PulseJournal.com

Luke Hanbury of Liberty Twp. began his fascination with the Nickelodeon show "Spongebob SquarePants" two years ago while watching it on a road trip.

"We gave him a video and he has been hooked ever since," his mom, Carole, said.

Now everything Luke has, from his sheets to his soccer ball, is Spongebob.

But this year, Luke can add something else to his collection. He was one of 10 recipients from around the country to win a national contest sponsored by the toy company Lego and the creators of the Spongebob cartoon.

The contest required entrants to write a brief essay describing what they would do if they could have a 15-inch Lego Spongebob in their hometown.

Luke wrote that he could give Spongebob a three-state tour: Kentucky for the Newport Aquarium, Indiana for a Lego shopping spree and Ohio for a trip to Kings Island.

Luke first saw the contest in his Lego Magazine last April and with the help of his Dad, Scott, quickly got to work writing his essay. Luke said, "I like Spongebob and Legos and thought it would be a good idea."

Along with winning the Lego Spongebob doll Luke also received several boxes of Spongebob goodies that included everything from Spongebob apparel to stuffed animals.

Lego Spongebob first began his tour of the country at the Lego headquarters in Connecticut.

On July 21, 8-year-old Luke got to take Lego Spongebob on a tour with his family of the Cincinnati area that included a trip to the Newport Aquarium to visit the penguins and the new shark exhibit.

"The aquarium was my favorite part. We got to see real live penguins and it was pretty cool," Luke said.

While Luke's 5-year-old sister, Hannah, pushed the Spongebob around in a stroller, the family explored King's Island, where Lego Spongebob got to meet the life-size version of himself. They also went to a Red's game and got to meet the Mayor of Cincinnati, Mark Mallory.

The journey, however, is not over for Luke. He is one of 10 finalists, and has a chance to win a grand prize that includes a 4-foot-tall Spongebob doll for having the greatest Spongebob weekend adventure.