ATLANTA, Dec. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- What do Bill O'Reilly and a Wimpy Kid have in common?  They've both found themselves in the company of St. Nick's favorite scout elf this week! Eight years after its birth, as a self-published labor of love, and four years after its debut on a national bestseller list—including years as #1 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list and #2 on USA Today's bestseller list in the past— The Elf on the Shelf^®: A Christmas Tradition (Creatively Classic Activities and Books; $19.95 Hardcover) has just claimed the #1 spot on USA Today's bestseller list for the first time. It is an unusual moment in a publishing world that rewards new and celebrity titles with the coveted top spots on the bestseller lists, but the little book plus scout elf keeps defying the odds, driven largely by an increasingly global groundswell of consumer passion for its simple Christmas tradition.

"Every year we continue to be amazed and blessed with the fan response. For something that originally started for us as a way to share this story and tradition with our family and friends, we just can't believe how far it has come," says Carol Aebersold, co-author with her daughter, CCA and B Co-CEO Chanda A. Bell, who adds: "We are truly honored that so many families have embraced The Elf on the Shelf® tradition—and made it their own. We are so thankful that our focus and efforts have really paid off and resonated with such joy to children and families here in America and around the world. This is a huge milestone for us!"                                  

In 2005, the mother-daughter trio of Carol Aebersold, Chanda Bell and Christa Pitts co-founded Creatively Classic Activities and Books (CCA and B), a company dedicated to promoting and distributing the children's storybook in a box with a scout elf—based on their own family tradition. Today, that book, The Elf on the Shelf®: A Christmas Tradition, has sold over 6 million copies and has become an international phenomenon. The Elf on the Shelf® first appeared on USA Today's bestseller list on November 12, 2009. Each successive Christmas season, the beloved book returned to the list—a nearly unprecedented and impressive feat. This season, it hit #1.

The Elf on the Shelf® aims to extend its mission of creating family moments that bring children and the adults who love them together. The company recently launched its first sequel, The Elf on the Shelf®: A Birthday Tradition (Creatively Classic Activities and Books; October 2013; $19.95 Hardcover), which included a first interview on NBC-TV "Today." One dollar of every birthday book sold goes to www.charitywater.org, an international non-profit whose mission is to provide clean drinking water to families in more than 20 countries.  For the past two years, the company showcased the largest helium balloon in The Macy's Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade® history, and for the past three years CBS has aired their animated feature, "An Elf's Story." For more information about CCA and B, please click www.ElfOnTheShelf.com.

SOURCE Mouth Public Relations