CYPRESS, Calif., Oct. 15, 2002 - Television actress Mackenzie Rosman, known to millions as Ruthie Camden on the show 7th Heaven, has been selected to judge the Hello Kitty Dream World Toy Design Contest. To inspire creativity among girls ages four to 12, Sanrio Inc. and Bandai America Inc. created the Hello Kitty Dream World Toy Design Contest in which children submit drawings of their ideal "Dream World" for Hello Kitty. One winner will win a weekend trip to New York to attend the Hello Kitty birthday party with Hello Kitty herself and Mackenzie Rosman and receive a special Hello Kitty Dream World party for 20 friends with Hello Kitty goodies for all. Additionally, the winning design may become the next Hello Kitty Dream World toy, courtesy of Bandai America Inc.
Thousands of entries for the contest were submitted via www.hellokittydreamworld.com, 40 corporate Sanrio stores and 10 licensed stores located throughout the United States. The winning drawing will be unveiled on Hello Kitty�s birthday on November 1st at the Sanrio Flagship Store in New York City. Twelve first-place winners will receive Hello Kitty Dream World Playsets.
"Our Hello Kitty Dream World playsets bring to life the essence of Hello Kitty's adorable, fun and imaginative world," said Bill Beebe, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Bandai America Inc. "Through this contest, we're encouraging girls to create new dream worlds for Hello Kitty. We're looking forward to getting their creative perspective on the toy line, and we're thrilled that Mackenzie, herself an avid Hello Kitty admirer, has signed on to help us potentially make a little girl's ideal dream world come true."
"For nearly 30 years, Hello Kitty has been inspiring the young and young at heart to express themselves through the 'small gift, big smile' philosophy," said Bill Hensley, marketing director, Sanrio Inc. "She stands as a testament that a girl can be anyone she wants to be and inspires girls to live to their fullest potential."
Bandai America Inc.'s Hello Kitty Dream World toy line includes:
Hello Kitty and Accessories - These 2-inch small dolls with fun features show Hello Kitty on various fun adventures. Each doll comes with an interchangeable feature that can be used with all other playsets in the line.
Hello Kitty and Ride - Now Hello Kitty can get around town in her new fashionable vehicles. Each ride comes with a 2-inch small doll Hello Kitty, accessories and ride.
Hello Kitty Micro Playset - Each Hello Kitty micro playset includes a 2-inch small doll Hello Kitty and is interchangeable with all other playsets in the line.
Hello Kitty Deluxe Playset - Hello Kitty and her friends have tons of fun in these deluxe playsets. Each playset includes one 2-inch small doll Hello Kitty, one 2-inch Mimmy doll (Hello Kitty's twin sister) and plays music. Each figure is interchangeable with all other playsets in the line.
About Mackenzie Rosman
Already with an impressive body of work in film, television and commercials, twelve-year-old Mackenzie Rosman is quickly becoming one of young Hollywood's most sought-after talents. Currently, Mackenzie can be seen as Ruthie Camden, the loquacious and precocious young teenager, on the WB's most highly watched series, 7th Heaven.
Series producer Aaron Spelling cast Mackenzie almost immediately after meeting her seven years ago and predicted that with her natural raw talent and tenacity, Mackenzie could easily hold her own against the other 7th Heaven cast members that include Stephen Collins, Catherine Hicks, Barry Watson, David Gallagher, Jessica Biel and Beverly Mitchell. 7th Heaven has consistently remained one of the most acclaimed family oriented dramas on television by critics everywhere and is one of the only shows that can be enjoyed by all age groups. Mackenzie's 7th Heaven bedroom features an extensive Hello Kitty collection, reflecting both Mackenzie and her television alter ego's love of the enduring character.
Mackenzie made her big screen debut opposite Shelly Winters, Shirley Jones and Christopher Lambert in Gideon's Web. She has also appeared in numerous national commercials. She currently resides in Los Angeles.
About Sanrio and Sanrio Surprises
SANRIO develops and distributes a unique line of over 12,000 children's gifts, stationery and accessory items. Hello Kitty is the company's flagship character. President and CEO Shintaro Tsuji founded the company in 1960 based on the concept that a small gift can bring a big smile to a child of any age. Today there are over 120 Sanrio Surprises and Sanrio Gift Gate stores throughout the United States. In addition, Sanrio character products are sold in over 7,000 other U.S. locations including toy stores and national chain stores. Worldwide sales of the product were $1 billion in 2001.
About Bandai America
Bandai America Inc. is a subsidiary of Bandai Co. Ltd., the world's third largest toy company, with 27 subsidiaries in 8 countries worldwide. Global interests include toys and children's entertainment, video game software, multimedia, music, full-length feature films, vending machines, trading cards, candies and licensed apparel. Bandai America Inc. is the master toy licensee of some of the most popular properties in children's toys and entertainment, including the Power Rangers, Gundam, Digimon, Strawberry Shortcake, and Hello Kitty product lines. Bandai America is headquartered in Cypress, California and company information is available at bandai.com.
