It is human nature to want to excel – to make a name for oneself, distinguish oneself and set a record. Just when we thought we’ve heard them all – the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the slowest, the strongest, and the weakest, here comes this new crop of records that are nothing short of bizarre. Here are 10 of the weirdest records as noted in the Guinness World Records.
Most People Dressed as Superheroes
Who doesn’t love superheroes? As children, we’ve all our favorites. What if all your superheroes were to assemble at one place? Fantastic, right? That is what Paramount Studios thought when they decided to movie ‘Megamind’ by Dreamworks in Los Angeles, California (U.S.A), on October 2, 2010. The movie starring Brad Pitt, Will Ferrell, and Tina Fey was promoted by a mega event in which over 1,580 participants dressed as different superheroes and set a new Guinness World Record. Most of them were fans of DC Comics, it seems.
Longest Time Spent Instant Messaging
Parents and teachers have been complaining about it for almost a decade now. Health studies are telling us how instant messaging is getting to our language and attention spans and even affecting our relationships. Norman Perez of California, the U.S., decided to challenge all these theories and pick up a bizarre Guinness World Record on the go. He spent 96 hours (4 days) straight at his computer to set the record for Longest Time Spent Instant Messaging. Perez did take a 5-minute break every hour in keeping with the Guinness Book of World Records.
Fastest Typing with the Nose
Most computer or mobile users type fast thanks to long hours of practice. This gentleman from New Delhi, India, however, took typing to an all new level. Vinod Kumar Chaudhary types with his nose and holds the Guinness World Record for fastest typing with the nose. On September 2, 2015, he typed the text “Guinness world records have challenged me to type this sentence using my nose in the fastest time” in 46.3 seconds. Working out of the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in New Delhi, he set out to break the previous record in this category held by Mohd. Khursheed Hussain (set in 2014).
Most Straws Stuffed in Mouth
Straws are pretty commonplace. We use them to sip soda. Children often like playing with them. Sometimes, straws are stuck together to make up unique models and parents struggle to keep small children from stuffing straws in their mouth. In 2009, straws served a unique purpose – to set a Guinness World Record. Simon Elmore from the U.K. set a record in Bavaria, Germany, at the Mark ‘n’ Simon Show by stuffing 400 straws in his mouth and holding them for 10 seconds without any support. The record was set on August 6, 2009.
Largest Tug of War Tournament
Haven’t we all loved a hearty tug of war tournament as kids? But taking the ubiquitous tug of war to the next level is the 17th annual Mud Tug held at the Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, U.S. Some 1,574 participants took sides in the world’s largest tug of war tournament. The best part of the tournament is that all the proceeds were donated to charity. The Phi Kappa Psi New York Theta teamed up with the Zeta Tau Alpha to achieve this record.
Largest Shoe
The record for the world’s largest shoe goes to the shoe manufactured by the Electric Sekki (Hong Kong) from Hong Kong in China. The record dates back to 12 April 2013. The world’s largest shoe measures 20 feet 11.97 inches or 6.4 meters long, 7 feet 10.09 inches or 2.39 meters wide and is about 5 feet 4.96 inches or 1.65 meters high. Modeled on the Superga 2750 shoe, this giant footwear was created to commemorate the launch of Superga by the company. Previously, the record was held by a 17 feet long, 8 feet wide dress shoes from the Philippines in 2002.
Most People in One Pair of Underpants
We all own them, we all wear them, but we never share them. For those who thought underpants were some of the most intimate articles of clothing; think again. Over 314 people squeezed themselves into one pair of underpants in Coventry, United Kingdom when the University of Warwick Jailbreak Society decided to make a difference and launch the annual jailbreak charity event of the university with a bang. The record was set on November 1, 2014. The previous Guinness World Records noted 304 people in a giant pair of underpants.
Largest Skinny Dipping (Swimming Naked)
Australia is best-known for its golden sandy beaches and for its pristine waters. Most of these are intimate and skinny dipping is permitted. Not willing to be left out from the map of bizarre records, 786 participants went on to swim naked in South Beach in Perth on March 8, 2015. The participants made a wonderful attempt to promote positive body image and highlight the effects of eating disorders. The event was organized by The Fig Group of Australia and is estimated to have raised about USD 10,000 in favor of The Butterfly Foundation.
Largest Gathering of Santa’s Elves
Who doesn’t love Christmas? And did you say gift-bearing Santa is your favorite thing about Christmas? Spare a thought to all the elves back at the North Pole working round the year to bring children just the right toy. On November 25, 2014, the elves decided it was time to be heard or seen at any rate. Over 1,762 participants dressed as Santa’s elves gathered for an event in Bangkok, Thailand. The event was organized by the Siam Paragon Development Company Limited. While the initial idea was to get in more elves, about 14 were disqualified for wearing the wrong costume.
Largest Commercially Available Hamburger
The last on our list but perhaps the favorite of hamburger lovers across the world is the record for the largest commercially available hamburger. This burger features on the menu of Juicys Outlaw Grill, managed by Juicys Foods and Ovations Foodservices from Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. The largest commercially available hamburger weighs some 777 lb or 352.44 kg and was first made available on July 2, 2011. It is not available on a walk-in order though and takes 48 hours’ notice to be made available. Prior to this, this record was held by Mallie’s Sports Grill & Bar of Southgate, Michigan, for their 338 lb burger.