Kirby Fans Suck Up World Record At Pax

A little over a week ago we told you about Nintendo's plans to set a new Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous chewing gum bubbles blown at once. Taking place at PAX Prime, we had little doubt that the big N would find enough people to break the old record of 304, but would the inspiration of Kirby be enough to gain record breaking powers?

The good news is that the record was broken, with official observers — which must be a particularly strange job — confirming a final total of 536 simultaneous chewing gum bubbles. As you can see from the images, the participants even had snazzy pink t-shirts for the occasion. The event was organised to honour Kirby's 20th anniversary, of course, as well as the upcoming release of Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition; you can read Nintendo's rather happy press release below.

Nintendo fans found a spectacular way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic Kirby™ video game character. On Sept. 1 at the PAX Prime conference in Seattle, 536 attendees gathered together and set a new Guinness World Records® achievement for the most people blowing a chewing gum bubble simultaneously. Participants had fun blowing bubbles that resembled the round, pink Kirby and helped Nintendo of America celebrate, after a representative from Guinness World Records confirmed the official record-setting count.

The new world record added to the growing excitement about Kirby at PAX Prime, where attendees had an early chance to experience Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition for the Wii™ system. Launching Sept. 16, this commemorative game collection includes six classic Kirby games on one disc, plus a commemorative booklet, a music CD and an interactive timeline that gives players a fun way to explore Kirby’s colorful history. Since debuting in 1992, Kirby has starred in 22 video games that collectively have sold more than 33 million units worldwide. His distinctive appearance and unique ability to inhale enemies and copy their abilities have made him a fan favorite for two decades.

“Kirby is no ordinary character, so it’s not a surprise that his fans would go to extraordinary lengths to mark his 20th anniversary,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Nintendo is proud to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic following. Between this new world record and the upcoming launch of Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition, it’s turning out to be one heck of an anniversary party.”

According to Guinness World Records, the previous record was 304 participants, achieved by Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Oct. 27, 2010. Participants in the Kirby-themed record attempt were instructed to chew their gum for at least one minute and then blow and hold bubbles for 30 seconds.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wii.

For more information about Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition, visit http://kirby.nintendo.com/dreamcollection.