From GWR Adjudicator Amanda Mochan in New York
On Thursday, August 4 I was at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City for the first birthday party for M&MS® Pretzel Chocolate Candies.
As part of the festivities, M&MS® Pretzel created the largest piñata to say thank you to all the fans that have grown to love M&MS® Pretzel over the past year.
The record to beat was set by Carnival Cruise Lines in Philadelphia in 2008, and measured 18.39 m (60 ft 4 in) long, 7.28 m (23 ft 10.5 in) wide, and 18.85 m (61 ft 10.25 in) high.
In order to set the record, the new piñata had to surpass the sum total of the length, width, and height (44.52m, or 146 ft 0.75 in).
The engineering plans for the new piñata were sent to our offices and reviewed ahead of time, and the official measurements were taken on the day of the event.
See below for a shot of the fully constructed piñata.
I took a lift to the top of the structure to measure the height, which checked in at 47 ft (14.32 m).
I then measured the maximum length of the structure (68 ft 7 in, or 20.90 m) and the maximum width of the structure (37 ft 9 in, or 11.5 m). The sum total of the measurements came to 153 ft 4 in (46.72 m) - a new Guinness World Records achievement!
After the measurements were officially taken there was one thing left to do - party!
The event was open to the public and free of charge, and attendees were treated to gift bags, raffle prizes, cupcakes, and various birthday party games.
The highlight of the event was the announcement of the new world record.
Three-time Grammy-winner Cee Lo Green and Z100 DJ Danielle Monara were on stage to make the official announcement, and Cee Lo did the honors of releasing 1,500 pounds of M&MS® Pretzel from within the piñata.
After a suspenseful countdown, the singer pulled a string and the candy rained down, much to the delight of partygoers.
Those who were unable to attend in person can still join the party by checking out www.facebook.com/mms for photos and video highlights.
Congratulations goes out to everyone involved in the event, and from all of us at Guinness World Records…happy birthday M&MS® Pretzel!
