Whether you have kids or not, you should know who Flat Stanley is. If not, you’ve probably at least seen him. He was introduced more than 45 years ago by author Jeff Brown. He gets kids to read and interested in geography. He doesn’t have magical powers like Harry Potter but is resilient.  He had a bulletin fall on him and thus, making him flat.

He’s cut from of paper, colored, and he either goes on vacation with his family or sent on his way to visit relatives and friends to explore where they live. Relatives and friends need to take photos of Flat Stanley and send them to Flat Stanley’s family.

Adventures by Disney and HarperCollins Children’s Books held a contest called, “The Search for Flat Stanley’s Next BIG Adventure” to inspire children ages 7 to 12 to create a specially-themed Flat Stanley and a short story describing the “Next BIG Adventure”. Hundreds of children entered but only three could win the Adventures by Disney vacation to one of 19 worldwide destinations and the opportunity to have their first name used in a future Flat Stanley book. That’s pretty cool! The winners are:

• 7-8 yr-old winner Lauren Shepard from Tennessee sent Flat Stanley to  Australia for a great adventure “Down Under”
• 9-10 yr-old winner Adia Chaney of Maryland designed a European-style Flat Stanley; her story highlighted the Queen of England
• 11-12 yr-old winner Destiny White from Texas captured her win with an Asian-inspired Flat Stanley and an unforgettable adventure to the Great Wall of China

The entries can be viewed online at flatstanleybooks.com/adventuresbydisney.

So, where would you like to take Flat Stanley?

Image Credit: PRNewsFoto/Adventures by Disney, Winner of the 7-8 year-old group, Lauren Shepard