You won\u2019t Fuhgeddaboud\u00a0being good this Christmas. <\/p>\n
You\u2019ve heard of Elf on the Shelf, now there\u2019s Guido\u00a0on a Ledge<\/a> \u2014 a plush doll decked out in a wife-beater tank, shades, slides, sporting facial \u2014 and chest \u2014 hair, and wearing a good-luck horn.<\/p>\n Creator Christine Fiscardi Lentinello, a Red Hook, Brooklyn native who now lives in Staten Island, said goombahs get a kick out of Guido.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re so excited. They\u2019re like, \u2018Oh my gosh this is fantastic. This looks like my uncle. This is my neighbor. This is my father,’\u201d Lentinello, 54, told The Post.<\/p>\n Guido on a Ledge is a favorite among Italian-Americans at Christmastime. Leonardo Munoz<\/p>\n \u201cSome people even rename it. They\u2019ll say, \u2018His new name is Vito,\u2019 cause that\u2019s after their uncle. One guy said, \u2018I\u2019m getting Luigi and Peppino.’\u201d<\/p>\n Although it\u2019s a play on Elf on a Shelf \u2014 the doll that parents put out each morning from the day after Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve so he can report their kids\u2019 behavior to Santa \u2014 Lentinello says Guido on a Ledge \u201cjust wants to hang out and eat with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Lentinello started selling the $30 plushies in 2023 to family and friends, through word of mouth and her Instagram<\/a> and TikTok<\/a> pages, and at holiday fairs. <\/p>\n She\u2019s now sold over 600 to customers as far as Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people think it\u2019s not real, which is hysterical for me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Customers share photos of their Guido doing daily activities with them \u2014 including taking vacations around the world.<\/p>\n Mom Christine Fiscardi Lentinello, who lives in Huguenot, Staten Island, thought up the business idea in 2022. Leonardo Munoz<\/p>\n Joseph Darconte of North Carolina poses with his Guido, which was gifted to him by his wife, Marissa. Marissa Darconte<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been to Italy, Spain, Monte Carlo. I\u2019m like, \u2018This plush is traveling more than me,’\u201d Lentinello said, laughing.<\/p>\n The word \u201cguido,\u201d a slang term to describe overtly macho, appearance-conscious, urban-dwelling Italian-American men, could be looked upon as derogatory, but Lentinello, whose father hailed from Naples, considers it a term of endearment.<\/p>\n \u201cMy definition is someone who puts his family first, who\u2019s genuine, who has pride in his Italian heritage and is hardworking,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Mike Mirabello of Seaford, Long Island, takes his Guido with him on car rides. Courtesy of Christine Fiscardi Lentinello<\/p>\n Lentinello, a stay-at-home mom, said it was through the encouragement of her now-20-year-old son Joseph, who told her to \u201ctry small things\u201d and watching \u201cShark Tank,\u201d that she was inspired to think outside of the box.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a housewife and I don\u2019t mind cooking, cleaning, baking. But as my son got older, I was like, \u2018I want to do something different, but I didn\u2019t know what,’\u201d she said.<\/p>\n When the idea for Guido on a Ledge came to her, she ran to Joseph\u2019s room and started going through his clothes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe outfit that he has on is my son\u2019s clothes. I went in his drawers and said, \u2018Hurry up, put this on and come downstairs.\u2019 Then I got my husband\u2019s watch and I took a picture,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy husband was looking at me like I was insane.\u201d<\/p>\n The newfound entrepreneur\u00a0also gifted some to one of the most popular guidos on television \u2014 \u201cJersey Shore: Family Vacation<\/a>\u201d star Mike \u201cThe Situation\u201d Sorrentino<\/a> \u2014 who let her cut the line at his book<\/a> signing at Barnes & Noble at the Staten Island Mall.<\/p>\n \u201cI came in the store shouting, \u2018I got your guidos!\u2019 And he waved me over,\u201d she recalled. <\/p>\n Lentinello\u2019s future plans include expanding her line \u2014 which also includes a Birthday Guido<\/a> holding an Italian flag cake \u2014 to include a girlfriend for Guido.<\/p>\n \u201cHe needs a Guidette,\u201d she said. \u201cSomeone with big hair, holding hairspray.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t