Stationery World Records

Shripad V. assembled a single chain made out of 51 paper clips in 30 seconds.

Ted Tracy balanced a 1/2" binder on his forehead for one hour, 33 minutes, 57.50 seconds. See normal speed video here. Stride’s setting 100 records in 100 days. At the end of 100 days, we’ll verify if you are the standing Record Holder. If you are, you’ll get $500 for each record you managed to hold with your guile, talent, and sheer will. General caution and common sense required. We show the Stride Team at work, but recommend that these challenges be done at home.

Rob Costa held 504 pens with crook of his elbow at once. Stride’s setting 100 records in 100 days. At the end of 100 days, we’ll verify if you are the standing Record Holder. If you are, you’ll get $500 for each record you managed to hold with your guile, talent, and sheer will. General caution and common sense required. We show the Stride Team at work, but recommend that these challenges be done at home.

Jolly V. has a collection of 16,500 pens. Most of his pens are given by friends from 16 different countries.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, put a retractable ballpoint pen together from its loose parts in 8.67 seconds. The clip opens with the tip, barrel pieces, ink refill, spring and click parts laid out beside a smartwatch stopwatch; Yanhao starts the watch, builds the pen with both hands, sets it down and stops the watch at 00:08.67. RecordSetter checked the finished pen afterwards: it is clicked against the tabletop and shaken in the hand, and it holds together. A neat bit of desk-drawer dexterity.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, pushed the writing tip of each retractable pen refill into the open back end of the next until 10 refills made one long, springy chain, then held it up by the bottom refill alone. In one unedited take of just under two minutes, Yanhao fans all 10 refills out to the camera, links them together, then steps back and holds the chain with the other hand away for about 10 seconds while it bends in an arc toward the ceiling. RecordSetter counted the refills in the opening frames and watched the chain stay in one piece through the hold. Ten thin ink tubes, no glue, and plenty of wobble.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, left the small plastic protector on the writing tip of each retractable pen refill and pushed every capped tip into the open back end of the next, building a chain of 8 refills. In one unedited take of about 75 seconds, Yanhao shows all 8 capped refills to the camera, links them together, then holds the chain up by the bottom refill with the other arm down for about seven seconds while it arcs toward the ceiling. RecordSetter counted the refills in the opening frames and watched the chain stay in one piece through the hold. Eight capped refills, seven joints, and one long wobbly arc.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, held 30 pencils wedged between the index and middle fingers of one hand, with the thumb spread well clear of the bundle. In one unedited phone clip filmed in a bedroom, Yanhao packs the round bundle of orange, yellow, white and teal pencils into the gap between two fingers, takes the other hand away, and turns the open palm to the camera so the flat pencil ends face the lens. RecordSetter counted the pencil ends in that end-on view, and the bundle is consistent with the claimed 30. That is most of a pencil case parked in one finger gap.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, sorted 20 mixed-up pencils into four color groups in 20.84 seconds. Filmed from above at a desk, Yanhao shuffles five each of yellow, white, teal and orange pencils into one jumbled pile, starts a phone stopwatch, then plucks them apart by hand into four flat rows, none stacked, and stops the clock at 00:20.84. RecordSetter read the stopwatch on camera and timed the gap between the two taps on the video to confirm the result. A pencil case has never looked so tidy.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, held a bundle of 7 orange pencils lengthwise between the tips of two index fingers, one on each end, with the rest of both hands curled clear. In one unedited phone clip filmed in a bedroom, Yanhao first turns the bundle end-on to the camera so all seven pencil ends show, then pinches it between the two fingertips and keeps it level for more than three seconds before the first pencil slips loose. RecordSetter counted the pencil ends in that opening view and checked the hold frame by frame. Two fingertips, seven pencils, nothing else touching.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, tucked 22 pencils sideways under the chin and pinned them against the chest with both hands down, like a striped bow tie. In one unedited phone clip filmed in a bedroom, Yanhao first turns the bundle end-on to the camera so every pencil end shows, then stacks the pencils flat, clamps them under the chin and lets go for about five seconds without one slipping. RecordSetter counted the 22 pencil ends in that opening view and checked the hold frame by frame. A rainbow bow tie, no hands.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, tucked five pencils into the crease behind one ear and let go, the way a carpenter parks a pencil, only five at once. In one unedited phone clip filmed in a bedroom, Yanhao first shows the bundle end-on so every pencil end can be counted, then works the bundle in behind the ear and drops both hands for about six seconds while the pencils settle and stay put. RecordSetter counted the five ends in that opening view and checked the hold frame by frame. Five pencils, zero hands.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, held a stack of 21 round crackers in midair, pinched between two pencils gripped in one hand. With a teal pencil across the top cracker and an orange pencil under the bottom one, the free hand lets go and the stack hangs above the table for about three and a half seconds with nothing else touching it. RecordSetter checked the count of 21 against the ridged edges of the suspended stack. Twenty-one crackers, two pencils, one hand.

Yanhao Deng and Jingxiang Lei of Chenzhou, Hunan, held a bundle of 7 yellow pencils lengthwise between two thumbtips, one from each of them. In one continuous phone clip filmed in their classroom, Yanhao first turns the bundle end-on to the camera so all seven pencil ends show, then the pair press it end to end between their thumbs and keep it level for more than three seconds while the camera swings over to Jingxiang. RecordSetter counted the pencil ends in that opening view and checked frame by frame that only the two thumbs touch the bundle during the hold. Two people, two thumbs, and not a pencil out of line.

Yanhao Deng of Chenzhou, Hunan, lifted 28 pencils off a classroom floor in a single grab with a litter picker. In one continuous phone clip, the metal jaws close around a spread of orange, yellow, white and teal pencils, squeeze them into a bundle and raise it into the air, where it hangs for about seven seconds without a pencil falling. The bundle is packed too tightly to count pencil by pencil on camera, but about two dozen pencils show on its outside with more hidden inside, consistent with the claimed 28. Litter pickers are usually trusted with one wrapper at a time.

Alexander from Russia put a capped pen together from its loose parts in 2.23 seconds. Filmed from above, the clip opens with the barrel, ink refill, end plug and clip-on cap laid out beside a phone stopwatch, which is reset to zero on camera. Alexander starts the watch, slides the refill into the barrel, fits the cap and the end plug, sets the finished pen down and stops the watch at 00:02.23, all in one continuous shot. Quick hands for an everyday desk object.