The Beginning...
The Cinderella Scholarship Pageant, founded in 1976 by Carl Dunn and Craig Toler, has grown into the largest and most prestigious pageant system of its kind in the world. It has set new standards of excellence in the youth pageant field. More than just a beauty pageant, Cinderella is a youth development scholarship program that offers many opportunities for achievement and recognition to deserving children, teens, and young adults. The pageant's high standards of excellence and principles have won the support of civic and service organizations, educators and the clergy from around the world.
With a strong belief that pageants without "pageantry" are nothing more than contests, Cinderella launched its first international finals in Dallas, Texas at the famous Dallas Apparel Mart with a production budget over $100,000. The elaborate extravaganza has been hailed as a milestone in the history of youth pageants; setting new heights for production standards.
After two successful years in Dallas, the pageant moved its international headquarters to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the fall of 1977, with its finals in the new multi-million dollar Riverside Centroplex Convention Center. From 1977 to 1982 the pageant grew to an enormous scope with the official preliminary events in over forty states and raised its prize segment from a meager $12,000 to over $55,000. The national telecast of the college-age division from Caesar's Palace in Lake Tahoe brought the pageant into national prominence as the foremost youth development program of its kind.
Unique with the pageant is the official Cinderella Modeling Music with electronic tones and signals designed to aid participants in their onstage modeling presentations. The idea of coordinating the modeling segment of the pageant has set Cinderella apart from ordinary pageant competitions.
The 80's & 90's...
In 1981 the pageant once again upgraded its international finals by designing three mammoth "storybook sets" for the colorful extravaganza. The sets included a quaint Cinderella's Village set for casualwear competition, an elegant Cinderella Ballroom set for partywear and a 30-foot tall Cinderella Castle set for the grand finals. In addition, the pageant created a 16-foot tall "Fairy Godmother's Dress" with over 900 yards of fabric and a giant "Pumpkin Balloon" as a centerpiece for a "Cinderella Fair."
The Cinderella Scholarship Pageant, founded in 1976 by Carl Dunn and Craig Toler, has grown into the largest and most prestigious pageant system of its kind in the world. It has set new standards of excellence in the youth pageant field. More than just a beauty pageant, Cinderella is a youth development scholarship program that offers many opportunities for achievement and recognition to deserving children, teens, and young adults. The pageant's high standards of excellence and principles have won the support of civic and service organizations, educators and the clergy from around the world.
With a strong belief that pageants without "pageantry" are nothing more than contests, Cinderella launched its first international finals in Dallas, Texas at the famous Dallas Apparel Mart with a production budget over $100,000. The elaborate extravaganza has been hailed as a milestone in the history of youth pageants; setting new heights for production standards.
After two successful years in Dallas, the pageant moved its international headquarters to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the fall of 1977, with its finals in the new multi-million dollar Riverside Centroplex Convention Center. From 1977 to 1982 the pageant grew to an enormous scope with the official preliminary events in over forty states and raised its prize segment from a meager $12,000 to over $55,000. The national telecast of the college-age division from Caesar's Palace in Lake Tahoe brought the pageant into national prominence as the foremost youth development program of its kind.
Unique with the pageant is the official Cinderella Modeling Music with electronic tones and signals designed to aid participants in their onstage modeling presentations. The idea of coordinating the modeling segment of the pageant has set Cinderella apart from ordinary pageant competitions.
The 80's & 90's...
In 1981 the pageant once again upgraded its international finals by designing three mammoth "storybook sets" for the colorful extravaganza. The sets included a quaint Cinderella's Village set for casualwear competition, an elegant Cinderella Ballroom set for partywear and a 30-foot tall Cinderella Castle set for the grand finals. In addition, the pageant created a 16-foot tall "Fairy Godmother's Dress" with over 900 yards of fabric and a giant "Pumpkin Balloon" as a centerpiece for a "Cinderella Fair."
