The elfish stars of Macy's holiday display hail from across the globe. And the artisans behind the display traveled almost as far afield to put the show together.
The hair atop the pint-sized characters' heads? It's wool from Mongolian sheep, via New York. The inspiration for the mannequins' togs? Scandinavia. And those vaguely familiar-looking snowshoes? "Probably from some garage sale," said producer Mike Gansmoe. "You might recognize that from your kitchen chair in the 1970s, when rattan was big."

This whatever-it-takes approach and a multitalented crew of local artisans are the prime forces behind a tradition that prompts seemingly endless queues outside the department store's eighth-floor auditorium. This year's show, "A Day in the Life of an Elf," is expected to draw the usual half-million or so.

Unlike most recent holiday shows, the source material is not a cultural icon such as Mary Poppins or Harry Potter, but rather an original story by Bill Schermerhorn, creative director for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York.

"I was really excited to be giving people a story they're not aware of, and especially this story," said Gansmoe, 48, who got unashamedly sentimental while showing off the work in progress. "And I like that it's all about the elves. There's really only one time you see Santa, and just briefly."

The big guy is indeed barely visible in the display, which starts with a pair of "Crankers" setting off sirens to rouse the elves. "They oversleep a lot because they work so hard," Gansmoe noted.

From there, the multi-culti little guys have breakfast and classroom time before getting down to some serious toy-making. They don't whistle while they work, but they are serenaded by three swaying, caroling evergreens (a "tree-o," in one of the show's many groan-inducing puns). Meanwhile, reindeer, suspended from balloons as they learn how to fly, haul in bags full of letters addressed to a certain Mr. Claus.