Ellie the Elephant

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Ellie The Elephant, WNBA's New York Liberty Mascot in 2024 Ellie The Elephant.png
Ellie The Elephant, WNBA's New York Liberty Mascot in 2024

Ellie the Elephant is the mascot for the New York Liberty of the WNBA. [1] She is also known to her fans and in pop culture as Big Ellie or Big Ellie Liberty.

Contents

Ellie originated in the year 2021, with the team's change in ownership and move to the Barclays Center, replacing the previous mascot Maddie, a dog. [2] [3]

The character is known for her sass and dance moves. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Ellie has been a runaway success, referred to by players and fans alike as a vital part of the team and the vibe at the Barclays Center. [9] Her pop culture dominance has gotten noticed throughout the WNBA and beyond, and the creative team is on the record as being surprised and delighted at her resonance in the sport. [10]

Origins

When the ownership of the New York Liberty changed hands from James Dolan (owner of Madison Square Garden and the NY Knicks) to Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsai (owners of the Brooklyn Nets), the team moved to Barclays Center. The prior mascot for the Liberty, a dog called Maddie, was named after Madison Square Garden. [11]

Ellie jogs the sideline at a New York Liberty game in her 2023 uniform. Big Ellie Liberty at a New York Liberty game.png
Ellie jogs the sideline at a New York Liberty game in her 2023 uniform.

For their move to Brooklyn, NY Liberty CEO Keia Clarke researched animals that were commonly associated with New York City, and learned that when construction was completed on the Brooklyn Bridge, there was a parade of P. T. Barnum's elephants (including Jumbo) to show people that the bridge was strong enough, held for its first anniversary on May 17, 1884. Clarke thus thought an elephant could symbolize the team's own move to Brooklyn. The name Ellie is after Ellis Island, the historic welcome center for new immigrants, next door to Liberty Island, the home of the Statue of Liberty. [12] The mascot wears a radiate crown in the style of the Statue of Liberty, as was also worn by the prior mascot Maddie.

Creative Team

Ellie during a special halftime performance, May 2023 Ellie the Elephant in heart Glasses 01.png
Ellie during a special halftime performance, May 2023

The performer who embodies the Ellie costume remains anonymous, [13] but they are a Brooklyn native. As a mascot, Ellie does not use her voice with to fans during games, or to the press durring interviews, [4] but as of 2024 features first person voiceover narration on her TikTok. [14] [15] Ellie's main creative team are NY Liberty Chief Brand Officer Shana Stephenson, senior director of entertainment Criscia Long and senior entertainment manager Shenay Rivers, who are all black women. They oversee Ellie in addition to the Timeless Torches, the Torch Patrol, The Lil Torches, along with any outside performers. [16] Long and Rivers act as Ellie's Stylists, working with costumes Manager Alexis Leatherwood to customize her outfits with extras like Rhinestones or custom pieces. Ellie's purse has become a notable accessory, and she has brand deals with fashion houses like Telfar, Rare Breed, and UGG. The team has a special rate card for brand partnerships with Ellie, akin to the Influencer deals in social media writ large. [17]

Ellie the Elephant's Character suit from her first season, Pictured here June 3, 2023 Ellie The Elephant on June 3, 2021, during her debut season.png
Ellie the Elephant's Character suit from her first season, Pictured here June 3, 2023

Ellie's Character suit was built by Randy Carfagno of Randy Carfagno Productions [18] In her first season, she had a hair bang and a typical mascot style shoes, with anatomically incorrect hand paws [19] Her suit has evolved towards a more danceable shoe with traction pads on her hand so that she is able to perform more advanced dance moves. Her hair has gone from a simple curl to a floor-length, seafoam-infused braid. The 2024 season saw Ellie wearing into a Jersey Dress and a wide array of designer handbags and Nike shoes. [20] She has "lush eyelashes" and she frequently incorporates wigs and advanced costume changes. [21] [15]

Ellie's escorts who hold her bag and support her during game day are called The Stompahz. [22]

Ellie the Elephant with Flavor Flav at the New York Liberty game on September 5, 2024 Flavor Flav and Ellie The Elephant.png
Ellie the Elephant with Flavor Flav at the New York Liberty game on September 5, 2024

Notable performances and dance moves

In addition to her court-side antics, [23] and dance moves she is famous for, [15] Ellie has several signature crowd participation moments, including the Ellie Stomp, The Ellie Wave, and the "Gotta Get Up" song that plays during the late game t-shirt toss. [22] [15] Her skillfulness at twerking and throwing ass have been noted in the New York Times. [4] [24] [25]

Ellie has performed notable halftime tributes to such artists as Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, Beyonce, Tyga, Mary J Blige, and others. [26] [22]

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References

  1. ↑ Jackson, Hannah (May 21, 2024). "The Most Fashionable Person in the WNBA Isn't a Person At All". Vogue . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  2. ↑ Culgan, Rossilynne Skena (July 11, 2024). "Who is Ellie the Elephant, the New York Liberty Mascot?". Time Out . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  3. ↑ Megdal, Howard (May 6, 2021). "Passing the torch: First look at Ellie, new Liberty mascot". TheNextHoops. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Covington, Abigail (October 13, 2023). "Have You Ever Seen an Elephant Twerk?". NY Times . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Who is Ellie the Elephant? Meet the New York Liberty's sassy mascot taking over WNBA games". For The Win. 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  6. ↑ "A Mascot Skeptic Warns Of What Comes After Ellie The Elephant | Defector". defector.com. 2024-07-23. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  7. ↑ Settembre, Jeanette (2024-08-27). "NY Liberty mascot Ellie has two stylists, big brands dressing her" . Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  8. ↑ "The Most Popular Woman In Sports Is A 5'10" Elephant Who Trains Like An Elite Athlete". Women's Health. 2024-09-19. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  9. ↑ Powell, Jackie (2024-07-03). "Ellie the Elephant waves, stomps and puts on the most entertaining show in Brooklyn". The Next. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  10. ↑ Oler, Kiri (2024-07-22). "Ellie is putting the rest of the WNBA's mascots on notice". The Next. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  11. ↑ Covington, Abigail (2023-10-13). "Have You Ever Seen an Elephant Twerk?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  12. ↑ Megdal, Howard (2021-05-06). "Passing the torch: First look at Ellie, new Liberty mascot". The Next. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  13. ↑ Covington, Abigail (2023-10-13). "Have You Ever Seen an Elephant Twerk?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  14. ↑ "They Call Her Big Ellie: Meet the New York Liberty's viral mascot - ESPN Video". ESPN.com. 2024-06-14. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Sports mascots were very dude-coded. Then came Ellie the Elephant". Washington Post. 2024-09-22. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  16. ↑ Hurd, Sean (2024-06-14). "New York Liberty mascot Ellie brings Black creativity to WNBA". Andscape. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  17. ↑ Settembre, Jeanette (2024-08-27). "NY Liberty mascot Ellie has two stylists, big brands dressing her" . Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  18. ↑ "Chicago Sky Introduce New Mascot, Skye the Lioness – Chicago Sky". sky.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  19. ↑ Evans, Dayna (2024-08-28). "The Best Party in New York Is Only Getting Bigger". The Cut. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  20. ↑ Jackson, Hannah (2024-10-14). "Ellie the Elephant, the New York Liberty's Mascot, Is Ready to Bring Home the WNBA Championship". Vogue. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  21. ↑ "They Call Her Big Ellie: Meet the New York Liberty's viral mascot - ESPN Video". ESPN.com. 2024-06-14. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  22. 1 2 3 Powell, Jackie (2024-07-03). "Ellie the Elephant waves, stomps and puts on the most entertaining show in Brooklyn". The Next. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
  23. ↑ Camille, Jada (2024-09-24). "Ellie on the Aux: The pump-up playlist behind NY Liberty's viral mascot • Brooklyn Paper". www.brooklynpaper.com. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  24. ↑ Allen, Samantha (2024-05-02). "The New York Liberty's Twerking Elephant Mascot Is My New Gay Obsession". Them. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
  25. ↑ "How Do You Dress an Elephant? One Fit at a Time". SI. 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2024-10-16.
  26. ↑ "Lil Ellie-Kim, Elliyoncé and more of Ellie the Elephant's best moments". ESPN.com. 2024-06-30. Retrieved 2024-07-26.

See also

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