While it totally feels like each day is being played out on a wacky stage of the bizarre right now, you just can’t make some of THIS STUFF up!
Lucky the Elephant
And if you’ve ever wondered what was up with that big, old-timey looking elephant statue above Disney’s BoardWalk Inn’s fireplace, we’ve got quite the tale for you!
The statue is actually named “Lucy and the Elephant” and it’s normally flanked by two sinister-looking nanny chairs right next to the Guest Relations counter in the main lobby of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn!
Nanny Chairs
Next to the sculpture, you might have noticed a black & white portrait of Lucy! That’s because she’s an actual 1881 building that still exists in Margate City (which is also the coastal town where Disney’s BoardWalk Inn draws its turn-of-the-century inspiration from.)!
Lucy the Elephant
Here’s what the real-life not-so-little Lucy the Elephant looks like these days!
©Airbnb
And no, we didn’t just fly to the Jersey Shore to snap a picture of her in all her gorgeousness! She’s (get this) actually an Airbnb right now!!
©Airbnb View From Lucy’s Porch
Well, at least she was an Airbnb that guests could reserve in March for only $138-a-night before the world got all crazy-complicated. We’re not sure anyone’s currently staying in good ole’ Lucy, but if they are, we’re jealous of all that EXTRA trunk space!
©Airbnb Interior of Lucy the Elephant
Believe it or not, Lucy the Elephant can comfortably sleep two guests with her private and cozy 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom accommodations!
©Airbnb
And her spacious suite looks quite accommodating indeed! We love whoever decorated her with so many stunning antiques!
©Airbnb
As much as we’re jonesing to go to Disney World right now, we wouldn’t mind swinging by New Jersey first to pay our respects to this sacred pachyderm in homage to Disney’s BoardWalk Inn! And don’t worry — there doesn’t seem to be any creepy nanny chairs hangin’ around!
©Airbnb
We just love knowing the history behind some of the things we love the most at Disney World, and we hope you do too! We’ll be on the hunt for more interesting stuff like good ole Lucy to share with you, so stay tuned!
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Lucy is actually in Margate NJ which is a nicer suburb of AC.
Parts of AC once you come off of the Boardwalk arent very nice.
Its new that you can stay there they usually have it open for tours. When the covid clears I’ll be happy to pic you up some literature
Lucy lives in Margate, NJ
Everyone from Jersey is shaking their heads at this article 😂 😂😂
Hey guys! NY/NJ resident here! I can’t believe I knew about Lucy the Elephant before you guys did! It’s a staple landmark in south jersey and always fun to visit. Seeing it was an Airbnb earlier this year was so cool! Had no idea it actually had anything to do with Disney, just thought it was a weird NJ thing lol. Stay safe!
I never would have guessed that ANYTHING in Disney had drawn inspiration from something here in good old south Jersey! This is so crazy to me! I grew up going to see Lucy the Elephant and just thought everyone outside of New Jersey thought she was weird!
As someone from New Jersey I just have to say…duh?? Of course she’s real!
Wow I never knew this!! Lucy and I live on the same block in margate!!
Came here to say Lucy is in Margate, not AC, but that’s been covered. She’s a treasure we South Jersey folks have known about all our lives. Almost demolished in the 1960’s, thanks to some civic-minded people, she continues to be a favorite of shore visitors. Nice to see her mentioned here, and now its on my to-do list for my next trip to WDW to go see her at the Boardwalk Inn Resort.
If you from South Jersey everyone know Lucy. I actually knew someone who ran the Snack Bar at Lucy about 20 years ago.
I wanted to come and try to help clear somethings up. I was able to interview Richard Helfant who serves as the executive director of the Save the Lucy Committee when they announced that she was going to be partnering with Airbnb for my site Saving New Jersey’s History.
From what was shared and my understanding was that this was a one-time thing that was happening in March for three one night stays. Airbnb came out and furnished her (as those who have seen her know she normally looks much more empty) and provided a bathroom outside on the grounds for those staying to use.
I do not believe that they are going to continue to rent her out as a hotel after they are able to reopen however I sure hope that this becomes something they do every once in a while so I can get a chance to sleep over with her. She is definitely worth the flight from Florida to see though so come visit anytime!
Use to live down the street from Lucy before we moved to Florida. When I was a little girl Lucy was moved about 4 blocks to her current location. It was quite the parade.
Lucy the Elephant began her life as an advertisement for a real estate venture. It must have worked because the were other elephants around the Jersey Shore. She is the only one that remains.
Thank you for identifying Jersey Shore town that inspired the Boardwalk
and Inn. It has driven us crazy for years.
Non-Jersey person chiming in. I H A D N O I D E A that was real, a place, currently in existence, etc. Cool! Thank you for sharing.
Does anyone know the history of the model that Disney has? Did they make it in-house?
I’ve visited Lucy many times and if they ever had anything like that, I would buy it.