Ripley’s Believe It or Not! to Immortalize the World-Famous Mexican Vampire Woman

ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 14, 2011) – Like many women, Maria Jose Cristerna decided to get a makeover after a difficult chapter in her life – but no other woman in the world has gone through a makeover like this.     

Cristerna has transformed herself into a vampire, complete with fangs and horns on her head. She’s now known around the world as the Mexican Vampire Woman. What might be more amazing than her appearance is the fact that she’s a lawyer.  She’s a graduate of UNIVA, a private Catholic university in Mexico, and practiced law before starting her own business.

Ripley’s F/X team will make wax figures of wildly-transformed woman on September 16 

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! is bringing the Mexican Vampire Woman to its headquarters in Orlando, where Ripley’s F/X team will take body casts of her and create life-size figures for Ripley’s Believe It or Not! attractions around the world.

On Friday, September 16 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m., media are invited to meet Cristerna as the Ripley’s F/X team takes casts of her body. She speaks only Spanish, but a translator will be available.

Cristerna was motivated to transform herself after a period of domestic violence. She has titanium implants that serve as horns, fangs, multiple piercings, bright blue eyes and tattoos covering almost all her skin.

“I had the fangs done because I loved vampires as a little girl and I changed the color of my eyes so they were how I really wanted them to be,” she said in a recent interview.

Cristerna, 35, is the mother of four and works as a tattoo artist in Mexico.

“Maria is probably the most unusual woman in the world – certainly the most unbelievable that I have ever met!,” said Edward Meyer, Ripley’s VP of Exhibits and Archives. “It will take months of hard, meticulous labor, but our F/X department will bring Maria the Mexican Vampire Woman “to life” for our museum patrons around the world. Believe It or Not!”

Media contacts:

Tim O’Brien
VP Communications
Ripley Entertainment
615-646-7465 – office
615-496-5949 – cell

Obrien@ripleys.com

About Ripley Entertainment

Ripley Entertainment Inc. (www.ripleys.com), keepers of the venerable Ripley’s Believe It or Not! brand, is a global leader in location-based entertainment, entertaining more than 12 million annually at its 80-plus attractions in 11 countries.  In addition to its 31 Believe It or Not! Odditoriums, the Orlando, Florida-based company has publishing, licensing and broadcast divisions, best-selling books and the popular syndicated cartoon strip, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, that still runs daily in 42 countries. Ripley Entertainment is a Jim Pattison Company, the third-largest privately held company in Canada.