She carries Telfar bags and wears Nike sneakers. She rocks a long braid. She’s a pro at twerking. She’s... an elephant wearing a Statue of Liberty crown? She's, of course, Ellie the Elephant, the breakout mascot for the New York Liberty. The WNBA is bringing in more fans than ever, and while the sport is already thrilling, one of the most fun parts of attending a Liberty game is watching Ellie dance, whip that braid around, and mingle with the crowd.
But who came up with this sassy, on-trend anthropomorphic elephant? One of the people responsible for Big Ellie is Shana Stephenson, the Chief Brand Officer for the Liberty and this week's guest on the Marie Claire podcast "Nice Talk". Stephenson chats with editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike about the inspiration behind Ellie and the cultural phenomenon that the mascot has become.
