Girl Power will take over at one of Blackpool’s more unusual venues this spring.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Spice Girls, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! will host a huge exhibition of the band’s memorabilia.
The collection, called Spiceworld The Exhibition, will come from visual artist Liz West’s collection of 5,000-plus individual items dedicated to the iconic girl group.
Liz is regarded as the world’s foremost collector of Spice Girls memorabilia and merchandise – with a Guinness World Record for her dedication.
Items in the Manchester 30-year-old’s collection include a green dress worn by Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell for the 1998 SpiceWorld tour.
Her obsession began as a young fan of Posh, Sporty, Ginger, Scary and Baby – Victoria Beckham, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown and Emma Bunton – and she started buying their merchandise with her pocket money.
The display, which launches on Thursday, March 24, will feature more than 80 designer and hand-made outfits, jewellery and shoes – all of which will be recognisable to fans of the band, having been worn by the Spice Girls in videos, live concerts, on screen and at high-profile public engagements.
The collection also showcases awards discs from all over the world, unique endorsement items, sponsorship merchandise, official products and worldwide releases on vinyl, CD, cassette, VHS, DVD, and other formats
A spokesman for the Pleasure Beach said: “The vast array of objects within this impressive collection outlines the success and impact the Spice Girls had upon popular music in the 1990s.
“As the first manufactured all-female chart group, the Spice Girls spawned the phrase ‘Girl Power’ and become five of the most photographed people in the world.”
The event, marking 20 years of the Spice Girls, comes in the same year the Pleasure Beach will celebrate its own landmark 120th anniversary .
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! entry costs £6 for adults, £5 for students, £4 for OAPs and £3 for children, free for under fours.
