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Guinness World Records collects a hodgepodge of some of the globe’s most impressive and unlikeliest accomplishments. Among the many record-holders are those who set out to establish dominance in some of the wackiest categories imaginable, from “most spoons balanced on the body” to “farthest distance squirting milk from the eye.” Some of these categories may even leave you wondering who came up with the idea for the record in the first place. Here are six of the weirdest Guinness World Records we could find.
Most Spoons Balanced on the Body
Spoons are a commonplace household item, but for one man, they were also tools for setting a seemingly unbreakable world record. Meet Abolfazl Saber Mokhtari, an Iranian man who holds the Guinness World Record for most spoons balanced on the human body. Mokhtari earned himself a spot in the record books by balancing 85 spoons on his person on December 24, 2021. He claimed that he “noticed this talent of [his] when [he] was a kid,” though admitted it took many more years of practice for him to transform into the world-record-holder that he is today.
Mokhtari’s efforts shattered the previous record of 64 spoons held by Marcos Ruiz Ceballos of Spain. However, Mokhtari’s path to victory was far from easy: Due to the humidity in the air, spoons began to slip off his body around number 80. But in the end, he managed to successfully balance 85 utensils on his bare body. Mokhtari’s talent isn’t limited to just spoons, either — he claims these balancing skills extend to plastic, glass, fruit, wood, and even other humans.
Most Toilet Seats Broken by the Head in One Minute
Kevin Shelley may not look superhuman, but this German man possesses a powerful forehead unlike any other. In fact, Shelley’s cranium is so strong that he used it to set the record for most wooden toilet seats broken with the head in one minute. On September 1, 2007, Shelley shattered a staggering 46 toilet seats with his forehead over the course of just 60 seconds, toppling the previous record of 42.
Prior to this feat, Shelley was known as an acclaimed martial artist who held several other records for breaking things with a forehead strike. He was invited by Guinness to attempt the toilet-seat challenge based on his reputation, and did so on a German television show. Though only 46 toilet seats were shattered within the allotted time frame, Shelley broke an additional two after the buzzer went off. According to Shelley, it wasn’t the forehead smashing that exhausted him most, but rather running down the line of toilet seats to accomplish the record as quickly as possible.
Fastest Bathtub
Toilets aren’t the only bathroom fixtures to make their way into Guinness World Records. In 2015, a Swiss man by the name of Hannes Roth piloted a lightning-quick motorized bathtub that set the world record for fastest bathtub. Roth spent over 300 hours creating the speedy appliance, placing a tub atop a go-kart chassis and outfitting it with a 120-horsepower engine. For added realism, Roth even affixed a long metal shower head dangling above the bathtub. After his construction work was done, Roth took the tub out for a spin at a test track in Vauffelin, Switzerland. He averaged speeds of 116.08 miles per hour throughout his two fastest runs, reaching maximum speeds of 118 in his seventh run. Those totals were later verified by Guinness on May 6, 2016, and then enshrined in the record books.
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Farthest Distance Squirting Milk From the Eye
Ilker Yilmaz may not be a household name, but in the dairy world he’s a legend. That’s because Yilmaz holds the record for farthest distance milk has been squirted from the eye. Yilmaz accomplished the feat at Istanbul, Turkey’s Armada Hotel on September 1, 2004, successfully launching a stream of milk out of his eye socket a total distance of 9 feet, 2 inches. Yilmaz’s accomplishment surpassed the previous record of 8.745 feet, set by Mike “The Milkman” Moraal, which had stood since 2001. As for Yilmaz’s technique, it involved pouring the milk into his hand, snorting it up his nose, and then launching it at what proved to be a record distance.
Most Canned Drinks Opened by a Parrot in One Minute
It’s not just humans who can be Guinness World Record holders — animals can too. Meet Zac the Macaw, a parrot in San Jose, California, who opened a record 35 cans of soda in just one minute. Zac accomplished the feat on January 12, 2012, but that’s not all Zac can do. This parrot can bike, skateboard, and roll over, and he even holds an entirely different Guinness World Record in another category! That’s right, Zac the Macaw famously set the bar for most basketballs slam-dunked by a parrot in one minute, showing that this parrot can do it all.
Heaviest Onion
In some villages throughout the United Kingdom, onion-growing competitions are a local tradition. But according to Guinness, no man has ever grown a more sizable onion than Tony Glover. On September 12, 2014, Glover’s mighty bulb weighed in at 18 pounds, 11.84 ounces at North Yorkshire’s Harrogate Autumn Flower Show. This impressive weight was good enough for the vegetable to be enshrined in Guinness as the heaviest onion ever.
While only one onion stands atop the list in its category, other farmers have entered the record books with other gargantuan veggies. Christopher Qualley’s 22.44-pound carrot broke records in 2017, a record-shattering head of broccoli weighed in at 35 pounds in 1993, and in 1990, the world’s heaviest zucchini tipped the scales at a staggering 64 pounds, 8 ounces.
Bennett Kleinman is a New York City-based staff writer for Optimism Media, and previously contributed to television programs such as "Late Show With David Letterman" and "Impractical Jokers." Bennett is also a devoted New York Yankees and New Jersey Devils fan, and thinks plain seltzer is the best drink ever invented.
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