A 6‑year‑old from Alabama made headlines when he flew across the country to win a Kevin McCallister lookalike contest at New York’s Plaza Hotel.
The Contest and the Winner
The Plaza Hotel hosted the finals of a Kevin McCallister lookalike contest on Sunday morning. Landon Collins, a resident of Alabama, was announced as the winner. Collins traveled from his home state to the iconic Manhattan hotel, a location where scenes from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York were filmed.
Collins was celebrated for his resemblance to the film’s protagonist, but the only notable difference was that his family joined him in the competition.
Grand Prize Details
As the champion, Collins received an overnight stay at the Plaza Hotel and the full “Home Alone: Fun in New York” package. The package includes a limousine ride around New York City, a cheese pizza, and a 16‑scoop ice‑cream sundae. Collins said he is most excited about the limousine ride and pizza.
> “Cause you have a cheese pizza,” he said, “and it’s big.”
The sundae will be shared with his sister Lily and younger brothers Leo and Lewis. Mother Olivia Lindsey laughed, “We’ll dish it out on them, too.”
Contest Origin and Participants
The contest was announced in late November by Qiviuk Boutique, a handcrafted knitwear shop that sells replicas of the Kevin McCallister winter hats. The boutique collaborated with digital creator New York Mickey. Contestants aged 12 and under could submit photos via e‑mail or visit the shop to try on a Kevin hat and perform a Kevin impersonation.
President Fernando Alvarez explained the motivation:
> “We’ve been handcrafting these beautiful hats for about a year and a half and we realized that the hat itself brings memories and experiences to kids. The movies really resonate with holiday time, with family time. We thought to enhance the experience we should have a lookalike contest because every kid in the bottom of their heart feels like Kevin: adventures, being able to fend for themselves, be in a big city.”
Five finalists were invited to the Plaza on Sunday. At the final round, they received hot chocolate and were serenaded with Christmas carols by Hannah Adams, Benjamin Brooks and Paulina Reyes, music‑theater students at Marymount Manhattan College.
Each finalist received a complimentary Kevin hat and was asked to perform one of the character’s famous lines from the Home Alone movies.
Performances
Collins performed the classic line, “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.”
Runner‑up Cole Tomanek, standing in front of a backdrop of the McCallister house brought by his family from Massachusetts, delivered the line, “You guys give up or you thirsty for more?” His sister Kyla, dressed as Harry from the Wet Bandits, completed the scene.
Seven‑year‑old Anderson Forman from Long Island, New York, did Kevin’s famous eyebrow raise and said, “My family is in Florida and I’m in New York.” He also crafted a replica Talkboy recorder using Magna‑Tiles, Legos and other accessories applied to an old cassette player.
> “This was the hard part,” he said. “I found an old music player and you have to put something in it to make it play music. I used Magna‑Tiles and glued it here and then we spray painted the whole thing.”
How the Family Got Involved
Collins first learned about the contest when his grandmother, Mimi, visited New York in November. She heard about the contest on the radio while en route to the airport.
> “She texted me and said, ‘Can we enter Landon?’ and I said, ‘Of course!’” Lindsey recalled. “He is a big ‘Home Alone’ fan, but our Mimi is just a bigger fan of New York in general.”
After submitting Collins’ photo, he was named a finalist. The family, who enjoys traveling, booked a flight to New York for a quick two‑night stay.
> “There was never really a doubt that we were just gonna hurry up, get our plane tickets and be gone,” said Collins’ grandmother Misty King. “And it was perfect. It all worked out because it was meant to be.”
Family’s First Trip to New York
Collins commented on his first experience in the city:
> “It’s very, very snowy,” he said, noting that the day before the city’s first winter storm had dropped a coating of snow on the area.
Lindsey described the trip as a “Christmas miracle” and highlighted how different New York feels from home.
Future Plans
Grand prize winner Landon Collins and his family will return to the Plaza in 2026 for an overnight stay. They will later head back to Alabama, where the skies are so blue, and plan a full stay at the Plaza Hotel in the new year.
> “Set traps,” Collins said, referring to the Wet Bandits Harry and Marv.
Key Takeaways
- Landon Collins, a 6‑year‑old from Alabama, won the Plaza Hotel Kevin McCallister lookalike contest.
- The winner receives an overnight stay, a limousine ride, pizza, and a 16‑scoop ice‑cream sundae.
- The contest was organized by Qiviuk Boutique in partnership with New York Mickey, with finalists performing iconic lines from Home Alone.
The story showcases how a simple contest can bring families together across states and create memorable holiday experiences in one of New York’s most famous hotels.
