Someone spent 8 years to build the Eiffel Tower with matchsticks.

You know having a Guinness World Record is quite cool.

It is something you can brag about and probably be a great story you can share at any time.

But it kinda depends on what record you have set.

Fastest mile, longest jump, highest IQ or even having the most amount of Olympic Gold medals.

But there are some quirky ones that will make your eyebrows twitch.

Like the dude who can make his eyeballs protrude at will.

“According to a press release by Guinness World Records, Mr Chico’s eyes can pop out to a protrusion of 18.2 mm (0.71 in) beyond his eye sockets”

Or most tricks performed by a pig.

Or most Rubik’s cubes solved on a skateboard.

Or building a huge Eiffel Tower replica with only matchsticks.

Imagine spending eight years of your life, dedicating 4,200 hours, and using over 706,000 matchsticks to build a masterpiece, only to be told it doesn’t qualify for a world record.

This was the reality for Richard Plaud, a Frenchman with a dream, a dream to build the world’s tallest structure made entirely of matchsticks.

Plaud’s journey began with a childhood aspiration to etch his name in the Guinness World Records.

His canvas, a 23-foot-tall replica of the Eiffel Tower.

He used 706,900 matchsticks, and 23 kilograms of glue to do it.

The initial phase saw him meticulously remove the heads from commercial matches, a laborious process that soon led him to seek a more efficient path.

He approached a manufacturer to buy headless matches — a decision that would later cloud his record-breaking attempt.

The Guinness World Records, the gatekeeper of extraordinary feats, initially turned down Plaud’s record bid.

Why?

The matches he used weren’t “commercially available” in their altered state.

It seemed a minor technicality, but for Plaud, it was a crushing blow.

His Eiffel Tower, while awe-inspiring and magnificent in its detail and scale, didn’t fit the stringent criteria set by Guinness.

Actually, I think there is a safety aspect too.

Removing the head might be safer as it is much more flammable.

Social media rallied behind Plaud, with users lauding his dedication and craftsmanship.

Then, Guinness World Records revisited their decision.

Acknowledging perhaps that their initial judgment was overly rigid, they awarded Plaud the title for the tallest matchstick structure.

Mark Mckinley, a director at Guinness World Records, said: “We’re really excited to be able to approve it … We’re happy to be able to admit that we were a little bit too harsh on the type of matches needed in this attempt, and Richard’s attempt truly is officially amazing.”

Good for him.

I know its a strong passion for him and he showed a lot of character doing this.

But I really cannot fathom spending 8 years building a matchstick Eiffel Tower.

Perhaps I can build a Singapore Marina Bay Sands Towers or Merlion entirely made of matchsticks and see if it gets me in the records too?

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Would you want to break a world record one day?

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