Meet our girl, Miss Ellie Phant! If you stand close, she might even talk to you. Mister Ed brought this life-sized, 500-pound elephant with moving ears and eyes from an antique store in Mason, Ohio. Miss Ellie used to sit at King’s Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati as part of a safari adventure. It was love at first sight. As soon as she blinked her eyes and wiggled her ears, Mister Ed fell in love. When he saw her and how big she was, he said “Oh my heaven, I’ve always wanted an elephant that size.” She weighs more than 500 pounds and is 9-and-a-half feet tall, 4 feet wide, and 7 feet long. On February 2, 1986, he traveled more than 800 miles to bring her home, paying about $5,000 for her. He paraded her through the streets of nearby downtown Chambersburg as he made their way home, Ellie strapped to a U-haul trailer pulled by his brown car. You can imagine the looks he got driving along! He dreamed of giving her a voice, letting her talk to children and even say her name. Being involved in productions at Totem Pole Playhouse just down the road, he hired an actress to become the voice of Miss Ellie. Since 1986, she’s stood century in this spot, delighting visitors from near and far as the centerpiece of our elephant collection.
0:00