Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

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.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×