Miss World 1951

Kerstin "Kiki" Haakonson
SWEDEN

To show the world that Great Britain had recovered from World War II, the Festival of Britain was held in 1951. An amusement park was set up and visitors to Britain viewed and marveled at the latest technological advances set up in a separate exhibition hall. In line with the, festival organizers enlisted the help of Mecca Ltd. to promote the Festival. Mecca Ltd. was successful at putting up restaurants, dance halls and amusement establishments and Eric Morley was it's Publicity Relations Officer. It was Morley who thought the idea of putting up a beauty pageant as part of promotions. Dubbed the "Festival Bikini Contest", the event generated so much publicity that media soon dubbed the pageant as "Miss World", a title which Morley himself trademarked. This pageant was supposed to be a one-time event but as the Miss Universe pageant was set up in the United States, Morley decided to continue the pageant as an annual event. The five foreign and 21 British contestants at the first Miss World pageant wore bikini. Eric Morley stated that Sweden's Kiki Haakanson "filled a bikini more perfectly than anyone I have seen, before or since, and among all the Miss World winners she ranks as just about the most delectable." Kiki received a cheque for £1,000 and a pearl necklace. "Life" magazine thought that the pageant was worth enough to earn a photograph in its News of the Week section.