Mom slammed for ‘disturbing’ Elf on the Shelf setup: ‘Careless and selfish’
It’s official: the Elf on the Shelf trend has gone too far.
Keeping kids entertained during the festive season can be tough, and just like many other parents, mom-of-two Cece has turned to Elf on the Shelf to bring in the laughs.
Every evening, the American woman was committed to outdoing herself with a new setup.
One day, she left the Elf in a pair of underwear stuck to the fridge, the next ‘the Elf’ cut up her kid’s T-shirts in a cheeky prank.
So, on the sixth day of the tradition, she had an idea to outdo them all.
Mom releases live goldfish into tub for Elf on the Shelf tradition
In the now-viral clip, she shared her creative vision, and it left people stunned and feeling disgusted.
Standing in the bathroom, Cece ran the bath and held out a plastic bag.
Inside was a school of tiny goldfish, swimming rapidly inside and bursting to get free.
With the help of her husband, they cut open the bag and emptied the fish into the bathtub, their bodies wriggling as they were released into the water.
Then she stuck a toy fishing rod and a sign to the tiled wall, reading: “Don’t mind me, just fishing!”
Finally, she squeezed the Elf on the Shelf doll into the corner of the bath, posing its arms and legs into position around the fishing rod.
Cece was proud of her achievement, filming the Elf’s face and zooming in on the fish, which were frantically swimming around.
If you were wondering what happened to the fish after the video, you aren’t alone.
Cece later confirmed the fish didn’t survive long after the prank. “My sister’s turtles will get them,” she proudly told a curious fan.
Mom’s viral prank labeled “disgusting and cruel”
The clip quickly amassed nearly seven million views, and while the idea was lauded as “cute” and “creative” by some, the majority of people were downright repulsed.
“This is actually disturbing,” someone remarked. “How careless and selfish. Let’s just kill a bunch of fish for Elf on the Shelf.”
“Are the fish OK?” many wondered, likely unaware they had become turtle food.
“Absolutely disgusting that you guys just buy fish for an Elf on the Shelf idea!” said another. “[You] could’ve easily used fake fish, this is disgusting and cruel,” a third wrote.
“There’s no way, the bath is still running when she put them in,” someone remarked.
“Wait, I’m actually so sad,” read a comment. “This is ridiculous, poor fish.”
But others were floored and expressed their love for the mom’s creativity and “commitment” to the tradition.
“This is next level,” wrote a supporter. “OMG the dedication is crazy,” said another.
“It just gets better and better,” a third added. “This is very creative!”
The video soon reached Elisa Allen, the Vice President of Programmes at PETA, who told The Sun that Cece needs a “vital lesson in empathy.”
“Fish, unlike The Elf on the Shelf, are living, feeling beings with personalities and a desire to be free, and it’s sickening to see them doomed – reduced to objects of a gimmick for social media views,” she said.
Elise urged parents to “use common decency when it comes to spreading festive cheer by leaving animals in peace.”
