Introducing Emily Youcis
Known by many faithful Phillies fans as “The Pistachio Girl,” senior painting major Emily Youcis has been selling the green snack to fans for the last three years at Citizen’s Bank Park. Though competitors have tried to steal her spotlight, none have succeeded at the sale like Youcis. The Harrisburg native isn’t hard to spot, either. She said she can usually be found in the stands in her typical black combat boots and crazy-colored hair, usually worn in pigtails.
The Temple News sat down with Youcis to discuss the art of selling pistachios, her many fans and about being an artist in Philadelphia.
The Temple News: How long have you been the pistachio girl?
Emily Youcis: I began my job as the pistachio girl the summer of my sophomore year. I was simply looking for a job and was willing to take the first job that came my way. My friends told me about it, they were working at different concession stands at the stadium. I applied and ended up getting the job. This was my first actual job, [and] this will be my third summer selling pistachios. I love it.
TTN: Why do you like your job?
EY: It’s quick and easy money. You don’t have to be there that long, and you get weeks off at a time, which is nice. I like being in the public. I like the entertainment industry in general [and] you never know with this job if you might be caught on TV or something, which is always exciting to me.
I also like that it requires you to exercise all day since I am running around the stadium all day. All this running around allows me to release endorphins, so between smiling all day and exercising, I leave work feeling pretty happy, which is something not many people can say when they leave their job at the end of the day.
TTN: Do you have any interesting fan stories?
EY: One time, this man bought all of my pistachios and then asked me to throw them out to a whole section of people. I ran out, however, and people started to get upset that they didn’t get any.
On a regular basis people are constantly asking for a picture of me, and are constantly yelling out “Tiger Mud”–a character from my show–which can get a little bit annoying after awhile.
TTN: What else do you enjoy doing?
EY: I was a part of creating a YouTube series called “The Smut Cave.” I also have my own show called the “Emily Show,” [which] consists of short skits. I started working on my show the winter for my freshman year, and it’s great to see that people are actually watching it now. I am also a cartoonist, so I enjoy working on my characters, such as my character “Tiger Mud.” I also have a mixtape with all of my cartoons called the Alfred Alfer Mixtape.
TTN: What do you hope to do with your art?
EY: In the future, I hope to be able to sell my art, of course, so that I can make some money. I would like to find an art gallery that would be interested in representing me and showcasing my artwork. I also like murals a lot, so it would be interesting to paint these maybe on the places like the side of cheesesteak shops around the city or something of that sort.
Ultimately, I really enjoy cartooning, so bringing that into what I do in the future would be great. I think it’s interesting how you can create a narrative through painting.
Priscilla Ward can be reached at priscilla.ward@temple.edu.
Be the first to comment