Sweden strums its way to ukulele world record

Thousands gathered in Helsingborg, Sweden at the weekend to set a new world record for the largest ukulele ensemble.

On a sunny day in the city, 1,547 keen four-string strummers played along to the popular Swedish song Leende Guldbruna Ögon ('Smiling Gold brown Eyes'), made famous by the band Vikingarna.

The day started with musicians and stand-up comedians before the successful attempt kicked off at 6.30 pm.

The record attempt was part of an event organised by ABF, Folkuniversitetet and Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan, three educational institutions in Sweden, and took place in the city's main park where people gathered with picnics in the sunshine.

Meet Harbor - The new dog with the longest ears in the world

A Black and Tan Coonhound named 'Harbor', aged 8, from Boulder, Colorado, USA, has earned a spot in the upcoming Guinness World Records 2012 Edition for having the Longest Ears on a Living Dog.


Owned by Jennifer Wert, Harbor's left and right ears measure 12.25 inches and 13.5 inches respectively.


As a puppy Harbor would struggle with his colossal ears; frequently causing him to trip over them and roll down stairs.


Now at the age of 8 the purebred has grown into his ears (only occasionally tripping over!), the only trouble being caused by the attention he receives from members of the public.

Jennifer explains: "Cars will literally stop in the street to take a closer look and get a picture. Often strangers will tug his ears which he really doesn't enjoy!"


Contrary to popular belief, this particular breed's long ears are for smelling and not enhanced hearing. When moving around Harbor's ears will fall into a rhythm that helps sweep scents into his nose.

Jennifer goes on to say: "Most days I forget how oddly long his ears are. He's a phenomenon in the world and he creates smiles wherever we go."


Harbor takes the new title from Tigger (13.5 inch ears), a bloodhound from Illinois, who sadly passed away of old age two year ago.


Harbor's ear-span is greater than the height of the world's shortest man - Junrey Balawing (PHL) is 23.5 in!

Harbor's ear-span is wider than the smallest road-legal car - Perry Watkin's 'Wind Up' (UK) is 26 inches wide!


You could fit the world's shortest dog (Brandy (US), 6in long) comfortably on each of Harbor's ear twice!


For more amazing record breaking animals plus the latest records in science, nature, sport, entertainment and everything else, check out the upcoming Guinness World Records 2012 Edition on the 15th of September.

Your questions answered about this year’s edition

With the release of our latest and greatest annual book, "Guinness World Records ™2012", barely a week away, we thought it the ideal time to answer some of your questions about the year's edition.


Here's what you told us you wanted to know through our Facebook page and Twitter feed:


"Are there any new records?"

Nadia Kajee asked this, and Laura Castro similarly wanted to know how many records the book contains in total. Well - the book contains over 4000 records, of which over half are either new categories, or new record holders.


The book also contains over 900 brand new photos, and hundreds of facts about what the average person eats, drinks, and does in a lifetime. Did you know you'll eat 53kg of insects accidentally during your life?


"Am I in it?"

Many of you (including: Stephen Kish, Mason Pye, Nishant Choudry, Mike White, Peter Barlow, Thanesh Gurgain, and Zach Wong, to name just a few) wanted to know if the records they hold appear in this edition of the book.


While I do know for certain (I have a copy open on my desk right now!), I'm afraid you're going to have to just wait and see for yourselves!


Note that while we couldn't possibly fit every record into the book each year, all current records are considered for inclusion, and we try to mix things up each year, such that as many different record holders as possible get the chance to see their names in print.


"What's the weirdest record in the book?"

An interesting question from Haley Anderson, here. I'm afraid I can't give you any details just yet, but you will shortly be hearing about a brand new record holder with something of a penchant for piercings, who is certainly one of the more unusual characters in this edition…


"Can I have a copy for free?"

A cheeky question from both Kole Townsend and Kevin Garcia! While we certainly can't give a copy away to everyone who asks us for one, we will be running book giveaways on Facebook, Twitter, and here on our website in due course, so there will be opportunities for some of you to win a copy.


"When is the Gamer's Edition book coming out?"

Another question from Mason Pye - our other annual book, one focussing on record-breaking achievements in the world of video games, will be released in January 2012. Closer to the time we'll announce an exact date, and give you more of a taste of what to expect.


"When is the book released in my country?"

An important question, Ahnaf Nizar! Seeing as we have to translate the book into numerous different languages, then print and send out millions of copies across the globe, the release date is not the same in every country. Here are the current scheduled release dates for GWR 2012 (note these may be subject to change):
USA & Canada - September 13 th
UK - September 15 th
Australia - September 15 th
Germany - September 15 th
Norway - September 15 th
The Netherlands - September 15 th
Belgium - September 15 th
Turkey - September 15 th
Hungary - September 15 th
Portugal - September 15 th
Russia - September 15 th
Czech Republic - September 15 th
Slovenia - September 15 th
Croatia - September 16 th
Finland - September 16 th
Sweden - September 20 th
Brazil - October 1 st
Denmark - October 2 nd
Italy - October 4 th
France - October 5 th
Greece - October 7 th
Spain - October 13 th
Argentina - October TBC
Colombia - November 15 th
Israel - TBC
Japan - TBC
South Africa - TBC

Mexican dancers set new world record in Guadalajara

Hundreds of dancers took to the floor in Guadalajara at the weekend to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest Mexican folk dance.

The attempt took place on Saturday in the Plaza Liberacion in front of the famous/old Teatro Degollado in the western state of Jalisco as part of the 18th annual Mariachi and Charreria Festival.

The soundtrack to the folk ball was provided by over 300 mariachis from Mexico, Argentina and Colombia.

While a minimum requirement of 250 participants wearing tradition costumes were required for a new record to be set, an impressive 457 dancers took part.

While the dancers were only required to perform for five minutes, they continued for a further five to traditional Mexican songs like 'Guadalajara', 'El Jarabe Tapatio' (The Guadalajara Jarabe Dance), and 'El Son de la Negra' (The Dark Girl's Music)

The event was organised by the city's chamber of commerce to promote Mexican culture, and marks the third time that the department has broken a record, following successful attempts at the most people twirling lassos and the largest gathering of mariachis.

Miguel Alfaro Aranguren, board president said : "It's the way for the world to get to know our traditions - mariachi music, tequila and our folklore".

Alfaro says plans are now afoot for a record attempt at the greatest number of people drinking tequila simultaneously for the next festival.

Record-breaking lantern sculpture lights up Hong Kong

Hong Kong's signature glow may well be neon, but a different type of light illuminated the city's Victoria Park at the weekend during a successful attempt at building the largest ever sculpture made from lanterns.

The record-breaking fish-shape construction was made from 2,360 traditional Chinese lanterns, and took 35 people 13 days to build.

Measuring 36.52 x 9.63 x 13.20m ( 119.82 x 31.59 x 43.31 ft), the sculpture formed the centrepiece of the Lee Kum Kee Lantern Wonderland carnival in the park marking Hong Kong's Mid-Autumn Festival.

Created by local designer William Lim, the sculpture was built using a traditional bamboo scaffolding technique.

This massive lantern was the result of a local design competition, organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and supported by the Ambassadors of Design (AoD), Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA) and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA), with sponsors Lee Kum Kee covering the sculpture's production costs.

Is this monster crocodile the biggest of all time?

Hunters claim to have captured a record-breaking 21-foot monster crocodile in the Philippines.

The saltwater beast was caught by a team of 30 men on Saturday in the town of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur province on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao following a marathon three-week hunt.

Snared using meat bait and a metal cable, if the measurements are validated the reported 600kg croc would be the largest of its kind in captivity.

The massive reptile has been transferred to a nature park close to where it was caught, where it is now said to be the star attraction.

Guinness World Records™ officials are currently awaiting further evidence in order to verify if a record has been broken.

The current record for the largest crocodile in captivity was set by Cassius in 2008, an Australian saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), measuring 5.48 m (17 ft 11.75 in).

The largest croc of all time is Sarcosuchus imperator, a prehistoric species which lived around 110 million years ago.

Recent fossilised remains found in the Sahara Desert suggest that this creature took around 50-60 years to grow to its full length of around 11-12 metres (37-40 ft) with its maximum weight of around 8 tonnes.

New record set for most teleportation illusions in one minute

Magician Lee Hang Chai has set a new Guinness World Records™ record for the most teleportation illusions performed in one minute.

Lee, who is also a Hong Kong police man as well a magician, had originally set a record of five illusions in 60 seconds during an attempt in June at Tai Po Mega Mall in Hong Kong.

However, Lee went one better by managing to cram in six illusions within the allotted one minute period during a recording of the show CCTV-Guinness World records Special in Beijing, China last month.

Guidelines for the record require that each teleportation illusion performed must be totally different from any of the others in the routine and that they must all take place in a continuous flow.

In the video below we see Lee recreate his original record-breaking five-illusion routine in Hong Kong earlier this year.