Kevin McCallister is heading back to the Plaza Hotel…well, at least someone who looks like Kevin McCallister.
A shop at the famed Manhattan hotel, where scenes from the movie “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” were filmed, is holding a Kevin McCallister lookalike contest this holiday season. And the winner could get the opportunity to check-in to The Plaza just like Kevin.
So, kids, start practicing that iconic hands-on-the-face scream.
“The experience really brings you back to the movie, the adventure, the family experience,” said Fernando Alvarez, president of Qivick Boutique, the shop at The Plaza holding the contest. “So, this is a great opportunity to share all of that in this festive season.”
Just be on the lookout for the Sticky Bandits.
Qiviuk Boutique, which specializes in handcrafted knitwear, sells replicas of the winter hats worn by McCallister in the “Home Alone” movies, including the blue pom-pom beanie he wore while entering The Plaza’s lobby just down the hall from the shop.
The boutique is inviting children aged 12 and under to participate in the lookalike contest, with submissions being accepted through Dec. 1. Parents can register their children at the shop, where contestants try on a hat and pose for a picture while doing their best Kevin impression. Prospective entrants can contact the shop for other submission options.
Five finalists will then be selected to take part in a ceremony later in the month at The Plaza, with each being awarded a free hat, which are made by hand from llama fiber and priced at $129 each.
Alvarez said the grand-prize winner will get to experience the Plaza’s “Home Alone: Fun in New York” package after the holiday season and in accordance with other terms and restrictions.
That, of course, includes Kevin’s famous 16-scoop ice cream sundae.
Two scoops? Make it three. The winner is not driving.
“That is now becoming a possibility for our contestants and our winner to share this special hotel, this special Kevin experience wearing one of our hand-knitted hats that will accompany them in this experience and beyond through the year,” Alvarez said.
The shop launched the McCallister-inspired collection last holiday season at the hotel, also offering the red moose knitted hat Kevin wears in the original “Home Alone.”
“We observed that the holiday season was quite special both in the hotel and New York, and that was because of memories, because of mementos that people had experienced here,” Alvarez said. “We had the ability to do fine knitted garments, and it just came to our mind that this was the product that we had to develop so that we could share that joy, that we could share that special experience here at The Plaza.”
One lucky Kevin McCallister lookalike will soon get that experience….and one of his famous hats.
“It’s something that you will keep forever,” Alvarez said, “and cherish as you grow and watch the movie every year with your warm hat.”
