Drusillas Park has completed a deal with Japanese company Sanrio and will launch Hello Kitty Secret Garden, the first Hello Kitty permanent attraction in the UK. 

In a deal brokered by Fluid World (UK Sanrio agent) the attraction will be based within Drusillas Park in Alfriston, East Sussex and will open in the Spring 2014. With an English garden setting, three rides including a Hello Kitty car ride, a tea cup ride and a “reach for the sky” hopper ride the attraction will excite Hello Kitty fans of all ages.  A Hello Kitty bedroom and beauty parlour as well as regular meet and greet event days over holiday periods will also be included in the project.

Drusillas Park is widely regarded as the best small zoo in the UK and was named ‘Visitor Attraction of the Year’ by Tourism South East in 2010/11 as well as ‘Company of the Year’ in the Sussex Business Awards in 2009. Partnering with Hello Kitty, the UK’s number one girls brand to launch a Hello Kitty’s Secret Garden will be the company’s biggest investment and is expected to top £1million.

Managing Director Laurence Smith said: “Drusillas has always been a mix of animals and leisure attractions and we think Hello Kitty and Drusillas are a perfect match and we will be working very hard to ensure that this new area blends in with the rest of the Park. Above all we hope that our visitors will appreciate a completely new attraction to the Park which will be included in the daily entry price”

Ends

For more information, please contact:

Claire Peters  - Head of Public Relations . Drusillas Park

+44 (0)1323 874112  claire.peters@drusillas.co.uk  www.drusillas.co.uk

About Sanrio

Shintaro Tsuji founded Sanrio in Japan in 1960 with the motto “Small Gift, Big Smile” and the aim of bringing happiness to people’s lives through inexpensive fancy goods. Throughout the years his company has created and licensed over 400 characters appealing on ages 0 to forever. It is indeed not only home to superstar Hello Kitty, but a global brand concentrating on marketing classic characters like My Melody, Kerokerokeroppi, Bad Badtz-Maru, Little Twin Stars, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Sugarbunnies, Chococat, Tuxedo Sam, Jewelpet, Kuromi, Charmmykitty and new acquisitions like British icons Mr. Men Little Miss. Sanrio today joins forces with the most respected companies in fashion, streetwear, cosmetics, hi-tech, toys to bring smiles on the coolest brands: as Hello Kitty says, you can never have too many friends!

About Drusillas:

Drusillas Park was named Visitor Attraction of the Year by Tourism South East in 2010/11 as well as Company of the Year in the Sussex Business Awards in 2009. It was the first attraction in Europe to have a permanent Thomas the Tank Engine train ride (the leading UK boys’ character brand) following a deal with HIT Entertainment in 2007.  Drusillas was established in 1925 and acquired by Laurence and Christine Smith in 1997.

About Fluid World:

Founded in 2008, Fluid World is the UK's leading independent brand licensing agency. Fluid World act on behalf of brands and businesses who share their vision. Their  portfolio includes: Virgin Galactic: the World's first commercial Spaceline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Abu Dhabis Aabar Investments PJS. Sanrio: the organisation behind the global fashion icon that is Hello Kitty, the classic British brand Mr. Men Little Miss and Sanrio Characters. Perfetti Van Melle: the confectionery company behind the most famous Lollipop in the world, Chupa Chups.