Toothpicks in a beard? You’re shaking your head and thinking, “Is that really a thing?” We had the same thought. It is a thing, and it turns out it’s quite fascinating. Guinness World Records (GWR) contains a collection of weird things people all over the world do to get their 15 minutes of fame. If you can imagine it, there is probably a GWR category for it!
For 13-time record-holder Joel Strasser, this latest feat broke a record of his own. How many toothpicks did Joel poke into his substantial beard? The current record, just set, is 3,500 toothpicks. Joel explains (while adding toothpicks) that the technique for placing the toothpicks is the important part. Although this record is from July 7, 2018, Joel continues stuffing items in his beard to maintain his GWR standings.
One of the other amazing records Joel holds includes attaching the most Christmas baubles. He bested his previous record of 686 (2021) by attaching 710 in 2022. Joel has been decorating his beard for the holidays since 2019. Once the baubles are attached, his beard weighs about five pounds, and Joel says it can be difficult to remove the trinkets.
Joel also holds records for the most items stuck in his beard in the following categories: paper straws (534), most straws (312), chopsticks (520), golf tees (607), forks (126), pencils (456), clothespins (359). Sub-categories for some items include the most items put into a beard within one minute. Joel holds records for chopsticks (86) and pencils (59) in the timed arena.
We’re not certain that all our numbers are current because Joel breaks records at such a fast pace that it is difficult to keep up! One thing is certain for this Kuna, Idaho native — he has an amazing beard. Joel maintains an almost constant, and interesting, narrative while he systematically works installing toothpicks in his beard. We can see that he has found his niche in the record books!
When asked about his habit of sticking things in his beard, Joel told a local news channel, “Once I realized I’m the best in the world at sticking stuff in my beard, I decided to break as many record titles as I can.”
We’re sure as his beard continues to grow, Joel will continue stuffing it with all the things to continue compiling more records and breaking his current ones.
Watch the video of the toothpick record here:
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here
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