EVERETT – Janie Brigman has already proved she’s the cream of the Twinkie box-designing crop.
Her brush with fame started when she saw an ad in National Geographic Kids calling for young artists across the country to take a crack at designing a special box for Twinkies’ 75th anniversary in April.
Janie, 11, designed a birthday box and sent it off.
To her surprise, she won a bicycle, $1,000 and a Twinkie prize pack when she was chosen out of 1,500 kids as one of 10 national finalists.
Now she’s in the running for the grand prize, a $40,000 scholarship, and her drawing going out on Twinkie boxes across the country.
Hostess-Frito Lay Co., which makes Twinkies, is allowing America to decide which of the 10 finalists should win with an online vote at www.twinkies.com.
Janie, the daughter of Rick and Nancy Brigman of Everett, will enter sixth grade at Evergreen Middle School in September.
The fifth of six children, Janie just smiles when her mother explains how shy she can be in public.
“But once she’s comfortable, watch out!” Nancy Brigman said. “I think it’s exciting for her. We find it fun and entertaining, even if she doesn’t like all the attention.”
Janie loves to draw, and as a child she drew on the walls. Now that she’s older, her parents supply her with window chalk to decorate the glass in her room.
She checks out drawing books from the library, and also likes to read mysteries, make scrapbooks and watch design shows on television.
Although Twinkies have far brought her fame and could bring her a fortune to spend on college, Janie doesn’t eat many Twinkies.
“They’re OK, but I like Ding-Dongs better,” she said. “Sometimes the cream is too much.”
To get the word out about the contest, Janie used her paints to write “Vote for Janie at www.twinkies.com” on the windows of her family’s house and cars.
Tens of thousands of people have voted online so far, but with 10 days left to vote, it’s still anybody’s contest, said Twinkies spokesman Kevin Kaul.
Contestants are from cities all over the country and range in age from 6 to 11.
“With our birthday coming up, it was important for us to celebrate with kids,” Kaul said. “Kids of all ages eat Hostess, but truly it starts when they’re kids with Twinkies in lunchboxes.”
Voting for Twinkie box designs ends Aug. 31, and the winners will not be announced in April.
If Janie wins, there will be plenty of time to decide what college will receive her $40,000.
The real decision, Nancy Brigman said, will be Twinkie-related.
“If her design gets on the box, how many boxes do we buy?”
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