buddy because that was the brand label on his diaper.

Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day Activities

1. It’s all in the name

   Remember the name of this special day? Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf (day). Well…you know what to do!

2. Watch the movie

   What better way to relive this magical movie moment than to rewatch the film? Just make sure you’re all stocked up on candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup!

3. Dress the part

   Did you know while filming the montage of Buddy running around New York, Will Ferrell was actually running around New York? And all those extras in the background? They were genuinely confused New York pedestrians who had no idea what was going on, but in New York fashion, decided to ignore the insanity of it all. If Will can do it, so can you! Run around your neighborhood in your best Elf costume and see the reactions you get! Unless you live in New York, they’re used to it already.

Why We Love Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day

1. His enthusiasm is infectious

   Just listen to him! It’s hard to hear him for more than five seconds without a smile cracking on your face. There’s something intangible about Buddy that makes you want to laugh — and not at him, but with him!

2. He tells it like it is

   Remember when Buddy’s going to meet Santa at the mall? It didn’t take long for him to sniff-out the imposter — telling him that he smells “like beef and cheese,” and that the throne he sits on is made of lies. But Buddy’s as nice as they come, and there wasn’t an ounce of malice in his words. He’s just telling it like it is!

3. He’s authentic

   Remember the awesome scene where Buddy’s playing with the jack-in-the-boxes? All of Will Ferrell’s reactions were for real — the release mechanism was controlled off-stage, and was only triggered when Ferrell had been waiting for a while.

Answer The Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day dates