Creator of ‘Bernie’ mittens partners with teddy bear maker to fill order deluge

The teacher who created the recycled wool mittens that US Senator Bernie Sanders wore to the presidential inauguration, engendering countless memes, is partnering with the Vermont Teddy Bear Company to create a whole mitten line to meet soaring demand, with some of the proceeds going to Make-A-Wish Vermont.

"I have amazing news! I'm partnering with Vermont Teddy Bear to make Bernie's Mittens for EVERYONE!!" Jennifer Ellis tweeted Saturday, adding that some of the proceeds would benefit the Make a Wish Vermont charity.

"I knew there had to be a way to get them to you -- and I found it!!" the second-grade teacher said.

The 42-year-old had sent Sanders a pair of her mittens, made from repurposed wool sweaters and lined with fleece made from recycled plastic bottles, after he lost to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, as a consolation gift.

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 that she sent Sanders another 10 pairs.

The senator's homely brown and beige mittens featured prominently in a photo from the January 20 inauguration showing Sanders sitting alone in a folding chair, bundled up and seemingly unimpressed with the pomp and circumstance.

Sanders raised at least $1.8 million in merchandise for charities stemming from the January20 image of him seated with his arms and legs crossed, clad in his brown parka and the recycled wool mittens. Sanders put out so-called “Chairman Sanders” merchandise, including T-shirts, sweatshirts and stickers, on his campaign website.

Vermont Teddy Bear, which makes handcrafted bears for all occasions, including a Bernie one, reached out to Ellis to see if she’d be interested in partnering.

“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, said Hayes McCarthy, vice president of product innovation, brand creative and consumer experience. “We’re excited to be in the mittens category.”

In the past, Vermont Teddy Bear has made special bears to raise money for Make-A-Wish Vermont, and recently gave office space to the organization for $1 a year, said James Hathaway, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Vermont. Hathaway said the charity lost $250,000 in revenue during the pandemic.

“We are so grateful to Vermont Teddy Bear, Jen, and of course to Bernie for being so Bernie,” Hathaway said in a statement.