You're a cotton-headed ninny muggins if you don't believe Elf is the greatest Christmas movie [1] of all time. The Will Ferrell [2]-led holiday spectacular follows the extremely lovable and hilarious Buddy the Elf as he travels through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, the sea of twirly swirly gumdrops, and the Lincoln Tunnel in an effort to find his birth father and publishing bigwig, Walter Hobbs. It's in New York City where Buddy learns about the world's best cup of coffee, sees the biggest Christmas tree ever [3], understands the true meaning of family, and discovers his new favorite meal — spaghetti and maple syrup.
It's been 18 years since Elf hit theaters, and every holiday season, it proves to be the gift that keeps on giving. We'd be sitting on a throne of lies if we said reciting the film's one-liners wasn't one of our favorite things about this movie — aside from watching Ferrell hop around NYC in yellow tights, of course. From "Son of a nutcracker!" to "You smell like beef and cheese" and "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" to "Did you hear that?," we could go on and on about the film's most memorable quotes. So treat every day like Christmas, and revisit Elf's funniest quotes ahead. Then, test your Elf knowledge [4] by taking this superfan quiz.
"I traveled through the seven levels of the candy cane forest...walked through the Lincoln Tunnel."
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"
"I'm a cotton-headed ninny muggins."
"Who sent you?" "Papa Elf!" "Papa Elf?" "From the North Pole!"
"You see gum on the street, leave it there. It's not free candy."
"I'll put in a good word with the big man."
"Carolyn Reynolds wants a Susie Talks A Lot." "Thanks, Buddy!"
"You know Buddy, your father, he's on the Naughty List."
"My finger has a heartbeat."
"Bye Buddy, I hope you find your dad."
"Not now, Arctic Puffin!"
"I like to whisper, too."
"They just lose sight of what's important in life...doesn't mean they can't find their way again."
"You have such a pretty face. You should be on a Christmas card."
"Tomorrow, 10 a.m., Santa's coming to town —" "SAAANTA!! OHMYGOD!!"
"You know, I know I sound like a broken record, but we are buddies."
"Uh-oh, sounds like someone needs to sing a Christmas carol."
"You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody."
"Son of a nutcracker!"
"That's a very nice purple dress. It's very purpley."
"I think you're really beautiful. I feel really warm when I'm around you, and my tongue swells up."
"You see a sign that says 'peep show,' that doesn't mean that they're letting you look at presents."
"What's a Christmas gram? I want one!"
"You believed in me. You made my sleigh fly!"
"Can you pass the maple syrup, please?"
"Technically, I'm a human raised by an elf." "Oh, I'm a human raised by humans."
"Hey, have you seen these toilets? They're ginormous!"
"Treat every day like Christmas!"
"Oh, by the way, don't eat the yellow snow."
"I have houses in LA, Paris, and Vail; each one of them with a 70-inch plasma screen."
"I can't wait to see my dad. We're going to go ice skating and eat sugar plums."
"We could make gingerbread houses, eat cookie dough, go ice skating, and maybe even hold hands."
"Does somebody need a hug?”
"Do you have any friends? Do you have a best friend? Does he have a big coat, too?"
"Finger prick?! Can I listen to your necklace?"
"There's a horrible noise coming from the evil box underneath the window."
"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup."
"Call me on my radio, channel three. Code word is: 'Santa's got a brand-new bag.'"
"So, good news...I saw a dog today."
"Charlotte Dennon wants a Tiffany engagement ring and for her boyfriend...to commit already."
"I don't want you to leave. You're my son, and I love you."
"Santa is in Manhattan!"
"I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it."
"And guess what, I love, I love, I love you!"
"You stink. You smell like beef and cheese. You don't smell like Santa."
"I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite."
"I planned out our whole day. First we'll make snow angels…and then to finish, we'll snuggle."
"I'm sorry I ruined your lives and crammed 11 cookies into the VCR."
"I'm singing. I'm in a store, and I'm singing. I'm in a store, AND I'M SINGING."
"This place reminds me of Santa's Workshop! Except it smells like mushrooms..."
"There's room for everyone on the Nice List!"
"And so, with a little help, Buddy managed to help save Christmas."
"Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?"
"Buddy, you're more of an elf...You're the only one I'd want working on my sleigh tonight."
"You sit on a throne of lies."
"Syrup in coffee? Why didn't I think of that?"
"Tickle fight! Tickle fight!"
"Christmas spirit is about believing, not seeing."
"Did you hear that?!"
"You missed!"
"What about Santa's cookies? I suppose parents eat those, too?"
"Francisco! That's fun to say! Francisco. Frannn-cisco. Fran-cis-cooo."
