What Is The 'Ellie And Mason House' Meme? The Story Behind The Viral Text Message Explained

A funny old text exchange between a mother and her daughter is going viral all over again on sites like Instagram and TikTok. The exchange features a young girl tearfully asking her mother if she can go to Ellie and Mason house and the iconic way in which she asks is inspiring a ton of memes. But what is the full story behind the meme and did she go to Ellie and Mason's house? Here's what you need to know.

What Is The 'Ellie and Mason House' Meme?

Back in July 2021, a post by Scottish mother Katy Dorman went viral on X / Twitter to the tune of around 200,000 likes. In the post, Dorman shares a text exchange between herself and her daughter, Mercedes. The exchange begins with Mercedes sending her a selfie of herself crying, followed by the texts, "Please can I go to Ellie and Mason house."

Mercedes seems desperate to go to her friends' house, but Katy doesn't budge. She refuses to let Mercedes go over to their house, writing that Mercedes was out most of the day, up at 3 in the morning and tells her to go to bed, suggesting she can maybe see them tomorrow. Mercedes sends yet another crying selfie but Katie still doesn't back down.

How Is 'Ellie and Mason House' Used In Memes?

The post went viral over the next few years, as it was reposted across social media numerous times. Some people find Mercedes' attempts to guilt her mother with the crying selfies a particularly funny and bold strategy. This has turned the meme fairly iconic and recently, has begun inspiring memes referencing it with little additional context.

For example, so far in 2024, several memes have gone up across TikTok and Instagram making reference to "Ellie and Mason house" without using the text screenshots themselves. Some of these simply use the phrase, sometimes along with a purple heart, a reference to the Donatella VERSACE 💜. Photoshops of the original meme have also started popping up, including some changing Mercedes' expression, as if she was allowed to go to Ellie and Mason house that day.

For the full history of Ellie and Mason house, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.