A 47-year-old French artist crafted a replica of the Eiffel Tower using matchsticks in a bid to be recognized by the Guinness World Records. However, his dreams were crushed after his entry was rejected over a simple mistake, Sky News reported Wednesday.
Despite the meticulous effort he invested in the project, Richard Plaud’s dedication was met with disappointment when Guinness World Records declined to recognize his work, according to Sky News. The rejection stemmed from a simple mistake: he used the wrong type of matchsticks. The criteria stated that the matchsticks used must be publicly available, retain their original form without the flammable tips and not be altered to the point of being unrecognizable.
Plaud said he dedicated eight years and roughly 4,200 hours to constructing a replica of the Eiffel Tower, crafted from 706,900 individual matchsticks, according to Sky News. Standing tall at 7.19 meters (23.6 feet), Plaud’s masterpiece was poised to claim the title for the world’s tallest structure made of matchsticks. The world record has been held by Toufic Daher since 2009, with a 6.53-meter (21.4-foot) model. (RELATED:Dead Dog’s Title Suspended As Fraud Investigation Continues: REPORT)
Man builds Eiffel Tower with 700,000 matchsticks over 8 years only to have world record rejected
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Initially, Plaud had adhered to these guidelines by manually removing the red tips from commercial matches. However, the labor-intensive process led him to source the wooden rods directly from a French manufacturer in bulk, a decision that unknowingly jeopardized his record attempt, the outlet reported.
Plaud expressed his dismay on Facebook.
“Tell me that the 706,900 sticks glued together one by one are not matches!!?? And they are too cut to be unrecognisable,” he wrote.
Despite the setback, Plaud found solace in the appreciation of his work by thousands at a presentation in Saujon, France, where his towering creation was seen by thousands of people. The model’s future remains uncertain, with Plaud’s aspirations to showcase it at the Paris Olympics hindered by logistical challenges because officials told him there isn’t enough vertical space to host it, Sky News reported.