By now, you may have seen the celebrity Elf on a Shelf meme, a.k.a. Instagram posts of stars like Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and Elizabeth Banks photoshopping themselves with things that rhyme with their name. (For example, a picture of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John in Grease on Witherspoon’s shoulder a.k.a. “Grease on Reese.”)
It’s unclear where the meme started, but so far, dozens of celebs have taken to their Instagram to take part in the fun. Confused on how it works? Let us explain: Essentially, celebrities take photos of themselves from the red carpet and photoshop a teeny-tiny item (or person) that rhymes with their first or last name. Elizabeth Banks, who was one of the first stars to join in on the meme, photoshopped Tom Banks in Forrest Gump her shoulder a.k.a. Hanks on Banks. The meme is meant to poke fun at “Elf on the Shelf,” a popular holiday game where kids try to spot an elf doll around the house. The game was inspired by written by Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell’s 2005 children’s picture book, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, which tells the story of how elves spy on children from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve in order to report to Santa Clause about who’s naughty and who’s nice.
“I know you’ve all heard of Elf on a Shelf, but have you heard of… (Inspired by @garcelle) #MyElf,” Banks captioned her photo, referencing an Instagram post by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Garcella Beauvais her inspiration. Beauvais, for her part, repposted a fan’s meme of herself on Pharrelll Williams (hence Garcelle on Pharrell.)
Ahead, are the best celebrity “Elf on the Shelf” memes we found on Instagram.
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A post shared by Elizabeth Banks (@elizabethbanks)
Elizabeth Banks
“Hanks on Banks”
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A post shared by Reese Witherspoon (@reesewitherspoon)
Reese Witherspoon
“Grease on Reese.”
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A post shared by The Morgan Letters (@themorganletters_)
Garcella Beauvais
“Garcelle on Pharrell”
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A post shared by Jennifer Garner (@jennifer.garner)
Jennifer Garner
“Penn on Jen”
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A post shared by Mark Ruffalo (@markruffalo)
Mark Ruffalo
“Stark on Mark”
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A post shared by Gal Gadot (@gal_gadot)
Gal Gadot
“Pascal on Gal”
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A post shared by Idina Menzel (@idinamenzel)
Idina Menzel
“Denzel on Menzel”
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A post shared by Bryce Dallas Howard (@brycedhoward)
Bryce Dallas Howard
“Miami Vice on Bryce”
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A post shared by Anne Hathaway (@annehathaway)
Anne Hathaway
“Janey on Annie”
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A post shared by Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey)
Mariah Carey
“Carrey on Carey”
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A post shared by Kerry Washington (@kerrywashington)
Kerry Washington
“Perry on Kerry”
