Is the elf on the shelf a real elf from the north pole?

I hate to say this for all the kids out there, but, no. If you saw the box, you saw how he was tied in there. You buy him at the store and your parents move him every night. That's why you're not supposed to touch him, you'll see that he's plastic, fabric, cardboard, and stuffing. Every year your parents hide him and they get him out to start it, then hide him again.