Santa Claus is often the main character of Christmas. It makes sense, he travels the entire world in one single night and brings presents to all the good children, what’s not to love? However, the big man at the North Pole simply can’t do it all himself.

Santa’s elves are another important aspect of Christmas, and unlike Santa, their personalities tend to vary. Here, we rank the best holiday movie elves by how cheerful and funny they are.

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9 The Elf General, The Polar Express (2004)

     Warner Bros. Pictures

Maybe it’s the creepy CGI or his slightly menacing tone. Either way, the Elf General from The Polar Express is at the bottom of our list. Unlike most Christmas movies where the elves seem like sweet little gumdrops, complete with rosy red cheeks and a chipper demeanor, this head elf seems like he needs a nap. His harsh attitude is a silly contrast to how Christmas elves are often portrayed, but he’s certainly far from being a jokester like we see later in the list.

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8 Willie, Fred Claus (2007)

Fred Claus tells the story of Santa’s lesser-known brother. When Fred finally makes it up to the North Pole to visit Saint Nick, he becomes friends with the head elf, Willie. The two seem to have lots of fun, especially in the scene where the two attempt to dance together, despite their obvious height difference. Though Willie is a big step up from the last entry, he still seems like a pretty standard elf, happy to have made a friendship with the real funny man, Fred Claus.

7 Wayne, Prep and Landing (2009)

     Walt Disney Pictures

Wayne is the hero of 2009’s Prep and Landing, which tells the story of an elite group of elves who prepare homes for the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. In the story, Wayne is determined to be promoted and works hard to achieve his goals. But along the way, he makes friends with a fellow elf and the two develop a dynamic duo type relationship. Overall, Wayne is both cute and sweet, making his silly antics all the more entertaining.

6 Jingle Bell and Jangle Bell, The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

     Rankin/ Bass Productions

What’s Christmas without Rankin/Bass? In the stop-motion classic, The Year Without a Santa Claus, audiences were introduced to Jingle Bell and Jangle Bell, two klutzy little Christmas elves on a mission to save Christmas. These two certainly engage in lots of goofy antics. However, they seem more concerned with helping Mrs. Claus than with humor.

5 Elf Polly, Noelle (2020)

Moving up the list, we have Elf Polly from Disney’s Noelle. Elf Polly is a grumpy (but charming) nanny to Santa Claus’ own daughter, Noelle. As Noelle has gotten older, Polly has gotten tired of dealing with her nonsense. This leads to some entertaining interactions between the two, eventually climaxing with the fate of Christmas being put at stake. In the end, Polly earns the title of head elf, but not without a few laughs along the way!

4 Ming Ming, Elf (2003)

     New Line Cinema

When we think of Elf, Buddy tends to take center stage (and rightfully so)! However, Ming Ming, the head elf up at the North Pole, definitely has a knack for comedy as well. Not only does his stern demeanor and disappointment in Buddy lead to the realization that Buddy is not actually an elf, but without him, we wouldn’t have got the scene where Buddy coins the term cotton-headed ninny muggins!

3 Hermey, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

     NBCUniversal Television Distribution

As the second Rankin/ Bass entry on this list, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer delivers all the cuteness, comedy, and Christmas spirit. Hermey, the main elf of the story, is a misfit like Rudolph, and the two bond over their shared experiences. One of the funniest things about Hermey is that though he is destined for a life of toy-making, his true dream is to be a dentist. That’s a little random coming from a North Pole elf!

2 Bernard, The Santa Clause (1994)

     Disney+

When Bernard first graced our screens in 1994’s The Santa Clause, we couldn’t help but laugh at his neuroticism. As the head elf, Bernard oversees all of his comrades, and boy does he take his job seriously. On top of being his antsy, slightly bossy self, Bernard is full of Christmas spirit and plays a key role throughout the film franchise.

1 Buddy, Elf (2003)

Buddy, from 2003’s Elf, easily notches the top spot on this list. Whether he’s making spaghetti and syrup for breakfast or using wood from his Father’s furniture to toy-build, Buddy is sure to have viewers of all ages laughing. Raised as an elf, Buddy is naive to the ways of the human world, leading to some crazy antics and wild interactions with the New Yorkers he encounters. With this quotable Christmas classic, Buddy has solidified his place as the funniest elf and as the poster child of holiday cheer!