8 Guinness World Records Set in New York State
The Guinness Book of World Records is an amazing thing. I remember having a copy as a kid, and flipping through it and marveling at the pictures of The World's Tallest Man, or The World's Longest Finger Nails. It was like a circus sideshow that I could browse through and look at, at any time. Now mind you this was in the days before the internet, so seeing things like that without actually going to a Freakshow, could only happen on the pages of books.
Fast forward to now, and it seems like there is a world record for just about anything. So by the miracle of technology, I did some digging on the digital version of the 2022 Guinness Book of World Records and found some, that happened here in the Empire State.
World’s Largest Bagel – You’re gonna need a hell of a tub of cream cheese for this one. Troy, NY-based bagel company Bruegger's Bagels somehow put together an 868 lb bagel to set a new record for the World’s Largest Bagel, and they put it on display at the New York State Fair in Syracuse in 2004.
The Most People to Stomp Grapes at one time – In 1956, Jamestown New York’s own Lucille Ball made grape stomping famous in an episode of “I Love Lucy” In 2014 1,232 people gathered in Jamestown, NY to set the new grape stomping record, squishing the old mark by over 250 people.
The World’s largest Video Game Collection – This one was set right here in Buffalo, as a local resident was named as the Guinness World Record holder for the largest collection in the world in 2014. Sadly, that record now belongs to Antonio Romero Monteiro who owns more than 20,000 games!
The Most Lucy Look-A-likes – Back to the Southern Tier we go. Jamestown sure LOVES Lucy. Like really looovvvveessss Lucy. More than 900 look-a-likes, both men and women, gathered on Lucy’s 100th birthday and set the new world record at the Lucille Ball/Desi Arnex Center for Comedy.
The Largest Human Playing Card – When Central New York Casion was celebrating their 20th Birthday, they took the phrase “Go Big or Go Home” to heart. Back in 2013, 600 people gathered to make the world’s largest human playing card. The red and white-clad people gathered together to make an Ace of Diamonds.
The World’s largest Ice Maze – Another world record set here in the City of Good Neighbors! According to the Guinness World Records Website, “The maze was created by Roaming Buffaloes, a social networking club for Western New Yorkers. The maze's width was 25.85 m (84.80 ft) and the length was 46.21 m (151.60 ft). The height of the walls was 1.83 m (6 ft). The maze was constructed using 2,171 blocks of each, each weighing 136.08 kg (300 lb).
World’s Longest Basketball Game – In August of 2021, for Five Days. 23 Players. 24 Hours a day. The game clocked in at a world record of 120 hours and 2 minutes and put the classic Syracuse/UCONN 6 overtime thriller to shame, Not only did they break the record, but they also raised more than $60,000 for mental health charities across Western New York. The final score? 10,671 to 10,720. The number of triple-doubles must have been insane….
Longest Line of Pink Garden Flamingos – Technically at the moment, Buffalo is no longer home to the Guinness World Record for this one. The Record has bounced back and forth between Buffalo and Callawassie Island, South Carolina for the last few years since the record was first set in 2016.. Buffalo will take another stab at reclaiming the crown on June 21st, 2022.
5 Amazing Buffalo Music Moments You Didn’t Know About
10 Famous People You Didn't Know Lived in Buffalo
A Guide to Buffalo's Excellent Street Art That We Found