There’s good news for consumers smitten by the mittens worn by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders during the presidential inauguration.
Vermont elementary school teacher Jen Ellis, who created the “swittens,” is partnering with the Vermont Teddy Bear Company to create a mitten line to meet the demand, the company announced on its website.
Some of the proceeds are going to Make-A-Wish Vermont, the company said.
I have amazing news! I'm partnering with Vermont Teddy Bear to make Bernie's Mittens for EVERYONE!! AND a portion of the proceeds will go to Make A Wish Vermont! I knew there had to be a way to get them to you- and I found it!! #BernieSanders https://t.co/U8P6DhqL1Y
— Jen Ellis (@vtawesomeness) January 30, 2021
Sanders, I-Vt., inspired hundreds of memes, a Topps baseball card and a bobblehead when he wore the mittens to President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Ellis, who teaches second grade students in Essex Junction -- where Sanders was mayor during the 1980s -- originally said the mittens were out of stock, and that she could not fill the huge demand after Sanders was seen keeping warm at the U.S. Capitol.
“I can’t be more thrilled, because I personally can’t make 18,000 pairs of mittens,” Jen Ellis told The Associated Press. “Everybody will get their mittens -- everybody.”
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The brown and cream mittens were made from repurposed wool, NPR reported.
The mittens were also lined with fleece made from plastic water bottles, Ellis wrote in a January 2020 tweet. They originally gained attention when Sanders was running for the Democratic nomination for president during the 2020 campaign, according to The Hill.
We're thrilled to announce that we will be partnering w/ Jen Ellis, the #VT teacher who made the now-viral #Bernie mittens, to produce exclusive Jen Ellis designed Vermont Swittens! A portion of the proceeds to benefit Make a Wish Vermont. 🧤 https://t.co/aR3xY9dpyI https://t.co/RK2GTNwPT5
— Vermont Teddy Bear (@VTTeddyBear) January 30, 2021
Ellis gifted the mittens to Sanders in 2016 when she was making presents for her daughter’s preschool teachers, NPR reported. Sanders’ daughter-in-law, Liza Driscoll, owned the preschool, which gave Ellis an opening to deliver a pair to the senator, the website reported.
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“I was making mittens for holiday gifts for the preschool teachers,” Ellis told Jewish Insider, “and I made an extra pair for Bernie. I gave them to Liza to give to him, just as a thank you.”
After the photograph of Sanders’ mitten went viral, the senator raised at least $1.8 million in merchandise for charities, according to the AP.
Vermont Teddy Bear, which makes handcrafted bears for all occasions, also has a Sanders bear. The company reached out to Ellis to see if she would like to partner with them.
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“Jen is going to work hand-in-hand -- mitten-in-hand -- with each one of our designers to ensure that the ‘Bernie mitten’ design in multiple patterns is produced in a way that meets her standards of quality,” Hayes McCarthy, vice president of product innovation, said in a statement to the AP. “We’re excited to be in the mittens category.”
It’s not clear when the first mittens would be available for purchase. Those interested in getting a pair can leave an email at the company’s website.
“We are so grateful to Vermont Teddy Bear, Jen, and of course to Bernie for being so Bernie,” Hathaway said in the statement.
Cox Media Group
