Elfo

Elfo
Aliases	Elfo Marshmallow with legs Mayor of Babyville
Relatives	Pops (father) Unnamed mother Examplo (cousin) Unnamed grandfather
Affiliation	Elfwood (formerly) Dreamland (currently)
Biographical information
Date of birth	Alive
Physical description
Race	50% Elf 50% Unknown
Gender	Male ♂
Hair color	Green
Production information
Played by	Nat Faxon

"Hi, I'm Elfo!"

Elfo is the tritagonist of Disenchantment. He lives in Dreamland, and is Princess Bean's half-elf companion.

Elfo is voiced by Nat Faxon.

Appearance

Elfo is a lime-colored elf hybrid that is short in stature and has a pig-like snout. His ears are pointed, in reference to the common trope. He has messy hair and an angry demeanor. He has a large overbite, with a wavering lip. He wears a brown vest with a v-neck that is opened to reveal his neck. he wears short blue shorts and has spiky brown shoes, possibly to hold his feet which may curl up on the toes. He has four fingers, unlike the humans with five, and the Dankmirians with three.

Personality

Original Character

Elfo begins by being dissatisfied with life in Elfwood. For him, something does not seem quite right. He has had enough of being happy all the time - suffering the elvish equivalent of depression. Making candy all day to get paid in candy just doesn't make sense to him anymore. As such, he is savvy of his own genre and has outgrown his elven tropes. He craved freedom and adventure. To that end, he desires to see the outside world, despite how unscrupulous and miserable it may be.

Character Development

Once outside of the kingdom, Elfo is shown to be both excitable and naive: he is excited to be embarking on a new adventure, but naive as to what to expect. He is definitely not savvy about the world beyond Elfwood - asking a gnome "what is war?" - but his elvish disposition makes him optimistic in the face of danger: that and the fact that he has lived a sheltered existence and doesn't know what to be afraid of or who to trust. Given his mixture of traits, he could be described as happy-go-lucky meets devil-may-care. 

Life outside the walled kingdom of Elfwood is a steep learning curve for Elfo, and the longer he is in exile the more his personality evolves. For example, he gets drunk and has fights, is subjected to human experimentation and experiences love with a human for the first time. When it comes to admitting his crush on Bean, his shyness leads him to lie - he makes up a girlfriend as a cover story to disguise his feelings. Luci's demonic presence also influences him and he even uses Luci's tail to hit him. He gets more savvy as his adventures progress, and his character develops greatly, as does his usefulness. His ability to read makes him an invaluable asset to his new adoptive family, as he remembers reading in the guide book - Frogo's Best Of Dankmire - of the location of a hidden lever in the dining hall. This proves crucial for the safe escape of the Royal delegation.

Identity

Elfo is a halfling: he is half-elf but his other half is unknown. The uncertainty surrounding Elfo's identity is due to his father taking so long to reveal to him who his mother is. Pops does provide a clue (see below), but overall. the evidence given in season one is inconclusive. It will most likely be revealed in the second season.

So far, three possibilities exist:

• Part Human:
  • When Elfo reunites with his father in Elfwood and Pops sees Bean for the first time he calls Elfo a "chip off the old block" as the "taste for big dames runs in [the] family". (S01E09)
• Part Dwarf: 
  • When drunk, Elfo stated if he could be any creature in the world, he would be a dwarf, adding that if he was a dwarf, he would 'run this town'. However, when Luci asked him what the difference was between an elf and a dwarf he said he didn't know. (S01E07)
  • His funeral sees him placed in a glass casket that is undeniably similar to the one in Disney's Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. However, this could be a misdirection in the form of an homage. (S01E10)
• Part Orc:
  • Elfo has unique olive green skin and hair color among the elves. His pig nose is also a testament to possible orcish (possibly ogre or even goblinoid) parentage.
  • This type of half breed would align with Matt Groening's style of humor: it would be more embarrassing for Elfo to have a less than desirable mother, and ultimately more humorous.
  • Pops explains how it all started with Elfo's mother, "all of a sudden she gave me a right hook and I was in love." While he did also state he couldn't keep his hands to himself, Orcs (and other less enchanting similar creatures) tend to be more aggressive. (S01E01)
  • Orcs are generally human sized. When Elfo returns to Elfwood, Pops states upon seeing Bean that Elfo was a "chip off the old block" with his taste for larger women. Also notice that the needlepoint was very minimalistic which further suggests a person from a society where functionality is more important than quality. (S01E09)

Skills

• Elfo can read.
• Elfo is a decent assembly worker, though lacks the attitude to do it gleefully.
• Elfo is quite good at playing the flute: he performs for the royalty in the throne room as well as on other occasions.

Appearances

Season 1

• 1. "A Princess, an Elf, and a Demon Walk Into a Bar"
• 2. "For Whom the Pig Oinks"
• 3. "The Princess of Darkness"
• 4. "Castle Party Massacre"
• 5. "Faster, Princess! Kill! Kill!"
• 6. "Swamp and Circumstance"
• 7. "Love's Tender Rampage"
• 8. "The Limits of Immortality"
• 9. "To Thine Own Elf Be True" (dies)
• 10. "Dreamland Falls" (corpse)

Cultural References

• Siddharta Guatama (c. 563/480 – c. 483/400 BCE): Elfo's story of renouncing a walled kingdom in pursuit of experiencing the real world is borrowed from the story of the Buddha. (S01E01)
• The Hobbit (1937): Leaving relative comfort in search of adventure is also what Bilbo Baggins does. (S01E01)
• The Dark Crystal (1982): The draining of Elfo's blood to acquire it's life rejuvenating properties is uncannily similar to the draining of the essence of Podlings by Skeksis to regain their life force in this classic Jim Henson fantasy film. (S01E02)

Trivia

• His design is a mixture of two characters, Bart Simpson and one of the elves from a in-universe television show, The Happy Little Elves from The Simpsons, creator Matt Groening's earlier show.
• His nose bears a striking resemblance to Cubert J. Farnsworth in Futurama.
  • In fact, in season 2 episode 10 "A Clone of My Own", (which is Cubert's debut appearance), Cubert mocks the professor's view of what being a scientist is "all about", saying it is more like what being "a magical elf" is about.
• ​​​​Due to his optimistic outlook, Elfo seems to be okay with King Zog stealing his blood.
• His cousin, Examplo, is the reference photo for elves in the dictionary.
• He is allergic to apples, though minor and not deadly.
• His name literally means "Elf" in Romance languages like Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.
• He watered the Hooker Fairy's plants while she was in rehab.
• He has a thing for princesses:
  • He has a crush on Princess Bean.
  • His girlfiend Kissy, whom he left behind in Elfwood, is also a princess.
• According to Luci, Elfo reeks of flop sweat and licorice.
• Although apparently dead, Elfo washes up on Mermaid Island. The question is: do mermaids possess the magic required to revive him?
• The secret of not knowing who his mother was, and his father tiptoeing around telling him, is likely a reference to Jon Snow from a G.R.R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Both felt like outcast from home and ultimately left to make something of themselves.

Quotes

Gnome: We're at war!

Elfo: What's war?

---

Lady Lingenberry: I'm drowning!

Elfo: I'm Elfo!

---

Elfo: I'm an optimist: I say the flask is half full...

Luci: It's not.

____________________

Elf King: Take one step further - you're on your own. No elf has ever returned. Not even Returno.

Kissy: Elfo, you'll die up there.

Elfo: I'd rather die up big death, then live a small life.

Videos

Disenchantment Introducing Elfo Netflix