5 Guinness World Records Texas holds (Plus 5 Cool Guinness Records Held By Texans)
There’s no shortage of Guinness World Records accomplishments. We’re highlighting some of our favorites from Texas and its residents.
I visited Scotland earlier this year, and though it is very much a distinct place from Ireland, you can still order a pint of Guinness at most pubs. Someone in my group had never tried Guinness before. When a local heard this, he immediately slid his full glass over for my friend to try. He then teasingly criticized him for taking such a puny sip. It’s safe to say none of us earned anything in the Guinness World Records book that day.
Guinness World Records started from a discussion about the fastest game bird. Sir Hugh Beaver, then the managing director of the Guinness Brewery, proposed a promotional book that could help settle bar arguments such as the game bird quandary. He enlisted the help of fact-finding twins Norris and Ross McWhirter, and the book launched its first edition in 1955.
Over the following 70 years, Texans have earned several notable nods in the annals of Guinness World Records. And the Lone Star State itself has an impressive resume, too. Here are some of our favorites.
1. The heaviest ball of dog hair was created in Austin
From dog-friendly restaurants to boutique dog hotels, we love catering to our furry friends. That includes helping them set Guinness World Records. Sure, they might not know they’re doing it, but as long as they get treats, belly rubs, and plenty of verbal praise, they’ll feel celebratory all the same.
The Texas Hearing and Service Dogs groomed 8,126 dogs to produce the world’s heaviest ball of dog hair on April 7, 2012, with the very important collection overseen by a group of veterinarians. The record-setting furball weighed 201 pounds, or approximately 30 to 40 chihuahuas. Suddenly, a bit of light dog hair shedding onto the couch doesn’t seem so bad.
2. The largest fruit display was presented in Dallas
Comedian Sheng Wang has a terrific bit about having too many ripe avocados. One ripe avocado is “a moment of joy,” but a bag of five is a crisis. There’s simply not enough time to eat that many avocados! Just imagine Wang’s reaction to El Rio Grande Latin Market in Dallas, which collected an astonishing number to showcase.
As part of the city’s Cinco de Mayo celebration in 2024, El Rio Grande Latin Market had 301,000 avocados in one setting, earning a record for the largest fruit display. The display weighed 86,764 pounds and spanned a sizable section of the market. And you know some shoppers parsed through hundreds of options to find the perfect avocado.
3. The world’s largest Bowie knife is in Bowie
Anyone who’s ever taken a road trip through Texas knows that there are a ton of small towns scattered across the state. These places might only have a few hundred or thousand residents, but you can often find a quirky charm within them. Bowie, about 50 miles southeast of Wichita Falls, has a population of about 5,500. It’s also among the Guinness World Records holders.
In a delightful effort to promote the town, the Bowie Chamber of Commerce built the world’s largest Bowie knife. It’s 20 feet, six inches long, and lies in a park south of downtown, the blade neatly stabbing the ground. This is one “falling” knife that’s probably okay to try and catch; you won’t cut yourself, and it’s a pretty neat photo opp.
4. The tallest cowboy boot sculpture is in San Antonio
Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’” is a song about standing your ground and telling a love interest that you won’t be pushed around. Had Sinatra been singing about a pair of cowboy boots in San Antonio, the tune would transform into a bit of a horror story, with the enormous footwear clomping around town and squishing unsuspecting people.
That’s because the tallest cowboy boot sculpture in the world resides in San Antonio. Bob “Daddy-O” Wade built the stylish shoes, which North Star Mall purchased and Wade re-erected in January 1980. They still stand there proudly today, despite the occasional person living inside them. The cowboy boots, which set the Guinness World Record on November 4, 2014, are 35 feet, 3 inches tall, 33 feet, 4 inches long, and 9 feet wide. Upon laying eyes on these, the occasional issue of a shoe store not having a pair in your size feels like a silly concern.
5. Texas is home to the largest book ever published
Books are terrific for several reasons. Getting lost in a new world or discovering untapped topics is always exciting, and supporting creative writers is also wonderful. The portability of books is another plus, though their size isn’t always uniform. In the case of “I Am Texas,” you would have difficulty bringing it anywhere.
The book, a joint effort from the iWRITE Literacy Organization, The Bryan Museum, and Ordinary People Change the World, broke the record for the largest book published. It stands an impressive 7 feet tall and 11 feet wide, weighing 496 pounds—just under a quarter-ton. Sporting 400 pages, the book required a large-format UV printer. Simply picking up the book to turn it over while binding and hand stitching the pages called for six people. Can you imagine the paper cuts?
6. Antonio Romero Monteiro holds the largest collection of video games
You may be a fan of video games or have fond memories of playing something growing up. For me, it was the seemingly endless puzzle-solving and platforming in “Super Mario 64” and the multi-room capture-the-flag in “Halo.” Perhaps you’ve even visited the National Videogame Museum in Frisco. That’s cute, but you have nothing on Antonio Romero Monteiro.
The Richmond native earned his place on multiple Guinness World Records lists with his staggering collection of video games. As of December 19, 2021, the date of his official recognition, Monteiro had amassed 24,268 games, worth an estimated $2.1 million. He set records for the largest collection of video games overall, as well as the largest collection of items for Xbox, Sega, Nintendo, and PlayStation. That’s a grand total of five Guinness World Records.
Monteiro began his collection with a Sega Genesis at 10 years old. He was 45 when he got the record, which works out to an average of 693 games collected every single year. Get an in-depth look at the collection below.
7. Lois Gibson has drawn the most composite sketches that have led to positive identifications of criminals
The ability to draw anything is a nice talent. Being able to draw well enough based on other people’s descriptions to help catch criminals? That’s wildly impressive—and Lois Gibson has done that more frequently than anyone else. She decided to become a forensic artist after a man sexually assaulted her when she was 21 and living in Los Angeles. Gibson later saw that man being arrested and wanted to help other people get the experience of seeing justice.
Gibson attended the University of Texas at Austin and worked for the Houston Police Department. Her career spanned nearly 40 years, and she’s helped law enforcement solve cases that otherwise would have gone cold. The Guinness World Records confirmed her accomplishments in February 2024; her composites led to the positive identification of 1,313 criminals. For good measure, Gibson also drew the first composite sketch featured on “America’s Most Wanted.” And yes, the police caught the suspect.
8. Maci Currin has the longest legs for a woman
Being a teenager is difficult enough, what with the whole navigating school with growing responsibilities and a body that seems to rebel at every turn. Now, imagine that same setting with legs almost a meter and a half long. That’s what Maci Currin had to deal with. She experienced bullying in high school, with kids giving her the nickname of “Giraffe” because of her staggering height of 6’10”. Currin was a force on the volleyball court, and she quickly learned to brush off what other people thought. Soon after, she had a pair of Guinness World Records to her name.
Currin was 17 when she took home records for the longest legs (female) and longest legs on a teenager. She explored her record-setting capabilities after someone asked about custom leggings since they couldn’t find any in her size. Her legs make up about 60% of her body, and Currin has continued embracing her unique trait by posting on social platforms and encouraging self-love, earning a sizable following on TikTok.
9. Ben Duong ran the quickest half marathon while dribbling a basketball
I ran the Statesman Cap10K in April 2024. Many participants wore traditional running attire, remaining focused on finishing the race or setting a new personal best. I spotted one person in a full grackle outfit and chatted briefly with a man wearing an inflatable dinosaur suit after he ended up in last place in his fantasy football league. What I did not see was a man dribbling a basketball while still running coherently.
However, had I run the Austin Marathon two months earlier, in February 2024, I would have witnessed such a spectacle. Ben Duong teamed up with the San Antonio Spurs to get onto the Guinness World Records list. His accomplishment: the fastest half marathon while dribbling a basketball. Duong ran the half in 1:21:39, knocking off the previous mark by more than three minutes. That’s an average of six minutes and 14 seconds per mile. Duong was so fast that he finished 12th overall, and he was the only one dribbling a basketball along the way.
10. Rob Williams made the fastest sandwich using his feet
Making a sandwich can be a bit of an endeavor. Once you’ve decided the type of sandwich you want, you have to pick out the right bread, and then you may have to slice it. There are topping quantities to consider, or perhaps a condiment or two that requires delicate spreading. Even when you’re focused, preparing a meal worthy of eating might take a few minutes.
Or, you can be like Rob Williams and just run wild. He holds a record for the fastest sandwich made using his feet. The Austin native set the record on November 10, 2000, on the set of “Guinness World Records: Primetime.” With only his feet, Williams prepared a sandwich featuring two slices of bread, Oscar Meyer Bologna, cheese, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, pickles, mustard, and mayonnaise. The record included removing the bread and cheese from their packaging and getting rid of the rind on the bologna. Williams did it all in one minute and 57 seconds. What a feat!
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