Take a stroll through a Century of Strange!
For Immediate Release:
Orlando, FL (February 5, 2020) For the very first time, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is partnering with the Florida State Fair, displaying shrunken heads, animal oddities, and the most famous movie pieces of all-time.
“Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is thrilled to be at the Florida State Fair for the first time. We celebrated our centennial anniversary in December of 2019, and we have over 100 years of both new and iconic exhibits that we are excited to showcase!” – John Corcoran, Director, Traveling Shows, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Located in the Florida Center of the Fairgrounds, guests can take a stroll and experience over 100-years of Ripley’s collection:
- Original Star Wars® Lightsaber® – Used by Luke Skywalker™ himself, Mark Hamill, in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back™.
- Han Solo’s™ Blaster – From Star Wars: Return of the Jedi™, this item is the most expensive in Ripley’s Star Wars collection!
- Indiana Jones’™ Bullwhip – This particular whip was used in multiple scenes of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade™, including when Indy rescued his father–played by Sean Connery–from the Nazis at Castle Brunwald.
- Shrunken Heads – With over 100 shrunken heads in the Ripley’s collection, they are known as their most iconic exhibits. Robert Ripley collected his first shrunken in Panama City in 1923.
- Animal Oddities – Another Believe it or not icon, Robert Ripley was fascinated with animal oddities. He lovingly dubbed the creatures who were dealt strange fates by Mother Nature “Pranks of Nature.”
- Berlin Wall – Three days after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Ripley’s acquired 16 ten-foot by ten-foot sections. Each piece weighs 1,200-pounds, with the entire collection weighing 40,000-pounds.
Plus, one VERY unique interactive exhibit – The Ripley’s Paperchain!
Over 40 years in the making, measuring over 23-miles-long, and made from everything from brochures, to Christmas cards, to postcards – fairgoers will have the opportunity to help make this chain grow even larger but adding their own paperchain link!
“The Florida State Fair is excited to continue to wow its guests with new and exciting entertainment and exhibits each year. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has brought some of the most incredible and surprising items to delight and excite our guests of all ages!” — Cheryl Flood, Executive Director, Florida State Fairgrounds.
The Ripley’s exhibit will be open during regular Fair hours:
- Dates: February 6 -17, 2020
- Hours: Mon – Thurs, 10am – 9pm | Fri – Sun, 9am – 9pm.
For more information, please visit the Florida State Fair website. Tickets can be purchased online at FloridaStateFair.com or at the gate, and parking is free every day of the fair.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Suzanne Smagala-Potts
Public Relations Manager
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
smagala@ripleys.com
Office: (407) 345-8010 Cell: 727-439-0136
John Corcoran
Director, Traveling Shows
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
corcoran@ripleys.com
Office: (407) 345-8010
About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment. More than 15 million people visit its 100-plus attractions in 11 countries each year. In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions that oversee projects including the syndicated Believe It or Not! television show, best-selling books, and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in countries around the world. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the second-largest privately held company in Canada. Learn more about Ripley’s Believe It or Not! by visiting Ripleys.com and following them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
Star Wars®, Lightsaber®, Return of the Jedi™, The Empire Strikes Back™, Han Solo™ are trademarks of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. LLC and/or Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC. Lucasfilm is not affiliated with, endorsing or sponsoring this display or press release.
