Ellatini The Pink Elephant

The statue was originally rented and later purchased by former liquor store owners, the Dyer family, from a nearby RV park where it was temporarily displayed. The iconic elephant has become a local landmark, featured in numerous publications and participating in parades, and recently moved to a new location in 2018 during Elite Beverages' redevelopment, with the current owner committed to its return. 

Origins and History

• Initial Display: 

  The pink elephant was brought to Fortville by former liquor store owners the Dyer family in the mid-1970s. They rented it from the Cohron RV Park, where it was a temporary fixture during the repainting of their large cow statue. 

• Success and Purchase: 

  The elephant was a huge success, and the Dyers quickly purchased it for their liquor store. 

• Original Name: 

  The elephant's original name was Telmadge, but it is now known as the Pink Elephant or Ellatini. 

• Cultural Connection: 

  The bespectacled, cocktail-sipping elephant is a fitting mascot for a liquor store, symbolizing the colloquial phrase "seeing pink elephants" associated with intoxication. 

• Folklore vs. Fact: 

  Stories about the elephant being stolen as a senior prank are folklore; it has never been stolen. 

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