Huge ball of human hair named “Hoss” to mark New Year in Florida
Miami, Dec 27 (EFE).- A huge ball of human hair weighing more than 225 pounds and named “Hoss” is the unusual object selected by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum in Orlando, Florida, to mark the end of 2021 and usher in 2022.
The hairball, made with hair of all colors donated by thousands of people and which set a Guinness record, will be lowered in a controlled manner from the roof of the museum during the last five minutes of 2021 to mark the passage from the old to the New Year, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! announced on the social networks.
As “Hoss” – which has been adorned with big eyes, ears, a smiling mouth full of teeth, legs, arms, boots and a hat to give it a cartoonishly semi-human appearance – comes down, the event will be broadcast live via Facebook on Dec. 31 starting at 11:55 pm US Eastern Time.
The Ripley’s Believe It or Not! organization operates museums in 10 countries to present to the public a collection of unique and strange objects from all over the world.
“Hoss” was originally conceived by Ohio barber Steve Warden, who began creating it eight years ago using hair from his customers.
By 2019, it weighed 100 pounds.
Since then, the hairball has only gotten bigger, above all due to the challenge launched by Ripley’s in November to benefit an organization that helps the families of children with serious illnesses enjoy free weeklong wish vacations in Florida.
During a popular industry fair including attractions and entertainment held last month at the Convention Center in Orange County, where Orlando is located, “Hoss” grew to 167 pounds, thus crossing the threshold as the world’s largest ball of human hair, according to Guinness World Records.
Ripley’s offered to donate a sum of money to Give Kids The World Village for every contribution of hair to Hoss at the fair or at any of the shops in Floyd’s 99 barbershop chain.
The challenge was directed especially at men, who were asked to let their beards grow for almost a month so that they could shave the chin-hair off later and feed “Hoss.”
Jim Pattison Jr., the president of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, who had promised not to cut his beard until all the firm’s barbershops around the world once again opened up after the pandemic, went ahead and shaved to provide his hair to “Hoss” during the fair.
Before the challenge was issued, “Hoss” was only about 3 feet in diameter and about 9 feet around, according to the stats provided by Ripley’s, but now it is considerably larger.
EFE ar/dmt/bp
