Man Makes Rubber Band Ball History

Six Foot Tall, 9,032 Pound Ball is Guinness World Record

(AP)  Look, over there. Under that blue tarp in a suburban driveway. That thing that's the size of a Smart car?

It's Joel Waul's rubber band ball.

Waul has spent the last six years carefully wrapping and linking and stretching rubber bands of various sizes into the ball shape. The Guinness Book of World Records declared it the world's largest rubber band ball in 2008.

On Thursday, Waul said goodbye to his creation. A team from Ripley's Believe it or Not came to his house with a crane and hauled the 6-foot, 7-inch tall, 9,032-pound behemoth away on a large, flatbed truck.

"It's a little bit sad to see it go, but it's going to be appreciated by thousands and hopefully millions of people in Ripley's museum to see and wonder, 'What was this guy thinking?'" Waul said.

The ball will eventually be displayed in a far-off museum yet to be determined, so folks can marvel at Waul's obsession.

Waul got the idea six years ago, when he saw a Ripley's television special that showed the then-largest rubber band ball being dropped into the desert from an airplane.

"I just thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen," said Waul, a 28-year-old who works nights restocking a Gap clothing store.

The idea of setting a world record always appealed to Waul; he recalls that as a 7-year-old in Jamaica he pored over his father's Guinness Book of World Records.

Read about more record holders:
22-Inch Man: I've Grown into Record Book
7-Foot-Long N. Dakota Dog World's Tallest?
Indonesian Mom Gives Birth to 19 lb Baby
Over 8 Feet Tall and Looking for Love

Creating a ball was easy. He got a few hair bands together. Then some larger bands. The ball grew to the size of a boulder, and his family took notice.

"When it started getting bigger, they knew I was pretty serious," he said.

The ball eventually got its own Web site. It got too big - and smelly - to keep in the house, so he rolled it outside.

There have been a few casualties: at 400 pounds, it rolled over his hand and sprained it. It busted his big toe. Rubber bands breaking ripped two pairs of cargo pants and broke three pairs of sunglasses.

Eventually, he wrote to companies that manufacture giant rubber bands for physical therapy, and they sent him free shipments.

The ball grew and grew. Neighborhood kids climbed on top of it. Dogs sniffed it.

"That's his masterpiece," said his neighbor, 25-year-old Andre Gregg. "I'm just amazed at how he did it."

Waul and the ball have several followers on their MySpace page, but no one's been mesmerized by the creation more than Edward Meyer, vice president of exhibits and archives at the Orlando-based Ripley's.

"We already have the largest string and barbed wire balls," Meyer said. "This is now my holy trinity, I guess."

Meyer won't say how much Ripley's paid for the ball, which, at 25 feet in circumference, he estimates to be twice as large as the previous record holder.

People like Waul "don't do it for money," Meyer said. "They don't really get rich. They decide they want to do something, and they get possessed. It's very much Andy Warhol, 15 minutes of fame. It is the desire to be the best at something."

Now that Waul has set the rubber bands record, he's focused on the next challenge.

"Human torch," he says, grinning.

[legacyABQ2]

The fact he got giant, enormous, and free "rubber bands" diminishes the accomplishment. If this were truly a rubber band ball, in the traditional sense, it would be made of ordinary rubber bands.

Whats the big deal if he used specially made industrial rubber bands?

Its like making a mountain out of aluminum cans. Sounds impressive, until you hear it's made of 30 gallon aluminum beer kegs instead of "real" cans.

Meh. Show me a REAL, old school regular office-type rubber band ball and I'll be impressed.

This is like cheating.

[briannorwood]

Absolutely! In fact, I am going to lodge a formal complaint with the International Committee of Formal Complaints! This is an outrage and and offensive to all that is good an decent in the world!

[gman1951]

Too bad this was done many years ago but everyone forgets. Also to the people complaining about this guy....your just jeleous!!!! Everyone has hobbies and that was his...the complainers probably just golf, excercise or watch kiddie porn on their computers!

[displeased]

Exercise, such as sports and outdoor recreation, is bad?

[Sloughfoot]

It wasn't worthy of a one day inclusion in cbsnews.com yet alone two.

[excoachken]

I am curious of what the people in the rest of the world think of an American with so much time on his hands that he can waste it doing this crap!

[mecanik-2009]

I agree fully. It embarrasses me to think of it.

[billatmsn]

I once rolled the world's biggest marijuna cigarette, but unfornately in went up in smoke...

[displeased]

I bet this person is a joy to live with.

[nowhiningallowed]

He could have perhaps completed a college education in the time it took him to put all these rubber bands together. Then, maybe he might not have to work nights at a Gap store. Silly waste of time, energy, effort and creativity.

[Ms_enza]

Yep, maybe... But when he dies, he'll have made something that may still be there. And you?

[DawnBroderick40]

If your name is nowhiningallowed, why are you whining about this? How do you know what he does with his days? How do you know he's not an apprentice at a family business. Miserable people. I'll bet the check he got for making this thing is smaller than the one you'll get for your complaining about it.

[amazedd]

Holy Sheat, it's Rollerfellah!