LOS ANGELES, Dec. 19 -- One lucky young aspiring toy designer between the ages of 5 and 17 will be given the chance to work with a professional toy designer as their mentor as part of the winning prizes for the first annual Amazing Kids! Plush Toy Design Contest. Amazing Kids! (R), (www.amazing-kids.org), an educational non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring excellence in children and helping them realize their own amazing potential, announced today the launch of the Amazing Kids! Plush Toy Design Contest. The latest in a series of ongoing educational contests sponsored by Amazing Kids!, the plush toy design contest is being sponsored by Ty (www.ty.com), creator of the wildly popular Beanie Babies® and the leader in plush toys.
The contest is open to kids and teens, ages 5-17, who love to use their imagination to invent things. The budding young toy designers must create an original plush toy design and submit one to two drawings of the toy, a written description and a name for the toy to Amazing Kids! at: 1158 26th Street, PMB 485, Santa Monica, California 90403. Complete contest rules are on the Amazing Kids! website at: www.amazing-kids.org/toycontest02.htm#top1. Contest deadline is March 31, 2003.
Ty Inc. has donated over 180 "Beanies" as prizes, which include a selection of Beanie Babies®, Beanie Buddies(TM) and Teenie Beanie Boppers(TM). Prizes will be awarded in several age categories ranging from ages 5 to 17. The grand prize winner will also receive large and extra large Shamrock Beanie Buddies, a $1,000 scholarship and will have a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to work with a professional toy designer as her or his mentor for an entire year. The winning designs will be featured on the Amazing Kids! website in mid-April, 2003.
Amazing Kids! Founder and President Alyse Rome described the philosophy behind the Amazing Kids! educational contests: "Amazing Kids! believes that every child has unique gifts often just waiting to be discovered. Our contests, like all of our programs, focus on helping children discover those gifts, connecting them with mentors who can help them nurture those gifts, and providing them with scholarships to pursue their talents further. We are delighted to have Ty, the leader in the plush toy industry and a fellow champion of kids, support our efforts in helping some very lucky, talented young people receive recognition for their talents."
For more information about the Amazing Kids! Plush Toy Design Contest, or the Amazing Kids! organization and educational programs, or to find out how to make a tax-deductible holiday donation in someone's name as an alternative to traditional gift-giving this holiday season, visit the Amazing Kids! website at: www.amazing-kids.org or contact Alyse Rome, Amazing Kids! Founder and President at: 1-310-514-9203, or by email at: info@amazing-kids.org.
Founded in 1986 by Ty Warner, creator of the wildly popular Beanie Babies®, Ty (www.ty.com) is the leader in plush toys. In addition to Punkies(TM), Pluffies(TM), Teenie Beanie Boppers(TM) and Beanie Babies®, the company's product line includes: Beanie Kids(TM), Beanie Buddies(TM), Attic Treasures(TM), Classic(TM), Baby Ty(TM) and Beanie Boppers(TM). The red Ty heart logo®, recognized around the world, can be found on all Ty products available at finer specialty gift retailers. You can visit Ty on the Internet at: www.ty.com.
Amazing Kids! is a 501(c)3 children's educational non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, California. Its popular website, www.amazing-kids.org , is known to kids and parents worldwide as the number one website for cool, creative kids contests and for stories about amazing kids. The website is a highly-regarded educational resource for educators and educational publishers from around the globe, and is frequented by journalists and other media professionals who are interested in covering the amazing achievements of children and teens.
Amazing Kids! and Ty are trademarks of their respective organizations.