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The world's biggest roadside attractions run the gamut from a huge artichoke in California to a giant chest of drawers in North Carolina to giant tires in Michigan. See more pictures of strange tourist attractions.
You really need to be the largest in the world if you want to get anywhere. If you're not the world's largest, then what are you? The biggest in the country? The state? The county? Somehow the title "Biggest Lava Lamp in Bumpkin County" doesn't quite cut it.
So, with the importance of the title "World's Largest" established, there are a few strategies that can be implemented to attain it. You can create an object that is the world's largest in one of three ways:
- Build it over time, by accumulation of twine or antlers or virtually anything, and craft it into a shape of some kind, most commonly a ball.
- Choose a household object, an animal, or something else, and make sure nobody is currently claiming to have the world's largest specimen of said choice, then build a big one. The bigger, the better.
- The third strategy is by far the most dastardly: Find an existing roadside item that is touted as the world's largest, and build a bigger one. You might put your opponent to shame; you might even start a war.
After you've chosen what exactly will be scaled up to monster proportions and just how you will make sure it is indeed going to be the world's largest of its kind, then it's time to acquire the necessary materials.
If you've adopted the first strategy, your path is clear: Never again throw away the material in question, whether it be aluminum foil or chewing gum, and request that everyone you know follow suit.
On another tack, the object can be carved out of a chunk of stone or wood or molded from concrete or metal, but the result is somewhat unwieldy. Remember, we're talking about very large items -- it will be nearly impossible to move the finished product if it's solid rock.
If eventual relocation is even a remote possibility, a mesh and papier-mâché construction is likely your best option.
Then build the thing, getting as much help as you can. Making even the smallest world's largest object is a serious task, especially if you mean to firmly entrench said object as the world's largest for long.
If the result ends up too small, it will likely inspire others to poach your world's largest concept. If that's going to happen, you at least want to make their lives difficult.
Once you've built it, your work has only begun. Maintaining the world's largest of anything is an ongoing chore that requires a good deal of paint, especially in harsh climates.
Promotion is another necessity -- you need to communicate to the car-bound masses that the world's largest hockey stick or pencil sharpener or rubber band ball exists and let them know where they can find it.
You might call the Guinness world record folks to alert them to your new record-setting creation, although they are notoriously finicky about adding categories that are too obscure.
But you don't need their blessing. You know it's the world's largest, whatever it might be. To see some of what you're up against, check out the best of the world's largest in this article:
Take a seat and check out the next section for information on the World's Largest Chair.
