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The Bernie Sanders mittens meme refers to a photograph of
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 200 ...
, a
U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...
from Vermont and former presidential candidate, seated during the
inauguration of Joe Biden The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, marking the start of the four-year term of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president. The 59th presidential ...
and wearing a face mask and distinctive
mitten A mitten is a type of glove that covers the hand but does not have separate finger openings or sheaths. Generally, mittens still separate the thumb from the other four fingers. They have different colours and designs. Mittens provide greater th ...
s, which
went viral Viral phenomena or viral sensation are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the ter ...
. The photograph became an internet meme, inspiring altered versions in which Sanders was placed in historical photographs and other humorous contexts. The popularity of the meme resulted in increased visibility for Sanders and demand for the mittens.


Background

When the
inauguration of Joe Biden The inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States took place on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, marking the start of the four-year term of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president. The 59th presidential ...
occurred on January 20, 2021, a photograph of Vermont senator and former presidential candidate
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 200 ...
was taken by
Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D. ...
photographer Brendan Smialowski. It depicts a masked Sanders sitting on a folding chair, spaced apart from other attendees. He is wearing winter clothing, most noticeably a large, fluffy pair of
mitten A mitten is a type of glove that covers the hand but does not have separate finger openings or sheaths. Generally, mittens still separate the thumb from the other four fingers. They have different colours and designs. Mittens provide greater th ...
s, which were made by Vermont elementary school teacher Jen Ellis. The photograph became a popular internet meme.


Memes and merchandise

The photograph led to a number of edited and altered versions, in which Sanders was placed into various popular and historical photographs, in a manner similar to that used in the
tourist guy The "tourist guy" was an internet phenomenon that featured a photograph of a tourist on the observation deck of the World Trade Center digitally altered to show a plane about to hit the tower in the background during the September 11 attacks. Th ...
meme, including into scenes from '' Batman'', '' Star Trek'' and ''
Wayne's World "Wayne's World" was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live''. It evolved from a segment titled "Wayne's Power Minute" (1987) on the CBC Television series '' It's Only Rock & Roll'', as the main charact ...
''. A website was created to allow the picture of Sanders to be placed into any
Google Street View Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, and has since ex ...
photograph. Subsequently, merchandise was manufactured using the photo; this included plates, T-shirts, stickers, and wine glasses. Sanders responded good-naturedly to the meme and its various derivatives, and he decided to sell sweatshirts featuring the photograph to raise money for charity; the proceeds amounted to at least $1.8 million. As a result of the meme, Ellis received thousands of request for the mittens; although she had stopped regularly making mittens, she took advantage of the publicity to make three pairs to be auctioned for charity and her daughter's college fund. Ellis has collaborated with Darn Tough Socks to produce a range of socks with the same pattern as the mittens, the proceeds of which will go towards food banks in Vermont. Knitting writer Kate Atherley welcomed the interest in mittens resulting from the meme and in an article in ''The Guardian'' gave details on how to create a similar pair of mittens. The
Burton Snowboards Burton Snowboards is a privately-owned snowboard manufacturing company that was founded by Jake Burton Carpenter in 1977. The company specializes in products aimed at snowboarders, such as snowboards, bindings, boots, outerwear, and accessor ...
jacket worn by Sanders has also increased its popularity, leading to the company donating 50 of them to the Burlington Department for Children and Families.


References


External links


"Knit your own Bernie Sanders mittens"
at UK's topcrochetpatterns.com {{Bernie Sanders Internet memes introduced in 2021 Political Internet memes 2020s photographs Bernie Sanders Inauguration of Joe Biden Gloves