Twenty-one years after starring in Elf, Will Ferrell reacts to a life-size animatronic version of Buddy the Elf. The 2003 holiday movie featured James Caan, Zooey Deschanel, Bob Newhart, and Ed Asner. Ferrell iconized his тιтular character, with Elf becoming one of the most popular and beloved Christmas movies of all time. After collecting $228 million at the box office, the movie’s success led to a Broadway musical and a 2014 animated special starring Jim Parsons.

While appearing on Today, Ferrell was asked by hosts Craig Melvin and Savannah Guthrie if he had seen a video of an animatronic Buddy that was scaring people, and if he was behind it. Ferrell said that he had nothing to do with the creepy-looking elf.

Melvin: Have you seen the video of the animatronic Buddy the Elf that’s been going around, like, scaring people?

Ferrell: Yeah, that, that was really disturbing. Yeah, yeah, look at that, yeah.

Melvin: Were you behind that at all?

Ferrell: No, no, no. That’s just consumerism running amuck.

The animatronic was then brought onto the set for Ferrell to see in person, and it even spoke some of Buddy’s lines from the movie. When looking at it, Ferrell compared this version of Buddy to an ax murderer. He also described seeing it in person as “chilling.” The actor then argued that somebody had to approve this take on Buddy the Elf, and said that it wasn’t him. Guthrie offered to let Ferrell take the creepy elf home with him. When the animatronic Buddy screamed “Santa,” it sounded like a monster roaring. Ferrell then removed Buddy from the show’s set.

It’s Buddy the Elf: the ax murderer! It’s chilling. Is this the Halloween show? Cause… yeah. Here’s what’s crazy, someone signed off on that. And it wasn’t me. It wasn’t me.

What The Animatronic Buddy Means For Elf

Buddy The Elf Has Never Been Creepier

Since Elf is one of the most popular Christmas movies, it’s not surprising that the holiday decorations of Buddy are available to purchase. Having merchandise still being made shows that the 2003 holiday movie has not only remained popular with the audiences but has also been introduced to new viewers who love Buddy.

It’s worth noting that the creepy animatronic of Buddy the Elf was sold at Home Depot, and the depiction went viral online. The features are exaggerated, including the asymmetry of his face. Despite its creepiness, the viral headlines have likely made it a demanding product. Unfortunately, it appears that the item is no longer being sold by the store, but several third-party sites are selling it. As of today, the animatronic is being sold by many eBay sellers, with the lowest price starting at $191.

Our Take On The Elf Animatronic

The Buddy Of Your Nightmares

As fun as it may be to own an animatronic Buddy the Elf decoration, this version is not what audiences would be hoping for. Besides being creepy, the decoration doesn’t even really look like Ferrell. The only way you can tell it’s the character is by the costume he is wearing. What adds to its creepiness is that it doesn’t look like an actual human.

Perhaps a Buddy that looked more cartoonish, like in the style of the Rankin-Bᴀss Christmas specials, would have made the Elf animatronic look better. At the end of the video, there is something satisfying about seeing the real Buddy the Elf reject this knock-off and remove it from the TV screen.

Source: Today