Failed to Register 'Matchstick Eiffel Tower' Built Over 8 Years in Guinness World Records... "Because It Has No Head"

Frenchman Completes 7.19m Tall Matchstick Eiffel Tower
Guinness World Records Rejected Due to Lack of Sulfur Heads on Matches
"Disappointing and Incomprehensible Outcome"

A French model maker's matchstick Eiffel Tower, which took a full eight years to create, failed to be registered in the Guinness World Records. The reason was that the matches used to make the Eiffel Tower model did not have sulfur heads.

On the 6th (local time), Yonhap News, citing the French daily Le Figaro, reported that "Richard Flossi, who lives in Charente-Maritime, spent 4,200 hours over the past eight years to build the tallest Eiffel Tower made of matches in the world." As a result, he completed a 7.19m tall matchstick Eiffel Tower in early last month.

A 7.19m tall Eiffel Tower model made of matchsticks by Richard Floc'h. [Image source=Instagram]

According to the Yonhap News report, Flossi believed he had broken the world record. The previous Guinness record was a 6.53m tall Eiffel Tower made by a Lebanese person. Accordingly, he applied for Guinness World Records registration, but the result was a failure. The Guinness adjudication panel invalidated his record on the grounds that Flossi did not make the Eiffel Tower using matches sold on the market.

To save time, Flossi received matches directly from a French match manufacturer. To avoid the hassle of scraping off the sulfur from each match head during the model-making process, he purchased only matchsticks without heads.

Upon receiving the adjudication result, Flossi expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "It is disappointing, incomprehensible, and unfair," and "What upsets me the most is that they do not recognize my work, the time invested, and the thoughts embedded in it."

It is reported that Flossi is currently considering appealing the adjudication panel's decision. However, since Guinness World Records is not obligated to respond, the outcome is unlikely to change.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.