Hollywood oddities wanted for museum renovation

Orlando, Fla. – (October 4, 2010) – Happen to have a bust of Brad Pitt made from bottle caps? How about a killer statue of Tom Cruise made from crayons? If you do, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! wants to hear from you.

The company is actively looking to acquire items for its Hollywood Odditorium, which will undergo an extensive renovation this winter.

Items of particular interest include three-dimensional sculptural creations. Top targets would include creations of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Jessica Alba, along with the Hollywood staples Bogart, Brando and Hepburn.

“We know there are some great creations out there, sometimes they’re just difficult to find,” said Edward Meyer, Ripley’s VP of Exhibits and Archives. “We’re in an expansion mode and in search of artists who have a flair for the unusual.”

In addition to artwork, Ripley’s is also looking for Hollywood collections or film-related artifacts.

Any new acquisitions will join a star-studded lineup of exhibits headed for Ripley’s Hollywood Odditorium, including a collection of items owned by Marilyn Monroe (worth more than $1 million), a life size portrait of John Wayne made from colorful laundry lint, a giant portrait of James Dean made from playing dice, a cane owned by Charlie Chaplin, the derbies worn by Laurel and Hardy, a 12-foot long mural of forty-one Hollywood celebrities made from license plates and Fred Astaire made from film.

Anyone with an item they think would be worthy of going on display at Ripley’s Hollywood Odditorium should contact Edward Meyer at meyer@ripleys.com.

Contact:

Frank Wolff

Wellons Communications

Office – 407-339-0879

Cell – 407-637-6000

frank@wellonscommunications.com

About Ripley Entertainment

Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 13 million annually at its 80-plus attractions in 11 countries.  In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.

Posted by Wellons Communications, an Orlando public relations firm.