The Wackiest & Most Shocking Guinness World Records

In the early 1950s, a higher-up at Guinness Brewery had an argument while out hunting. He and his hunting buddy disagreed over what was the fastest game bird. Long before the days of smartphones and Wikipedia, this type of data was hard to find – even reference books left it as a mystery.

Most people cut their fingernails a few times a month but others let them go for a few months – or years. Although there is no known limit to how long they can grow, Chris “The Duchess” Walton is known to have the longest fingernails according to Guinness.

McDonald’s famous Big Macs have been a culinary hit since they came out in 1968. Created by early employee Jim Delligatti, the burger featured three pieces of sesame seed buns mixed with two beef patties, signature sauce, and veggies.

Wing walking, for those who don’t know, is the act of standing on the wings of an airplane as it flies through the air. Most often they’re strapped in to avoid any potential injury. Regardless, it’s a pretty intense activity that seems to be a young person’s game.

Most people’s skin can stretch somewhat – and often more so as we age. However, is there a limit as to how far it can go? According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it can go at least as far as Garry Turner can stretch his.

When former nurse Elaine Davidson got her first piercing back in the early part of 1997, it was a transformative experience – so she got more, and more, and more. By May of 2000, she broke the Guinness Book of World Records for most piercings – a total of 462!

This might sound like an odd record to break – and an odd record to make in the first place. Who thought of it? Regardless of where the idea came from, it has arrived and brought plenty of competitors.

Circus goers might be familiar with the trick of passing a snake through your nose and out your mouth. It’s both fascinating and gross at the same time. Well, get ready to take it to the next level with metal coils.

Most people remember hula hooping as a kid, teen, or adult. It’s a fun activity that you do alone or with some friends. Sometimes, however, you do it with thousands of friends – especially if you’re trying to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records!

If you’ve ever wondered how many spoons you can put on a human body, well, we are proud to let you know that you’re not the only one! One person, in particular, has thought about it long and hard and decided to master it. 

How long do you think you could stand in direct bodily contact with snow? No warm clothes or hats, just a bathing suit at most? Most people guess a few minutes before they would want to warm up.

In February of 2013, a unique culinary record was set by a group of 52 chefs located in Costa Rica. Working together, they fried up nearly 3,000 pounds of Cantonese rice in a massive cooker (as you can see below).

This is definitely not something we recommend at home – leave it for the professionals. Now, many of us have tried juggling tennis balls, golf balls, or (in moments of daring) some eggs. However, how many have tried juggling chainsaws?

Who doesn’t love theme parks? The thrill of the roller coasters as they loop, curve, and dip is enough to get anyone’s adrenaline going. For some, however, that’s not enough. They need the extra thrill that comes from riding roller coasters naked.

Onions, like most vegetables, come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. There are the spherical ones and the bulb-shaped ones, the red ones, and the white ones. Most weigh a few ounces to (perhaps) a pound. However, are there any outliers?

There’s something fascinating about large groups of people doing the same thing at the same time. Sometimes that’s synchronized dancing or people clapping along at a football game or music concert. Other times, it’s people applying facial masks at the same time.

If you’ve ever grown a mustache, then you know that it can take a lot of maintenance. Most people get annoyed somewhere along the line and end up trimming it for convenience. Ram Singh Chauhan, however, never did that.

Since 1995 or so, the World Beard and Mustache Championships have been held every two years at locations across Europe and the US. The competition is broken into three main categories – mustaches, partial beards, and full beards.

Did you ever collect baseball cards or beanie babies when you were a kid? If so, then you’ll understand the joy that people get from collecting a large number of toys or objects. For some, that joy carries on into adulthood as they expand their collection.

Ever since the first Star Wars film came out in 1977, it has been a huge hit. Some megafans aren’t content just watching the films – they want to collect anything they can about it. Former Wall Street Journal employee Steve Sansweet is the king of mega fans.

Gurning, for those who don’t know, is the art of making a very distorted face – and in Britain, it’s widely celebrated! In fact, they have a venerable tradition called the Egremont Crab Fair that has been celebrating gurning (among other things) since 1267! That makes it one of the oldest fairs in the world.

Some people can wiggle their noses and ears, others (like Jim Carrey) have tremendous control over their eyebrows. Claudio Paulo Pinto’s unique ability is popping his eyeballs outside their sockets.

Pet owners love to dress up their dogs in cute bows, light jackets, or winter gear. As we’ve also seen from some of the above posts – for example, the “most simultaneous facial masks” – there are plenty of group activities that can lead to Guinness World Records.

The thought of being buried alive is a nightmare thought for most people. However, for the fakir (religious ascetic) Zdenek Zahradka of the Czech Republic, it’s a challenge! The picture below was taken after he finished beating the record. 

Samba, for those unfamiliar with it, is a music and dance style that’s popular in Brazil – so popular, in fact, that in 2007 it became a cultural heritage. Samba has been around since at least the early 20th century and has grown considerably since then.

Although the bagel was created by Polish Jews many hundreds of years ago, its popularity has spread far outside that community. Nowadays, bagels can be found on nearly every continent on earth. They can be found at fast-food restaurants and sandwich shops filled with cream cheese and other delicacies.

Most people want to stay as far away from bees as possible – their potential sting isn’t worth the risk. She Ping, a Chinese beekeeper, isn’t like most people. Instead of running away, he decided to stand very still and have bees cover his entire body.

The Mohawk hairstyle goes back a long time (perhaps a few thousand years), but it’s most commonly associated with punk music in the 1970s. The strand of hair in the middle is often seen as unwieldy, but how big can it get?

If you’ve ever helped to unfold a national flag before hoisting it up the flagpole, then you’ll know how large they can get. Often it takes two or three people to get the job done – but have there ever been national flags that took a lot more than that? 

The S.E.A. Aquarium, or Marine Life Park, in Singapore is an impressive building by any standard. As part of the Resorts World Sentosa, it features over 100,000 animals that come from over 800 different species. 

Congenital generalized hypertrichosis is a rare disease that causes people to grow an enormous amount of hair all over their bodies. What’s even rarer is to have multiple family members with the same condition.

In 1947, the 10-year old Allan Ganz joined his dad to sell ice cream. He continued on for the rest of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. In 1977, roughly 30 years after his start, he purchased his own ice cream truck and began driving it around Peabody, Massachusetts.

In 2006, the Guinness World Records determined that the suitcase below was the largest in the world. The massive piece of luggage was shown in Guangzhou, China as part of the 100th Chinese Export Commodities Fair.

Born in 1937, British woman Isobel Varley got her first tattoo at the age of 49. She attended a tattoo convention at ​​Hammersmith Palais in London and decided to give it a go. Soon, she was hooked. Over the succeeding decade, she spent over 500 hours under the tattoo gun getting over 200 different designs.

People wed in all different kinds of ways. Some prefer small private gatherings with close family, others a larger ceremony with aunts, uncles, and friends. Others, like the Sri Lankan couple Nisansala and Nalin, prefer Guinness World Record size celebrations.

A quick peck on the lips or cheek takes less than a second. A longer “we haven’t seen each other in a while” kiss might take a few seconds. But, what about the longest kiss ever held?

If you’ve ever used a bow and arrow, then you know how difficult it can be to hit the target. Lining it up perfectly and letting it rip doesn’t always work out. So, what about doing it with your feet?

In 2013 at the Kerry Hotel in Shanghai, China, a unique event was held. As part of a “Pink October” campaign, organizers put on a conference to raise awareness about breast cancer. To do so, they decided to create publicity by making the world’s largest ball pit.

In the latter part of 2008, the Albanian artist Saimir Strati was collecting and gluing corks – a lot of them. After 392 hours of work (14 hours a day for 28 days), Strati finally completed “Romeo with a crown of grapes playing the guitar while dancing with the sea and the sun.”

Christmas ornaments are a big deal for holiday goers all over the world. They love to decorate their trees with colorful balls, candy canes, and Christmas lights. Usually, they are made small enough to dangle from the tree, but have any massive ones been built?

When you’ve got an audience, you have to show off and wow them. Take it from the Moulin Rouge dancers of Paris who set the record for ‘most high-kicks by a single chorus line.’ They broke the old record – a measly 450 kicks.

To ordinary people, insurance is an investment to protect their family’s health and future, but for the rich and the famous, insuring personal assets such as their legs, waist, and tongue can be necessary for their careers. Troy Polamalu – a Pittsburgh Steelers safety – secured the title for ‘most highly insured hair.’

Rainbows symbolize new beginnings, equality, and a vibrant future, among other positive things. When around 31,000 students and faculty members in the Philippines united to create the biggest human rainbow, the world was overjoyed!

It’s no surprise that children can grow taller than their parents. There are times when a child is mistaken as the mother and vice versa because of a stark height difference. Check the photo below that features Swallow, a tiny cow from the West Yorkshire region of northern England.

What happens when the tiniest and tallest dogs meet? The former is the size of a bagel, while the other weighs more than the football star Eli Manning. The famous canines met and sized each other up in Central Park after being named the world’s tallest and tiniest dogs.

Professional “card stacker” Bryan Berg launched his 400-square-foot Key Card Hotel at the South Street Seaport. Made with over 200,000 Holiday Inn key cards, the amazing key card hotel has a life-size room, lobby, and bathroom.

How do you defy cold weather? Take it from a party of 116 ladies and gentlemen who gathered to support Fair Trade’s ‘Pants to Poverty’ cause. Interestingly, this cool group wears nothing but their underpants!

Have you ever tried speed dating? If yes, how did you feel about your exchange of rapid-fire chatter with potential romantic partners? Take a look at the photo below, and you’ll agree that the experience can be fun and exciting.

Can you imagine being greeted by the biggest bouquet on your special day? Sure, some of us have received large bouquets but not as massive as this birthday bouquet that earned a world record.

How do you spell New York in a very impressive way? The New York towing industry knew they had an edge as they attempted to set the world record for the biggest tow truck parade.

Since there’s a record for the fastest typist using a typewriter, it only made sense for a new record to be created for typing on a computer. In an attempt to set the first world record for the longest period of instant messaging on a computer keyboard, Norman Perez sat and continuously typed at his computer for four days!

To reach the peak of the tallest mountain is an incredible feat for professional and aspiring climbers. For Jordan Romero of California, it was an important achievement as it made him the youngest person ever to climb Mount Everest! The 13-year-old boy climbed the Earth’s highest mountain with his father and three Sherpa guides.

While the majority of the world records are standards you’d expect –  like the world’s tallest and shortest person – others are downright zany. To become an official record holder, this person arranged 900 tents on a beach in Qingdao, Shandong province in China. The feat was completed in October 2012.

Here’s another strange category that was invented to secure a title in the Guinness World Records. In June 2010, a large group of runners dressed in inflatable Sumo costumes and ran through Battersea Park, London. The aim was to raise funds for a charity that will benefit children’s education.

The picture below shows members of the Marynissen Estate Winery filling a four-foot-tall flute with wine during an Icewine Festival in Niagara Falls, Ontario in January 2011. More than 30 Ontario wineries poured twenty-seven liters of icewine into a massive version of an ice wine flute.

Fear of heights, anyone? Not for Samat Hasan of China, who successfully set the world record for aerial tightrope walking after failing in a previous attempt. As seen in the photo, the 24-year-old stuntman walked on a tightrope in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province on April 25, 2009.

Did you know that dogs are some of the most fascinating noisemakers on Earth? Their barks are not all created equal, but they have the ability to set a world record. As a matter of fact, a golden retriever named Charlie holds the Guinness World Record for the loudest bark.

We don’t know anyone who does not like getting a facial massage. It’s a refreshing skincare treatment after all. In May 2015, 1,000 customers were treated to a rejuvenating beauty treatment at a sports center in Jinan, China.

This one is dedicated to all the dessert lovers out there. The researchers of Guinness World Records identified the world’s most expensive dessert – the Frrrozen Haute Chocolate ice cream sundae, with a price tag of $25,000.

Jordan Michael Geller is the proud owner (and world record holder) of Shoezeum – a shrine to Nike that includes every model of Air Jordans ever made. In the photo, he can be seen happily posing with his collection of Nike Air Jordan Retro sneakers.