Introducing Rosie the Wapuu, Our Mascot & Inspiration

We are so proud of the newest Women Who WP member – Rosie the Wapuu!! Rosie the Wapuu symbolizes the resilience and strength of women. Wapuus symbolize WordPress. Women Who WP combined the two to create Rosie the Wapuu. She’s kind, caring, community building, smart, strong and creative. She’s YOU.

The idea behind the design came quickly. Cheryl LaPrade and Sherrie LaPrade, both members of Women Who WP, offered to create her. They toyed with various options involving heels and pearls and the color red, but in the end inspiration came from a conversation with Jen Miller. “Can we move her arm, so she’s not so passive?” Jen asked. “I want her to have an “I Can Do It” attitude, like Rosie the Riveter.

Cheryl and Sherrie loved the idea and said they’d get right to work. Less than an hour later, Rosie was born on March 14, 2017. She then was submitted to James Tryon, the curator of the Wapuu Field Guide and Trading Post.

She was an immediate sensation, first secretly shown off by Bridget Willard and Jason Knill at WordCamp Atlanta on March 17, 2017. Her official debut was at the one-year anniversary party of Women Who WP at WordCamp San Diego. Since then, many have flocked to the Wapuu Store in search of her. Justine Pretorious (and many others) have said, “I feel strong when I’m wearing her.”

Others have fallen in love with Rosie the Wapuu as well. While at WordCamp Chicago, Bridget Willard met Lori Young, a WordPress professional who was wearing a shirt with Rosie the Wapuu.  They instantly bonded. Traveling home from that same conference, a Southwest flight attendant noticed Bridget’s shirt and remarked, “I know there’s a story there. I don’t understand it, but I like it!” Rosie the Wapuu has made her way internationally and continues to inspire us all, beyond the borders of WordPress.