Called headless and refused... "It was harsh" Guinness World Records includes 'Matchstick Eiffel Tower'

700,690 Matchsticks Used... 7.2m Tall
"Used Headless Matches" Rejected, Then Reversed Decision

The Eiffel Tower model, which was initially rejected from the Guinness World Records for being made with matchsticks without sulfur heads, has finally succeeded in being listed in the Guinness World Records.

On the 9th (local time), British daily The Guardian and other foreign media reported that Guinness World Records recognized the Eiffel Tower built by French model maker Richard Flot (47) with matchsticks as the highest record. Flot spent about 4,200 hours over 8 years creating this Eiffel Tower model. Approximately 706,900 matchsticks and 23 kg of adhesive were used, and it was completed at a height of 7.19 meters in early last month. The finished work was first unveiled last month in Charente-Maritime in southwestern France, where he lives, and about 4,000 people have viewed it so far.

French artist Richard Floc'h's 7.19m tall Eiffel Tower model made of matchsticks
[Image source: Captured from Richard Floc'h's Instagram, Yonhap News]
Photo by Yonhap News

The previous Guinness World Record was a 6.53-meter-high Eiffel Tower made by Lebanese Toufic Hader in 2009. Naturally believing he had broken the world record, Flot applied for Guinness listing, but the judging panel rejected the registration, citing fairness issues because he did not use commercially available matches. The problem was that Flot purchased matchsticks without heads to save time scraping off the sulfur heads one by one. He received the headless sticks from a French match manufacturer.

Guinness World Records Admits "We Were Too Harsh"

French model maker Mr. Flo posed in front of the 7.19m tall Eiffel Tower he created using matchsticks on the 7th (local time).
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

Flot, who had been sharing his work and progress on Instagram, announced last week that his Guinness World Records application was rejected. Upon receiving the judgment, Flot expressed, "It is disappointing, incomprehensible, and unfair," adding, "What hurts the most is that they do not acknowledge my work, the time invested, and the thoughts behind it," showing his frustration. However, a turnaround occurred on the 8th. Guinness World Records reversed its previous decision and announced on its website that Flot's Eiffel Tower model is recognized as a world record.

Mark McKinley, director of Guinness World Records, said, "We are pleased to acknowledge that we were somewhat harsh regarding the type of matches required for this attempt," and added, "Mr. Flot's attempt is officially truly remarkable."

Flot plans to exhibit the Eiffel Tower model he made in Paris during the Paris Olympics this coming July.

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