Ripley’s acquired the statues in 1993. The statues are made from ebony wood and were hand-carved by craftsman of the Baulé tribesman of the West African nation of Cote D’Ivoire in the 1930s. They stand 5 feet tall and weigh over 70 pounds each.

THE LEGEND

According to tribal legend, to ensure a couple’s fertility, the statues should be placed on both sides of the doorway leading into the bedroom. If a woman or her spouse touches either statue as they enter the room, they will soon get pregnant.

While Ripley’s cannot loan the statues to prospective parents for their bedrooms, the power of the statues is still strong. Thousands of women have written to Ripley’s claiming that after years of trying to conceive, one rub of the statues soon brought a bundle of joy.

THE BABY BOOM

When Ripley’s first received the statues in 1993, they were displayed at their Head Quarters. A few months later, Ripley’s experienced a Baby Boom! Six employees became pregnant after touching the statues, and word started to spread. Women were requesting to visit the office just to touch the statues.

Over the years, Ripley’s has received countless messages from couples. Here are a few of their very personal stories:

VICTORIA

I came to see the statues in London in November, and although it is in its early days, I am pregnant!

MELISSA

I had been unsuccessful for a few months trying to get pregnant through fertility treatments. I went on a two-week European vacation. Our last stop was London to touch the fertility statues. A few weeks later I returned to the States, and my next treatment was successful! We had a baby girl in March!

LAUREN
We had a long road trying to get pregnant. I went to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium and rubbed both statues, and within 48 hours we learned we were pregnant.

SAMANTHA
We were trying for about two years, and the doctors told us they didn’t think it would be possible for us to have children. The statues were something that we thought “Why not give it a try?” So we did, and here she is, and I would touch them again.

BACK ON TOUR

Take advantage of the opportunity to visit the statues before they leave! Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Grand Prairie is located at 601 E Palace Pkwy. and is open 365 days of the year. See website for attraction hours.

To keep up-to-date with future tour dates, please visit Ripleys.com/fertility-statues

ORIGIN OF THE STATUES

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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

Rachel Rotella
General Manager
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Grand Prairie
rotella@ripleys.com
Office: 972-263-2391

About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com) family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment.  More than 14 million people visit its 100-plus attractions in 11 countries each year. In addition to its 30 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.

The post Touch Legendary Fertility Statues in Grand Prairie Beginning NEXT Friday appeared first on Ripley Entertainment Inc.

Ripley’s is hosting TWO Trashy Fashion Shows and is on the search for contestants.

Grand Prairie, TX & Baltimore, MD (March 9, 2018) Do you fancy yourself a fashionista? Can you spot a diamond in the rough? If so, Ripley’s wants to put your design skills to the test!

What is a Trashy Fashion Show?

In 2012, Ripley’s hosted their very first Trashy Fashion show. The challenge was simple: create a wearable design that is made from trash and recycled materials. Ripley’s is bringing the contest back and with it some amazing prizes! The Grand Prize winner will receive $1,000. The first and second runner ups will also receive a cash prizes of $500 for first runner up and $250 for second runner up. All contestants will receive a Ripley’s swag bag of merchandise just for participating.

All winners will become a “Ripley Feature” and appear on Ripley’s social media and featured on their popular blog. There is also the possibility of being highlighted in their best-selling book and the winning garment becoming a permanent exhibit displayed in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium.

How to Enter  

To enter you must create an original, wearable design made from everyday items not typically used in garment making.

Grand Prairie fashionistas should submit design no later than March 31, 2018. Submit a video or photo of your design to Ripleys.com/GrandPrairie/Fashion. Ripley’s will be holding a Grand Prairie Trashy Fashion & Art Show where your design will get a chance to make its debut. This event will take place on April 14, 2018 at 11am.

Baltimore fashionistas should submit design no later than May 21, 2018. Submit a video or photo of your design to Ripleys.com/baltimore/trashy-fashion. Ripley’s will be holding a Baltimore Trashy Fashion & Art Show where your design will get a chance to make its debut. This event will take place on May 26, 2018 at 1 pm.

There will be a panel of judges who will be scoring based on creative use of material, model’s runway walk, garment movability, and overall design. 

Previous Winners 

At the young age of 15, Kennedy Truster won the student prize her party dress made entirely out of newspaper. Analise Barnard and co-designer Amani Grant won first prize in the twelve and under division for a party dress and headband were created entirely from coffee filters. The 17 and up category was won by Masha Sardari who had two entries. The first was a formal, knee length gown made from used paint brushes and paper bags.  Her second entry was a cocktail dress made from a used shower curtain.

Prizes

1st place: $1000

2nd place: $500

3rd place: $250

If you think you have what it takes to become crowned the next winner of Ripley’s Trashy Fashion, submit your entry before each city’s deadline!

Grand Prairie – Ripleys.com/GrandPrairie/Fashion / Baltimore –  Ripleys.com/baltimore/trashy-fashion

If you have any questions about the contest, please send an email to Suzanne Smagala at smagala@ripleys.com. Good luck!

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Suzanne Smagala-Potts
Public Relations Manager
Ripley Entertainment Inc.
O: 407-345-8010 C: 727-439-0136
smagala@ripleys.com

Rachel Rotella
General Manager
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! – Grand Prairie
972-263-2391
rotella@ripleys.com

Sarah Mitchell
General Manager
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! – Baltimore
443-615-7878
mitchell@ripleys.com

About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Baltimore is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com) family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment.  More than 14 million people visit its 100-plus attractions in 11 countries each year.  In addition to its 30 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.

The post Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Grand Prairie & Baltimore to Host Trashy Fashion Show! appeared first on Ripley Entertainment Inc.

Actress Marilyn Monroe sings “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden, for his upcoming 45th birthday.

For Immediate Release

Grand Prairie, TX (September 15, 2017) For a limited time, you can see the iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress that Marilyn Monroe wore on May 19, 1962, when she famously sang to President John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday at Madison Square Garden. The dress will be on display for a month-long engagement at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium located at 601 East Palace Parkway, Grand Prairie, TX.

On November 17, 2016, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! set a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive dress sold at auction when they acquired the dress from Julien’s Auctions for a staggering $4.8 million.

Add in auction fees, and the dress cost over $5 million, making it the most expensive dress in the world.

“This is the most famous item of clothing in twentieth-century culture,” says Edward Meyer, VP of Exhibits & Archives for Ripley’s Believe It or Not!. Meyer has been acquiring items for Ripley’s for over 39 years and placed the winning bid on the dress. “It has the significance of Marilyn, of JFK, and of American politics.”

Along with the dress, other items from Kennedy’s birthday gala will be on display, including an original program of the event, ticket stub, and gala poster.

The dress will be on display for a limited month-long engagement, starting on Friday, September 22, 2017, and leaving at the end of October.

Ripley’s will be showing free outdoor Marilyn Monroe movies every Saturday in October. Along with each movie showing, Ripley’s will be hosting a Marilyn Monroe look-a-like contest with prizes for the winners.

Films and show times will be announced soon. Please visit Ripleys.com/GrandPrairie and Facebook.com/RipleysGrandPrairie for the most up-to-date information.

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MEDIA CONTACT

Suzanne Smagala-Potts
Public Relations Manager
Ripley Entertainment
smagala@ripleys.com
Office: 407-345-8010 | Cell: 727-439-0136

PRESS DAY
Ripley’s Grand Prairie is opening their doors to the media for a first look at the dress. A spokesperson will be on-site from 8am – 4pm to offer a personal tour and be available for interviews.

Reporters and cameras are welcome. Please RSVP to smagala@ripleys.com.

About Ripley Entertainment
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is part of the Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com) family of worldwide attractions, the global leader in location-based entertainment.  More than 14 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.

The post World’s Most Expensive Dress Comes to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Grand Prairie appeared first on Ripley Entertainment Inc.