Elves from the first film
Elves from the second movie
Elves are a type of human-shaped supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. In medieval Germanic-speaking cultures, elves seem generally to have been thought of as beings with magical powers and supernatural beauty, ambivalent towards everyday people and capable of either helping or hindering them.
In the Shrek series, they are an extremely common species (at least in the first film). The elves were among the many fairy tale creatures banished to Shrek's swamp. Each elf has a different colorful outfit. Defining features include their hats, and combination of varying colors. However in Shrek 2, the elves that work in the potion factory all wear identical blue-grey uniforms. They also have a more adult look to them, in contrast to the younger versions from the previous installment.
Elf characters have also made major appearances in various productions of Shrek the Musical. Both of the featured elves had more colorful appearances more akin to western depictions associated with holidays such as Christmas. The first was the Shoemaker's Elf, based on the elves from the fairytale, "The Elves and the Shoemaker." She wears a green attire and has a pointy nose with specks on her cheeks. The character was scrapped by the 2020's and replaced by the Christmas Elf. She has a festive holiday outfit with red and green, and is presumably a former worker for Santa Claus.