Bernie Sanders' meme-friendly mittens are sold out: 'Sadly, I have no more mittens for sale'
- Bernie Sanders' inaugural mittens, made by a Vermont teacher, have garnered a lot of attention.
- "Sadly, I have no more mittens for sale," Jen Ellis tweeted. "I'm so flattered that Bernie wore them to the inauguration."
- The mittens were a critical component in an image of Sanders that rapidly became a meme.
Against all odds, a 79-year-old Senator from Vermont has become a trendsetter in the wake of President Biden's inauguration on January 20: The knit mittens worn by Sen. Bernie Sanders are sold out, according to their creator.
"Sadly, I have no more mittens for sale," said Jen Ellis, the second grade teacher in Vermont who created the iconic handgear. "It truly has been an amazing and historic day! I'm so flattered that Bernie wore them to the inauguration."
Ellis gifted Sanders with a set of "smittens" five years ago, according to an interview with Vermont alt-weekly newspaper Seven Days, and spotted him wearing them while campaigning in December 2019.
During President Biden's Inauguration on January 20, Sanders was photographed with his arms crossed and mittens on - which resulted in an ongoing meme featuring the Senator in a variety of locations, from the New York City subway to the tropical island of "Animal Crossing: New Horizons."
Soon after, Ellis tweeted a thank you "for all the interest" and said it was "an amazing and historic day," but that the mittens were all sold out. A few pairs were auctioned separately to raise money, which Ellis said is going to Vermont-based charities.
"Bernie Sanders called me earlier today to tell me that the mitten frenzy has already raised an enormous amount of money for Vermont charities," Ellis said. "I am not authorized to disclose the amount yet- but it's BIG and it's amazing! Thank you!!"
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