Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Bernie Sander's Mitten Maker Flooded With Nearly 13,000 E-Mail Orders

Bernie Sander's Mitten Maker Flooded With Nearly 13,000 E-Mail Orders

Ellis, a 42-year-old elementary school teacher, lived a quiet life in the Vermont town of Essex Junction -- until Wednesday.

Jennifer Ellis has never met Bernie Sanders but she is enjoying a taste of his celebrity as the woman behind the mittens that gave the Vermont senator his viral moment at President Joe Biden's inauguration.

Ellis, a 42-year-old elementary school teacher, lived a quiet life in the Vermont town of Essex Junction -- until Wednesday.

She was teaching class online like any other day, as Biden was being sworn in, when her phone started pinging with texts.

The messages were all the same, Ellis told AFP via a video interview: "Bernie Sanders is wearing your mittens!"

Not your typical hand warmers, they are made from repurposed wool sweaters and fleece made from recycled plastic bottles for the inside lining.

The ones Sanders wore are big and thick and in shades of brown and beige. And they have story behind them.

Ellis, a fan of Sanders, sent him a pair of mittens after he lost to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, as a consolation gift.

She learned through a common acquaintance that Sanders liked the mittens.

Last year, as Sanders was running again for president, Ellis learned that he was wearing the mittens -- "people were calling them his oven mitts" -- but had lent them to someone else.

Ellis said she was so touched by this that she sent Sanders another 10 pairs.

13,000 emails


That earned her a buzz of notoriety but it was nothing compared with the fuss since the inauguration, when people saw Sanders wearing the mittens.

And Sanders's overall look -- in a frumpy winter coat, his legs crossed, no glamor whatsoever -- prompted a gush of light-hearted memes.

Ellis' phone will not stop ringing and her email inbox is exploding.

One of the memes placed Sanders on a bench next to Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump", another put him in detention with the teenagers from "The Breakfast Club" and he also made it into numerous "Star Wars" scenes.

"I mean, people are so funny. And that's what we need right now: it's a very tough time for a lot of people, people have had a rough year, and they need something to laugh about that's totally harmless and not political," Ellis said.

"The thing that I wish for everybody is more joy," she added. "And you know, if you have something and you give it away, and it brings somebody joy and then it blows up and the entire world experiences joy, that's amazing."

Ellis could make a lot of money because in two days she says she has received around 13,000 emails from people who want to buy her mittens.

"Not just one pair -- people want lots of them," she said.

But she could never satisfy that demand, with her 30-year-old sewing machine, and her job as a second grade teacher. And she does not even want to.

"I think it would just ruin the beauty of it if I started price gouging people," she said.

She prefers to spend time with her family, including her five-year-old daughter.

And if others are out there selling mittens on the internet, she wishes them well.

On Friday, some websites were advertising mittens they said were identical to Ellis's creation, for $85 a pair.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
×