While sculpting, I was about to round his head off on top after adding some clay but it just didn’t look right. So, by accident, I realized his head looked a bit like a tree stump. Straight away, a brand new story came to life in my head. I knew he needed to be a tree elf. I then came up with the idea that he lived in the North Pole, where he looks after all the Christmas trees and gives them their magic. I also knew I wanted him to be a stop-motion puppet. This way, I can animate him to bring him to life even more.
Although I loved his cute features, I was a little worried that my daughter wouldn’t. But, like characters such as Hoggle in The Labyrinth, Dobby in Harry Potter, Sloth in The Goonies, and Smeagol in The Lord of the Rings, you learn to love them with their infectious personalities. I knew he needed to be called Marmite—because of the famous slogan from the spread (you either love or hate it), I didn’t need to worry.
A message was sent to Chloe with a photo once he was made, asking if he could stay. She looked at the photo with excitement, jumped up, and said, “Yes!” Not once did she ever question the way he looked. She fell in love with him straight away. She loved his cute little face just as I had. When he arrived, I started joining a few elf groups to get some ideas on how to set him up each night. Straight away, Marmite blew up on these sites. True to his name, people either loved or hated him. Luckily, there was more love for him, but the mean comments were constantly coming, saying how ugly he was.
Why would I make him look like that? I have only sculpted him like this for attention; he is the thing of nightmares; and he needs to go in the fire. Although I understood he wasn’t to everyone's taste, I didn’t understand how a group that is aimed at making our children happy could be so mean and teach children it is ok to fall out on people for their differences. I had someone saying I should get off of my high horse for trying to teach people how to be kind when he is only a toy. The thing is, to her, Marmite is a toy, but in our house, he is so much more than that. He is the joy of Christmas. He is real in every single way in my daughter's mind as she is a true believer. The fun antics he gets up to every night send the magic of mystery into my daughter's dreams and imagination. I believe this is important to keep the belief for as long as I can. Because once you don’t believe it, Christmas will never be the same again—not until you see it through your children's eyes. When I explained to my daughter that there were people that didn’t like Marmite, she couldn’t understand why. Especially from such an innocent mind that sees beauty in everything around her.
So together we made a book. I wrote it and I got Chloe to illustrate it. For a 10-year-old, she is such an amazing artist. Although I have illustrated books before, I knew she had to do the pictures, with a unique drawing style that she has won awards for in the past. The book is all about acceptance. Chloe struggles to be accepted into certain friend groups because of her social skills, but like Marmite, they are both loved and accepted for who they are. This book is aimed at anyone who feels different in any way to help them understand how much they are loved. It also introduces our new mini marmites. For years now, I have had people asking me to make them a marmite, but the puppet I made—I always explain—isn't viable enough. He is made in the same way that they are made in films such as Fantastic Mr. Fox. This is one of the first films that I worked on and where I learned my skills. If people want a professional stop-motion puppet, then there is usually a big budget. But for an elf on a shelf, I’m sure people wouldn’t want to fork out the money that he is worth.
Also, I like the fact that there is only one. So, I decided to make some mini marmites that coincide with the book. At the end of the book, he grows his little sprites to appear in homes around the world. There was so much interest in the mini marmite and I have been amazed at how many people have been asking to buy one. Since we have had Marmite in the house, I had another daughter. I never used to understand why people started the elves so young for children because they wouldn’t understand. This couldn’t be any further than the truth. Our 2-year-old Bobbi, her first Christmas with Marmite she totally understood, she would be excited to see him every morning, shouting out to Chloe that it's Marmite. She remembers him all year round and is often the topic of discussion with both Bobbi and Chloe. So before people want to comment on how ugly or creepy he is, and how your children would be terrified. just remember you are born to stand out, you don't need to fit in.
