10,000 Pumpkins Set an Art World Record
The Nelson family of Sunnyfields Farm in Southampton, UK, always sets up a mosaic of seasonal gourds for their fall festivities. This year, they selected a scene from the Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is marking its 30th anniversary. The project used more than 10,000 pumpkins and took five hours to assemble -and that's after the meticulous planning. They weren't going for a record, but then realized that they might be eligible for a brand new Guinness World Record, that of the "largest Cucurbita mosaic." Cucurbita is the genus that gives us squash, including pumpkins. The record is determined by area, and not by the number of squash. This mosaic measures 193.35 square meters, or 2,081 square feet! On October 18, Sunnyfields farm was officially named the world record holder.
Tom Nelson says the farm has hosted world record-breaking pumpkins at their fall weigh-off, but they never thought they'd be in the running for one themselves, as the organic farm does not grow giant pumpkins. He tells us they used ghost pumpkins for the moon, crown prince squash for the sky, and gem rolet squash for the outlines. And of course, plenty of orange pumpkins. -via Metafilter ā
(Image credit: Guinness World Records)