“Hoss”, a human hairball weighing more than 225 pounds (102 kilos), is the rare item of choice for the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! from Orlando to mark the end of the year 2021 and the arrival of 2022.
The ball, made with the hair of all colors donated by thousands of people and worthy of a Guinness record, will be lowered in a controlled manner from the roof of the museum in the last five minutes of 2021 to mark the passage from the old to the new year, reported Ripley’s Believe It or Not! on their social networks.
The descent of “Hoss”, who has been given a human appearance with large eyes, ears, legs and arms, and a hat, will be broadcast on Facebook on December 31 at 11:55 p.m. ET. The USA.
The Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, emerged from a comic strip and is known in Spanish as Although you may not believe it, it has museums in ten countries to present a collection of unique and strange objects from all over the world.
“Hoss” is the brainchild of Ohio hairstylist Steve Warden, who began using his clients’ cut hair eight years ago to shape it.
In 2019 he reached 100 pounds (45.4 kilos) in weight.
Since then, the ball has taken on more volume, especially since the challenge launched by Ripley in November to benefit an organization that helps families of children with serious illnesses enjoy a few days off in Florida for free.
During a popular fair for the attractions and entertainment industry held last month at the Orange County Convention Center, to which Orlando belongs, it was possible to far exceed the 167 pounds (75.8 kilos) of which until then It was considered the largest human hairball in the world according to the Guinness book.
Ripley offered to give Give Kids The World Village an amount for each hair donation for Hoss at the fair or at Floyd’s 99 barber chain stores.
The challenge was aimed especially at men, who were asked to grow their beards for almost a month and then shave them off and fatten “Hoss”.
Jim Pattison Jr., president of Ripley’s Believe It or Not !, had promised not to cut his beard until all the company’s stores around the world reopened after the pandemic, shaved, and handed over his hair for “Hoss” during the fair.
Before the challenge, “Hoss” was 3 feet (0.9 kilograms) tall and 9 feet (2.7 kilograms) in diameter, according to information provided by Ripley’s.