CYPRESS, Calif., Nov. 1 -- As Hello Kitty celebrates her birthday, Sanrio Inc. and Bandai America Inc. celebrate the announcement of eight-year-old Alisha Cusano from Derby, Connecticut as winner of the nationwide Hello Kitty Dream World Toy Design Contest. '7th Heaven' television actress Mackenzie Rosman selected Alisha from among the contest finalists. Alisha won a weekend trip to New York to unveil her winning drawing at the Sanrio Flagship store in New York City and to celebrate Hello Kitty's birthday with Hello Kitty and Mackenzie Rosman. She will also receive a special Hello Kitty Dream World party for 20 friends complete with Hello Kitty goodies for all, and her winning design may become the next Hello Kitty Dream World toy, courtesy of Bandai America Inc. Sanrio Inc. and Bandai America Inc. created the contest in which children submitted drawings of Hello Kitty's ideal "Dream World."
Alisha's drawing entitled "Hello Kitty World Traveler" included eight images of Hello Kitty visiting different areas of the world -- Poland, Japan, France, Brazil, Morocco, Australia, Italy, and the United States -- with each version of Hello Kitty holding the appropriate national flag and standing next to landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, The Alamo and the leaning tower of Pisa.
"I thought it would be fun for Hello Kitty to travel the world to meet new people and discover new places. She could spread joy and peace in her own friendly way," said Alisha. "The toy could be designed as the earth that opens up in different areas of the world. There could be one Hello Kitty doll with different outfits and different flags to hold."
"It was definitely a hard choice since so many of the drawings I saw were so creative and well drawn, but Alisha's was very special. I liked the idea of a Hello Kitty representing so many different parts of the world," said Mackenzie Rosman. "It was great to meet Alisha in person in New York!"
"Alisha's drawing, just like our Hello Kitty Dream World playsets, captures the spirit of Hello Kitty's fun and imaginative world," said Bill Beebe, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Bandai America Inc. "Alisha's idea of Hello Kitty spreading peace is a way of thinking well beyond her years, and we thank her for giving us a fresh outlook on Hello Kitty's dream world."
"We congratulate Alisha on her accomplishment and applaud her for coming up with such a creative and meaningful new concept for Hello Kitty," said Bill Hensley, marketing director, Sanrio Inc. "We hope our gifts of the trip to New York, the Hello Kitty birthday celebration and the party for her closest friends brought a big smile to her face."
Thousands of entries for the contest were submitted via http://www.hellokittydreamworld.com, 40 corporate Sanrio stores and 10 licensed stores located throughout the United States. Eleven runner-up winners received Hello Kitty Dream World Playsets.
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.
