By Tim Binnall
Hoping to capture a world record for the most people gathered together while dressed as dinosaurs, a Canadian community saw their dream dashed when the endeavor proved to be so popular that representatives from Guinness were incapable of counting all of the faux reptiles. The strange snafu reportedly unfolded late last month at the town of Drumheller's annual Jurassic Jamboree event which celebrates the community's claim to being the 'Dinosaur Capital of the World.' As part of this year's festivities (seen above), organizers called upon attendees to wear dinosaur costumes in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most people gathered together in the odd attire.
Alas, the chance to make weird history turned out to be particularly tempting as, on the day of the event, the town was overwhelmed by faux dinosaurs. "We had inflatable costumes, there were soft onesie-style costumes that were full body," marveled Keri Looijen of Travel Drumheller, "and some people even went as far as making their own costumes out of cardboard and other things." While organizers were undoubtedly thrilled at the turnout for the festivities, which is believed to have been somewhere between four and five thousand people in total, the sheer number of would-be record-breakers wound up being more than anyone expected, which ultimately cost them the title.
For Drumheller to lay claim to the record, it was revealed this week, all of the faux dinosaurs had to gather together for one minute while a Guinness representative confirmed the exact number of costumed people in attendance. Although the official "recorded 3,000 people through numbered bracelets or wristbands," Looijen explained, some of these individuals were seen leaving the designated area before the limit had expired, leaving Guinness with no choice but to throw out record attempt on this technicality. The missed opportunity is particularly maddening as the current record stands at a mere 252 people, which Drumheller easily smashed.