Lightest Ever Bulldozer infographic

I've tried a couple of things in origami, and I think I managed a star, a hat and a couple of things. This clearly would have taken a lot more practice.

©2014 James Mathurin 

The lightest ever bulldozer

The lightest ever bulldozer was constructed by Hiromi “Shogun of Origami” Shumizuko of Tokyo, Japan. The working model, constructed almost entirely of construction paper, weighed in at 22 kilograms, and was used by Shumizuko to plough an acre of grassland in Shiretoko National Park, on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, in March 2002, until it collapsed in a light shower.

An origami bull which was also constructed by Shumizuko to accompany the origami bulldozer and a planned tractor in a field for an outdoors "Henry Moore-style" installation". When the bulldozer was ruined, Shumizuko abandoned the tractor project, and sold the bull to a private collector. Photograph by Scarygami.

 ©2013 James Mathurin 

The Fattest Ninja

The fattest ninja ever was Kenji Musoka, according to records from the 13th Century. He achieved this distinction while on an assassination mission, when he found himself trapped in a barrel of lychee syrup. Using stealth-breathing techniques, Musoka was able to hold his breath while submerged in the syrup for 4 hours, but after that period, was required to start consuming the syrup, in order to breath. After gaining room to breath, he was still unable to move, and so had to consume the rest of the syrup, until he was able to escape from the barrel, now weighing 21 stone. Despite the dramatic weight-gain, Musoka was still able to complete his mission to assassinate the mayor of the town of Shizuka.

Musoka is remembered by some fringe groups in Japan to this day, and is remembered and honoured in the form of 'waga ninjas', soft dolls which take the appearance of a fat ninja. This example was photographed by Annie Mole.

 ©2011 James Mathurin

Most species in a conga-line

The record for the most species in a single conga-line stands at 23, set by animals from the Kyoto zoo in Japan. At various points, it consisted of Wolves, Foxes, Dingoes, Hyenas, Cougars, Leopards, Pumas, Hippopotamuses, Elephants, Rhinoceroses, Iguanas, Alligators, Geckoes, Emus, Ostriches, Grizzly and Polar Bears, Penguins, Flamingos, Rabbits, Orang-utans, Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and Howler Monkeys (although not in that order). Shuya Inada, the zookeeper who organised the event in June 1997, said, “We had to make money to prevent the zoo from being converted into an elecrtical fan factory, so I tried to think of something that could show off the animals and get people’s interest. It was easier to manage than you might think, you can keep all the plant-eating animals together, and some of the carnivores can just be muzzled. We tried to sandwich the unmanageable animals between big animals like the elephants and hippos, where they couldn’t do any damage, and then we just had to make sure no one got trampled.” Asked about the success of the conga-line, Inada said, “We can keep the zoo open now, we just have to open a MacDonald’s on-site somewhere, release some snakes into the wild, and put a bowling alley under the Penguin Enclosure.”

Two Ash-Haired Sable Monkeys are put throught their paces in preparation for the conga. Inada commented, "Although they did not make it through to the final performance, these two were the ones it all really began with. It was a tragedy the way that Coyote got loose." Photo by animal photography agency pelican.

©2009 James Mathurin