It may look like an ordinary old stagecoach, but, in truth, there’s nothing ordinary about this colorful masterpiece.

After seeing a smaller model of a stagecoach made from toothpicks in the window of a store, Terry Woodling  decided he was going to build his own life-size replica. This was back in 1981, but he didn’t really get started until Thanksgiving of 1994. Also known as “Me. Toothpick”, 72-year-old Terry spent 15 years of his life working on his one of a kind toothpick stagecoach, in Warsaw, Indiana.

More than 1.5 million flat toothpicks went into the project, bound together by a whole lot of glue. The fact that it’s glued was  actually why his stagecoach didn’t get acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records. But Mr. Toothpicks isn’t too disappointed and decided to donate it to the local Warsaw Museum. But his extraordinary creation caught the eye of Ripley’s Believe It or Not and got a place in their famous museum.

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With a price tag of $3.14 million, the iPhone 3GS Supreme, designed by Stuart Hughes, is the most expensive cell phone on Earth.

The exclusive gadget has a solid 22 carat gold casing that weighs 271 grams as well as considerable number of flawless diamonds. The iPhone 3GS Supreme was designed by British artist Stuart Hughes for Goldstriker International, a company that specializes in creating extravagant mobile phones.

It took ten months to complete, but the final result is more opulent than you could have ever imagined. The front side of the iPhone 3GS Supreme features 136 flawless diamonds, while the Apple logo on the back is made from 36 diamonds. The directional key of the phone is  a rare 7.1 carat diamond. It also comes in an over the top 7 kg case, made from a single block of granite.

Unfortunately you’ll never get to hold this technological treasure in your hands, as it has already been acquired by an anonymous Australian business from the gold mining industry.

via gizmag

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On November 25, a yam and taro contest crowned the largest yam of 2009, in South-West China.

As one of the biggest yam and taro supplier in China, Anhe Township held the seventh annual Yam King Contest. Farmers from all around the area brought their biggest harvested yams hoping they’ll snatch the title of yam King 2009.

The winner of the contest was a 1.66 meters-long yam that weighed 38 kilograms. I bet that’s big enough to feed the farmer’s whole family for a long time.

via Xinhua

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Brixels is an Austrian company that specializes in creating portraits using LEGO bricks. Just send them a photo and they’ll send you back the perfect Christmas gift.

The amazing LEGO mosaics you see below were created with thousands of  1×1 bricks in four different colors (black, white, dark gray and light gray). Although the guys at Brixels have made LEGO portraits of celebrities like Barack Obama, Marylin Monroe or Bruce Lee, it doesn’t mean you can’t have your face recreated with LEGO.

In fact, the company presents its clients with two options. Other send them the photo and receive a LEGO kit that you can put together yourself, or have them piece it together. Sure the last option is more expensive, but considering these things are made of up to 4,600 pieces, you migt one to consider it.

Brixels (cool name, don’t you think?) was founded by Stefan Sacherer, a 29-year-old graphic designer from Salzburg. A big LEGO fan, Stefan built his first mosaic as a present for his girlfriend. The positive reactions of their friends inspired him to open Brixels, in order to allow people to create their own LEGO portraits.

Damn good idea, if I do say so myself!

Check out the high-speed of a LEGO mosaic being assembled, at the bottom.

Photos by REX FEATURES

via Telegraph.co.uk

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We all know sleeping in a bear-inhabited forest can be pretty hazardous to your health. That’s what artists Eiko Ishizawa was thinking when she designed her Bear Sleeping-Bag.

Unless you take all the necessary precautions, like wrap the food and hang it in a tree as far away as you can, chances are you’re going to be mauled by a bear, while camping. Ok, so it doesn’t happen that often, but the point is now you have an extra safety measure. The bear-shaped sleeping bag makes you look just like a bear and if you’re lucky enough, hungry bears will probably mistake you for the real thing and leave you in one piece.

But there are some risks once you strap on this comfortable outfit. You might run into a horny bear who wants to have his way with you or maybe some rednecks with guns could spot you and see nothing more than another hunting trophy. The point is you should think twice before sleeping in the Bear Sleeping Bag.

Just in case you feel you want one, check out Eiko Ishizawa’s official site and see if you find one for sale.

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One of Britain’s most bizarre racing events, the annual Pantomime Horse Grand National Race is also one of the most fun.

Designed as a parody of the Grand National horse race held in Antree, the Pantomime Horse Grand National draws in thousands of people to the city center of Birmingham, all eager to watch the competitors and bet on the winner.

Contestants pay a 50 pounds fee to enter the competition and slip into their plush horse costumes for a chance to win the grand prize, a bottle of champagne. I know it’s not much, but it really isn’t about the winnings at all. All the money raised from entrance fees, sponsorships and betting on the sidelines go to the Lord Mayor’s charity funds.

This year, the 7th edition of the Thomas Vale Pantomime Horse Grand National had contestants competing in a grueling 12-jump course. In the men’s race James Bamber and his “horse” Hoof Hearted claimed the no. 1 spot, while in the girl’s challenge Nicki Mills and her Spank The Donkey came first. The funny event raised around 4,000 pounds.

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Dani Lugosi braved the rain and staring eyes of passers-by in an attempt to raise awareness to cruelty against animals, at Pitt Street Mall, in Sydney, Australia.

Wearing only a skin-colored pair of underwear, a sign that said “Ink, Not Mink” and a bunch of tattoos, Miss Lugosi started her first naked PETA protest. Nervous and hesitant at first, the attractive model relaxed when people started approaching and taking photos with her.

Miss Lugosi said she became interested in the ethical treatment of animals after watching a video of rabbits being skinned alive. Yup, that will definitely make a person take off her clothes and pose in the middle of a mall.

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48-year-old Peter Longstaff is living proof that ambition and hope can overcome pretty much anything. Although he is armless, he manages to create artworks most of us couldn’t paint with three hands.

Ever since he can remember has had get around using only his feet. He had the misfortune of being born in a time when mothers were given thalidomide, a drug that alleviated morning sickness. But it also caused serious deformities in newborns and Peter was seriously affected by it.

Fortunately, this serious handicap didn’t affect the artist’s ambition and, starting from an early age, he figured out how to get things done with his feet. Now he says his right foot is like a normal person’s right hand. He can operate switches, open doors, all while gracefully balancing on just one leg.

Before embracing art, Peter Longstaff worked on a pig farm where he had to drive tractors, stack hay and handle the animals. He didn’t leave because work got too much for him, but because the market was getting to crowded. He retired and turned to art. He quickly enlisted in a movement called “Mouth and Foot Painting Artists”, as a student, and now his works are displayed all over the world.

Peter specializes in landscape paintings and also makes Christmas cards. His works are on display at the Picturecraft Gallery in Holt, Britain, from Friday till Christmas Eve.

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A dealership from The Netherlands has come up with an original idea to attract customers and boost sales by covering a Porsche 911 Carrera with chocolate.

With the Dutch feast of Sinterklaas just around the corner, the owner of a car dealership thought of an appropriate way to celebrate Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children, and draw attention at the same time. He ended up covering up a new Porsche 911 in 175 kilograms of Swiss chocolate.

Don’t worry, the chocolate didn’t ruin the paintjob of this $250,000 jewel. The guys at the dealership made sure it was fully covered in cling wrap before poring the molten chocolate. The headlights and foglights were created with a few pounds of white chocolate.

Sure you can’t really eat this chocolate Porsche, but you can sure lick you’re way through the chocolate.

Photos via Autoinfection

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The PL Peace Tower in Tondabayashi, a town close to Osaka, Japan is by far one of the most “bizarre yet cool” buildings I have ever seen.

One of the many structures located in the PL Holy Land, the PL Peace Tower was built back in 1970, using the newest construction technique at the time. It belongs to the Perfect Liberty Church, a religious movement founded in 1924 that teaches its followers that “Life is Art” and they should express themselves in everuthing they do.

The shape of the PL Peace Tower, resembling a single finger pointing at the sky, symbolizes one of the church founder’s revelation that ” the truth is one”. It’s also an international symbol of world peace. Inside the Peace Tower you’ll find an unlimited list of people who lost their lives because of human wars.

The PL Peace Tower is 180 meters high and thanks to a low center of gravity (only 12 meters above ground), it can tilt up to 45 degrees and swing back to its original position. This makes it extremely resistant to earthquakes. Its strange but fascinating shape was achieved through the use of shotcrete, spaying concrete onto wire netting.

Photos via Juergen Specht

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19-year-old Annie Drew has developed a new painting technique by applying paint with a piece of hardwood a little bigger than a matchstick.

The talented painter from Torquay, Devon thinks she might be the only artist in the world who uses this technique, which she calls the “pixellation technique“. It’s a really meticulous job, but it was the only way to “create a piece of wildlife art in mosaic” without turning to pointillism, which is completely accidental.

For example,to create the silverback gorilla painting bellow, Annie Drew applied 75,000 paint dots in 40 different colors. The whole thing took over 100 hours to complete.

Photos by APEX

via Telegraph.co.uk

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Ed Bing Lee, a talented artist from Philadelphia, has been perfecting his knotting skills for the past 25 years and is now able to create practically anything using basic macrame knots.

His “Delectables” series features some of the most delicious art pieces I’ve ever had the privilege of seeing. They may not be edible, but Ed Bing Lee’s knotted foods sure look good enough to eat. Using as many as 500 half-hitch knots per square inch, the artist managed to transform into a unique art form.

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At 2 meters and 5 centimeters, Eve may be an incredibly tall, but she’s also incredibly hot. Yup, I do have a thing for “taller than thou” babes.

Eve, a successful American model and the tallest model in the world will grace the cover of Zoo Weekly, an Australian men’s magazine, with her extraordinary physique. This the first time a woman of her size appears on the front of such a publication and to better show off her tallness, she posed beside a 1.62 meters-tall Australian model.

Zoo Weekly editor Paul Merrill said they had her bikini custom made, but it was worth it. Bro, I totally agree, great job! Oh, and who said good things come in small packages was so wrong!

via ninemsn

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From the country that brought us rugby and soccer comes one of the oldest, hardest and weirdest ball games in the world, the Eton Wall Game.

It’s not clear when the Eton Wall Game was invented, but the first recording of a game dates back to 1766. Its rules were changed several times up to 1849, but have remained unchanged ever since. The game originated at Eton college, along a slightly crooked brick wall, built in 1717. The most important game is played on St. Andrew’s Day, between a team of Collegers and Oppidants.

People kicking a ball along a brick wall sounds a little like soccer, but the 5-meters wide, 110-meters-long pitch makes the Eton Wall Game special. Each ten-player team tries to get the ball to the far end of the opposite side and score a goal, without handling the ball, hold or hit their opponents or get caught offside. As you can imagine, scoring a goal under these conditions can be rather difficult. In fact, the last one was scored 100 years ago, in 1909.

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The Blood Pen, invented by Bob Partington, is a must-have accessory for any respectable vampire writer.

I know some of you have seen the Blood Pen ever since early 2008, but I just found it today and had to post some photos of it here. This creepy gadget features a syringe and a pen nib, connected by a plastic mechanism. After you fill the syringe with your own blood (seems reasonable enough), you stick it in place and start writing your bloody memoirs.

As you can see in the video at the bottom, it’s not the best writing tool, as it often drips more blood than you’d like, but the idea in itself is enough to impress you. I don’t much like the flashy silver feather attached, but I guess that’s just a matter of taste.

via Gizmodo

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