25 December 2023 , 14:24
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You wouldn't expect to find an Easter egg in a Christmas movie - but there's a huge one in Elf.
The 2003 movie tells the story of Buddy, a human who was raised from infancy by the elves who live and work wirth Santa Claus in the North Pole. As he reaches adulthood, Buddy - played by Will Ferrell - heads to New York to track down his birth parents and reconnect with his roots, just before Christmas.
Despite his gargantuan size, him making the 3,245 mile journey south to NYC is no great loss to the elves. In one scene, Buddy is scolded by an elf named Ming Ming after failing to make enough Etch-A-Sketches to be gifted to children around the world.
After admitting he has made 85 of the iconic drawing toys, Ming Ming sighs: "85? That puts you... 915 off the pace." Buddy replies: "Why don't you just say it? I'm the worst toy-maker in the world. I'm a Cotton-Headed Ninnymuggins!"
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Will Ferrell and Peter Billingsley in ElfPerhaps people were too stunned by the word 'Ninnymuggins' to realise, but Ming Ming is actually played by an actor from another famous festive film, Peter Billingsley, who is best known for playing Ralphie Parker in 1983 movie A Christmas Story.
People have shared the moment the penny dropped on X, formerly Twitter and TikTok. One asked: “Did anyone know that Ming Ming in Elf was played by the guy who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story?” with another posted: “I was today-years-old when I realised that Peter Billingsley (a.k.a. Ralphie from A Christmas Story) was in Elf!”
A Christmas Story is set in the 1940s, and focuses on Ralphie pleading for a Red Ryder air rifle - despite being warned, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” Eventually he does get the gun, but smashes his glasses as he plays with it in the garden.
Ming Ming scolds Buddy for not making enough Etch-a-SketchesLast year, HBO made a sequel called A Christmas Story Christmas, which Peter starred in.
Speaking about his decision to reprise the role, 52-year-old Peter said: “As an actor, being older was great. The idea is that Ralphie has grown up, has his own family and isn’t obsessed with a gift now.
“He’s really obsessed with trying to give his own kids a great Christmas. All those pieces together felt like, ‘Okay, now feels like the right time’.”
Peter Billingsey as Ralphie in A Christmas StorySadly it's unlikely that Peter will ever have the chance to reprise the role of Ming Ming. Elf star James Caan, who plays Buddy's biological dad, revealed that tension between the director Jon Favreau and Will Ferrell made a future collaboration unlikely.
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