Longest gum wrapper chain-world record set
by Gary Duschl
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, USA -- Gary
Duschl created a gum wrapper chain, measured at 61,988
feet (on Dec 11), using 1,462,066 gum wrappers and setting
the world record for the Longest
gum wrapper chain.
Duschl, originally from Canada, adds links to
the Longest
gum wrapper chain while he's watching football, hockey
or baseball on TV.
Gum wrapper chains were popular with
teenagers in the 1960s and Duschl said he was no exception.
On March 11, 1965, at age 14, he decided to make a chain that
would be the longest in his class.
"Then my competitive nature kicked in,"
Duschl said. He decided to make the longest chain in the school
and then the longest one in Waterdown, Ontario.
After seeing lengthy wrapper chains on
TV, he decided to make it the longest one in the world. He
achieved his goal in 1995 and every March 11, Duschl has the
chain measured by land surveyors.
A gum wrapper chain is a paper chain of
any length that is made of discarded wrappers from sticks
of chewing gum. Each wrapper can be used to make two chain
links.
This method will create thin links that
can easily slide over one another. It is possible to use an
intact wrapper, but this creates a bulkier link.
On his
site, Duschl posts the lyrics to the song Chewing Gum
Wrapper by Jonathan Richman. The song describes the joy of
finding discarded chewing gum wrappers and taking them home.
Gary
Duschl already had made it onto the Guinness list
of top 100 records for the decade and into the 2010 Guinness
World Records.
The previous Guinness world record
for the Longest gum wrapper chain was set by Leo Franzen from
West Union, Iowawith a 16,670 feet gum wrapper chain.
He has received e-mails and visits
to his Web
site and his video posted on YouTube
where he talk about the chain and teach
others how to make one. "I try to encourage competition,"
Duschl said.
Duschl says he doesn't much chew gum
anymore. He has help with that and asks people to send him
wrappers (only Wrigley's, please) from all over the world
(Gary Duschl Box 65464, Virginia Beach, Virginia USA, 23467).
His new goal, he said, is for the
Longest
gum wrapper chain to grow to 26 miles. "It's the length
of a marathon," Duschl said. He also said he expects more
gum wrappers to arrive in the mail to add to the chain, which
grows daily.
