Origin of "Elvii"
PMA082267
I m trying to track down the etymological derivation of the word Elvii as
the plural of Elvis. Believe it or not, I think I m the person
responsible (yes, my contribution to pop culture). I came up with the
word back in early 1993. I was working for Hasbro (I still do) and we
were planning a line of Elvis dolls. Well, they were planning the King in
a variety of outfits from different periods of his life. Just to be
funny, because how could anyone take a line of Elvis dolls seriously, I
started to refer to the different dolls collectively as Elvii. My boss s
boss, thought the word was great. He probably passed it on up the chain
of command (it didn t have that far to go). The bigwigs were dealing with
the folks at Elvis Presley Enterprises and could have told them the word
(probably taking credit for it!!) and so it spread. At least that s my
humble theory. The earliest outside reference to the word that I ve found
is from Jay Leno around Christmas 1993, a good nine months after me. And
in the 1992 film, Honeymoon in Vegas they have the Flying Elvises , not
the Flying Elvii . Does anybody know any references to the word prior to
1993? I've got to know one way or the other.
**********Patricia Annino**********
The creator of the only "Tales of the Gold Monkey" Web Site
http://members.aol.com/pma082267/goldmonkey/index.html
BECAUSE SOMEBODY HAD TO, THAT'S WHY!!!
Myles Callum
Patricia Annino (PMA082267 <pma0...@AOL.COM>) writes:
>
>I m trying to track down the etymological derivation of the word
>Elvii as the plural of Elvis. Believe it or not, I think I m the
>person responsible (yes, my contribution to pop culture). I came up
>with the word back in early 1993. I was working for Hasbro (I still
>... At least that s my humble theory. The earliest outside
>reference to the word that I ve found is from Jay Leno around
>Christmas 1993, a good nine months after me. And in the 1992 film,
>Honeymoon in Vegas they have the Flying Elvises , not the Flying
>I've got to know one way or the other.
I admire your courage. Some people would have preferred to leave
this haunting question in the realm of happy speculation. But if
you've GOT to know, the answer is no, you're not the first. "Elvii"
was in use as early as 1988. Here are eight references prior to 1993;
there are others.
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Elvis Times Three
Jules Fisher, the "Beatlemania" producer who scoured the country in
open casting calls for talent to play Elvis Presley in "Elvis: An
American Musical," has settled on three actors to fill The King's
formidable shoes - blue suede or not - in the early, middle and late
stages of his career. The identities of the three, all stage actors
with legitimate theater credits and no experience imitating Elvis,
will be unveiled in May when the production begins rehearsals at 890
Broadway, formerly the workshop owned by the late Michael Bennett.
The final segment will feature the three Elvii in a collaborative
on-stage warble-fest. The play is scheduled to hit Broadway at the
end of the year after touring New Haven, Cleveland and Houston, and
spending 10 weeks at the Las Vegas Hilton, where Presley was a stage
fixture. --(c) Newsday, Apr. 22, 1988
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A $3 million, 50-song, multimedia homage to the King, the road show
stars not one Elvis impersonator, not two Elvis impersonators, but
three Elvii, each portraying Presley at various stages of girth and
career.
Jim Stevens, an Elvis impersonator who flew in from Sacramento,
Calif., to check out the competition, was impressed enough to
momentarily put aside his personal credo ("I never judge another
Elvis") and venture an opinion. "There are some real bad Elvii out
there," says Stevens. "But these guys are good. Real good."
--(c) People, September 12, 1988
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Jona Frank takes a leaf out of Arbus's book in commenting on a
twins convention (in Secaucus) and an Elvis contest. The contenders
would probably be "Elves" to a Latinist, but Ms. Frank calls them
"Elvii."
--(c) The New York Times, September 2, 1990
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For three days, herds of jump-suited Elvii in overwrought
sunglasses roamed the hotel, performing day and night in the ballroom
or the lobby bar or out of the blue in a crowded elevator.
Not many of them looked like Elvis, despite their attention to the
King's schmaltziest tendencies. They were like 50 different makes of
the same Elvis doll, each produced with a varying lapse in quality
control: ...
--(c) St. Petersburg Times, June 15, 1990
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Fifty or so Elvises - or is it Elvii? - came from the United
States, England, Switzerland and Australia. The youngest was a
seven-year-old from Brooklyn. The most unusual was a female jockey
from England, Janice Waite, a red-haired, five-foot k.d. lang
lookalike.
--(c) Gannett News Service, June 14, 1990
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Those who missed Friday's performers can still catch the artwork,
along with two Elvis film shorts that screen at the gallery nightly
through this month. Elisa Blattein's "Elvii" explores the world of
Elvis impersonators, while Tom Corboy's "Mondo Elvis" is a collection
of interviews with fans.
--(c) Los Angeles Times, May 9, 1988
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Copyright 1991 Newsweek
Newsweek
April 22, 1991 , UNITED STATES EDITION
SECTION: LIFE/STYLE; Pg. 62
LENGTH: 1311 words
HEADLINE: The Adoration of the Elvii
BYLINE: BY NED ZEMAN with CARLA KOEHL in New York, JULIE EDELSON in
Detroit, JEANNE GORDON in Los Angeles and bureau reports
HIGHLIGHT:
From Engelbert to Gumby, there's a fan club for everyone and
everything. It's the American way.
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But the United States Elvis stamp had a twist, and the twist was
democracy. We got to vote: the young pelvis Elvis or the puffy
jump-suit aficionado. Side by side, the two were perfect: the Elvii,
as one "Saturday Night Live" bit had it, at least in my memory,
although I have a tendency as I enter middle age to think that
everything funny I've ever heard took place on "Saturday Night Live,"
even things my husband swears he said.
--(c) The New York Times, June 7, 1992
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Myles
Morgan and Shoshana Edwards
At 09:05 AM 5/30/96 -0500, Myles Callum wrote:
>I admire your courage. Some people would have preferred to leave
>this haunting question in the realm of happy speculation. But if
>you've GOT to know, the answer is no, you're not the first. "Elvii"
>was in use as early as 1988. Here are eight references prior to 1993;
>there are others.
Being still a newbie, I have no idea if this is pure McCallum hokum or the
damndest collection of strange research, but either way I'm impressed.
Shosh...
Still working on the sig.
I think I've got it now.
Let's see, four lines, shit! this is 5.
Well give up for this time, but next time.....
Morgan and Shoshana Edwards Br...@auldbooks.com
Science, Technology and Natural History
http://www.auldbooks.com
503-644-7218 *** 1-800-884-0993 *** bree...@interloc.com
7795 SW Hall Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97008
Myles Callum
Shoshana says:
>Being still a newbie, I have no idea if this is pure McCallum hokum
>or the damndest collection of strange research, but either way I'm
>impressed.
"Pure McCallum hokum"?! I <never>!
Well, maybe once or twice.
Those were all authentic excerpts from real newspapers and magazines.
That sort of thing is easy to find in various databases. The only
tricky part, if you're not a librarian, is getting access without
having to mortgage your house.
What's <really> impressive, to me, is living someplace where you can
have a pair of red-tailed hawks in your backyard woods.
Myles (NOT Mc) Callum
PMA082267
Thanks for the info. I can breathe a lot easier now that I know I'm not
to blame. :-)