We have a boy elf like Sherri's. The boys named him Elvin. He's slightly harder to work with than the regular elf on the shelf because he's bigger & stuffed but I didn't think the standard elf or Popinkins would last long around my boys. I needed a rugged elf.
We just have the one elf for the two boys. He gets up to card games & tricks with the clone troppers and he brings new ornaments for the tree and donuts for breakfast one day. I create letters from Santa for him to deliver. The boys enjoy it.