STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— You’ve heard of “Elf on the Shelf.” Now, thanks to a Staten Island small business owner, there’s “Guido on a Ledge.”

Christine Fiscardi Lentinello, a Huguenot resident, has taken the word “guido” and flipped it into a term of endearment.

“I think a guido is someone who believes in putting family first. Someone who is confident, generous and extremely proud of his heritage,” Lentinello said to the Advance/SILive.com earlier this year. “The title of guido is not a joke. It’s a compliment.”

That’s why in 2022, Lentinello built her business based on the cultural archetype.

“We’re having a lot of fun with this,” Lentinello said. “There’s currently Christmas guido and birthday guido, and I’m hoping to add more to the collection soon.”

Decked out in a tank top, shorts and slides, the plush is accessorized with shades, a chain and a wristwatch. Birthday guido holds a cake decorated like an Italian flag. Although Guido on a Ledge is the perfect holiday gift, Lentinello says he has no magical capabilities and exists mostly to elicit a few laughs.

“It’s a cute gift or a conversation starter,” she said. “Wrap it around a bottle of wine or put a gift card in his hands. As soon as people see it, they crack up laughing.”

Lentinello sells Guido on a Ledge through her brand, Chrissy and Biscuit Bliss Novelty, for $25. She also regularly sets up a table at fairs and local events.

“I market it on social media and honestly most of my sales are through word of mouth,” Lentinello said. “I receive messages from people in Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee. I think this plush has traveled more than me. But I also hype it up locally — I’m not afraid to walk into a pizzeria and ask the owners if they’d like to purchase.”

Lentinello is proud of the way her small biz has grown so rapidly.

“I love what I created,” she concluded.

“I’ve learned so much with this little side hustle, done things I never thought I could do and proved to myself that you really can do anything that you put your mind to. I’m very optimistic about what the future will bring.”