The Grossest World Records
Callus Collection ----------------- Florence Franklin of Peoria, IL, holds the record. As of Sept 12 1992, Florence had over 200 pounds of callus (sheets of hardened skin) in her collection. "I shave it off people," Florence told us. "They don't mind. Some people even autograph the big pieces."
Infestation of Mites (Group) ----------------- This record belongs to the 3,859 residents of Kildare, Montana. In 1989, visiting doctors certified that every person in the town was suffering from scabies, a skin disease caused by mite infection. "The mites seemed to be jumping from one person to another," the mayor of Kildare told us, "so we decided to get together and go for the record."
Snail-Sucking (Live) ----------------- Armand Forcalquier, of Marseille, France, holds the record. In a contest held on Feb 12 1992, Armand sucked down 1,238 live snails in a little over 4 hours. "It was not easy," Armand boasted after he learned the record was his. "They cling to their shells, but they can't get away from me."
Nose Stuffing (Limburger Cheese) ----------------- Hans Kleiber, of West Berlin, holds the record. In a contest held on May 1 1986, Hans managed to stuff 13 ounces of limburger into his nostrils in less than a minute. Hans' closest competitor gagged on nine ounces and was disqualified.
Raw Kidney (Eating) ----------------- Alice Caldwell of Butte, Montana, holds the record. On Oct 22 1991, Alice gobbled up more than 14 pounds of raw veal and lamb kidneys. "Kidneys are a good source of protein and vitamins," Alice told us. "If you cook them, you lose some of the vitamins. As you can see, I don't care about the record - I care about my health."
Roach (Largest) ----------------- Rita Carlson, of Pasadena, CA, claims the record for having raised the world's largest roach. Her record-setting roach is over a foot long and weighs close to two pounds (1992). "Plenty of protein," Rita told us, "and plenty of good, natural vitamins helped to make this roach into a champion. You should have seen it when I first found it crawling around my kitchen." There are a couple more roach records. One is highest paid for a roach named Lassie II ($112,450) and longest living (Lassie, 12 years). Both roaches came from roach aficionado Sheila Biderman. About the oldest roach, Sheila reports that "She's like one of the family. If she ever gets too old to poke around food by herself, you can bet I'll do the humane thing and step on her, record or no record."
Socks (Continuous Wear) ----------------- Andy Schwartz, of Glen Ridge, NJ, claimed the record in 1989. In a sworn statement, Andy's wife declared that he had worn the same socks every day for twenty years and 114 days. In 1983, shoe stores throughout New Jersey banned Andy from their premises. Since then he has purchased his shoes through the mail. Andy plans to remove the socks and take a look at his feet in 1999.
Tapeworm (Longest) ----------------- Sally Mae Wallace of Great Grits, Mississippi, holds the record. On Sep 5 1991, doctors extracted 37 feet (continuous) of tapeworm from Sally. "About after 20 feet of that thing had come out of my mouth," Sally told us, "I just knew I had the record. I was really filled with joy."
Tongue (Hairiest) ----------------- Selma Ruby, of Dallas, Texas, holds the record. Selma's tongue is fully covered with hair (1992). "I've been thinking about having it removed by an electrolysist," Selma told us, "though lately people have been telling me that it's beautiful."
Underarm Hair (Length) ----------------- Florence Floss of Ban, Idaho, holds the record. On July 15 1992, the hair growing out of Florence's left armpit stretched to a length of 34 inches. This was more than enough for a record, but Florence hopes to have a yard of hair dangling from her armpit soon. "I shave the other armpit," Florence reported to us.
Feet (Smell) ----------------- On Aug 21 1991, Wanda Lake, 18, broke the record held by George David. Wanda removed her shoes in the crowded lobby of a Los Angeles theatre. In the five minutes that followed, the lobby was a chaotic mass of panic-stricken people trying desperately to escape. In the end, 42 people were sick, and 14 others had passed out.