Fluzie the inflatable pink elephant has been given a reprieve in Elizabethton, Tenn.
The life-size pachyderm had been taken down from a perch atop the Medical Care office after the owner was cited last fall for violating the city sign ordinance.
The Johnson City Press reported Steven Hopland, M.D., testified Thursday that the elephant had been used to mark the start of flu shots for more than a decade—longer than the sign ordinance has been in effect.
City Court Judge T.J. Little ruled that Fluzie is a temporary sign and can be used for 30 days at the start of the flu season, but has to be set up on the ground — not the roof.
Hopland said other Medical Care pink elephants are at offices in Hampton and Johnson City.
