Undisputed king of mouse traps releases 58 on his tongue

There’s no ambition too enor-mouse for Sweet Pepper Klopek. 

The daredevil from St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, released 58 mouse traps on his tongue on 16 July 2015, becoming the record holder for the most mouse traps released on the tongue in one minute.

Pepper has been performing this trick for over 20 years, alongside his performance partner Burnaby Orbax, as part of a traveling carnival-style show. 

“We had a successful touring show that we toured back and forth across Canada,” said Burnaby. 

The one thing we wanted to do to make our stamp in the world was to get an official Guinness World Records title.

Although Pepper releases one mouse trap on his tongue as a stunt for his traveling show, the requirement to break the record title was 13. 

Pepper first broke the record in 2009, when he arranged to perform the stunt on the set of Breakfast Television in Vancouver.

“It was a very exciting moment,” he said. 

“We had celebratory coffee afterward and I couldn’t drink because my tongue was so swollen.”

He was able to release 27 classic Victor mouse traps on his tongue. 

Just over a year after receiving the record title for the very first time, Guinness World Records reached out to Pepper once again so that he could attempt the most mouse traps released on the tongue in one minute on Lo Show dei Record. 

“For us, this was an opportunity to go to an international stage for the first time,” said Burnaby. 

It was the first time we were doing European television.

Pepper crushed his original record and went from releasing 27 mousetraps on his tongue to 40.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Pepper once again attempted the feat on the set of Guinness World Records Gone Wild! In Los Angeles, California, on 7 July 2012.

He brought the number of mouse traps released on his tongue up to a shocking 47.

Pepper’s record was then briefly taken in 2014 by Casey Severn at the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, Maryland, who released 53 mouse traps on his tongue.

However, it wasn’t long before Pepper reclaimed his record title, by releasing an astonishing 58 mouse traps on his tongue.

“I think 63 actually released on my tongue, and then I lost three or four,” said Pepper. 

So that’s almost 70 traps going to my face.

Unfortunately, Pepper says he was moving so fast, that not all 63 mouse traps could be confirmed. 

Pepper says there is a method to all the madness and that guidelines require that he only touch one trap at a time and that each trap must be set off before grabbing the next one. 

“It’s a very intricate series of steps to follow to do this properly to break this record officially,” said Burnaby.

“It’s a lot more than just ‘Oh, I’ll set a bunch of mouse traps off on my tongue’.”

Pepper says releasing mouse traps on his tongue is painful. 

“Spoiler alert here: they all hurt,” he said. 

“But after, when you do multiple, you just pull them off.”

Because the record attempt required the mouse traps to be released on his tongue consecutively, the process was very fast. 

“It’s very fast. It snaps on and then you just tear it straight down off,” said Pepper. 

“So, after three or four, the trauma sort of sets in, and your tongue starts to swell, which makes it even more difficult.” 

However, Pepper says the one minute of discomfort is absolutely worth being “Officially Amazing.”

Pepper says he never really trained for any of his record-breaking feats. 

“By not practising I don’t mean we don’t think it out or take safety precautions,” said Pepper. 

I mean what we do is much more of an improvisational way of performing than a script.

However, he does admit that he tries to pump himself up a bit before any attempts. 

He also says the hardest part of releasing mouse traps on his tongue is sticking to his technique.

“There’s a lot of room for error,” said Pepper. 

“You could end up with bloody lips or broken teeth.”

Pepper hopes to remain the undisputed king of mouse traps and hopes to eventually break his own record title once again.

He is also incredibly proud of his Guinness World Records title and believes being a record title holder legitimizes his achievement.

“It’s really nice…it’s fulfilling,” said Pepper.

And it makes people realize that we’re not just doing dumb things. This is our career.

Pepper also holds an additional four record titles: 

• Most animal traps released on the body in one minute - 37
• Heaviest weight lifted using hooks through the cheeks - 6.895 kg (15 lb 3.2 oz)
• Most baking trays buckled over the head in one minute by a team of two - 55
• Largest tattoo machine - 1.29 metres (51 inches) tall

“Everything we’ve ever done with Guinness World Records is a dream come true,” said Pepper. 

And I hope it continues for years to come.

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