World's Largest Hand-Drawn Maze Needs Some Solvers!
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If you are one of those kids that loves to solve puzzles or finding your way through mazes, Pittsburgh artist Joe Wos is looking for you. That's because while he is almost done sketching what is most likely the world's largest hand-drawn maze, he cannot get into the record books until he finds someone willing to put in the 30-40 hours it will take to solve it - That is, if it is solvable at all, something the artist is only 99% certain about.
Joe, a cartoonist at ToonSeum in downtown Pittsburgh says that as a child his doodles, spread over large pieces of paper, often turned to mazes that he would proudly display on his room wall. Therefore when he recently decided that one of his life-long goals was to get into the Guinness World Records, it was the one thing he knew he could do well.
He was even more encouraged when he realized that while there were six maze records in the book, none of them were for hand-drawn ones. So, he contacted the folks at the company to see if they would consider his idea. While they agreed, they had a few conditions - The maze would have to be completely drawn by hand and at least 10 square meters (107 Square Feet). Also, to ensure that he created the entire maze solo, it had to be witnessed by least five people at regular intervals. And last but not least, the maze puzzle had to be solved by somebody.
Not envisioning any problems with the conditions, Joe began drawing his masterpiece on July 27th. Instead of using a pencil so that he could erase mistakes, he decided to challenge himself, by using a thin black sharpie and being creative with the mistakes by adding fun illustrations. Along the way, he also decided he wanted to take his giant maze on an international tour to showcase it to children and adults all over the world. So, he started to seek out sponsors - In return for the money, he incorporated their company logo or icon into his masterpiece.
The result? An intricate giant puzzle that embodies his fund-raising efforts, moods, hunger and mistakes flawlessly. Among the 100 illustrations is the famous Starkist Tuna fish ($500), some fun cartoons (just because), pancakes and steak (he was hungry) a packed car (he was impatient and wanted to leave) and a factory with an 'out of order' sign (covering up a mistake).
There is only one roadblock left to Joe's path to the record books - A solver. And for a while things looked pretty bleak. The 42-year old's rejections began at home when all three of his kids declined to even give the maze a try. His plea on Facebook yielded a similar response. He then began approaching his colleagues - While they all initially declined, he managed to convince the founder of ToonSeum to give it a shot, by pointing out that her name too would appear in the record books. Things did improve after his plight became known to the general public. There are now 20 people from all across the country that have volunteered to help out, if necassary.
If all goes well, Joe believes he will be able to cross 'Get Into the Guinness World Records' off his bucket list, by the end of the year. While that gets him excited, what would make him even more so, is if a kid took up the challenge and managed to complete the maze. That's because not only are they better at solving puzzles but also because he wants 50-year-old dad's to stop hitting their kids' shoulders and saying 'Hey look, that's a-maz-ing', and then waiting to hear them laugh at the corny joke. So, if you have 30-40 hours to spare and are up to the challenge of solving the world's largest maze puzzle, be sure to let him know, by adding your comments below!
Resources: huffingtonpost.com, wsj.com
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632 Comments
- Spaethonabout 8 yearsI'm likely not going to get into Guinness because a representative surely won't sit during the 600 hours it'll take for me to complete my maze from start to finish. My project will take far longer because I am using a fine-tip ink pen and drawing paper. Rather than completing the maze on one giant sheet of paper, I am piecing out my maze in sections. One entrance leads from the last section while the exit leads into the next section, both marked with arrows illustrating the direction to travel. Piecing out the maze allows me to keep the maze in perfect overall condition (no smudges, creases, cracks, etc). I can say with 100% absolute certainty that it is solvable. I take a photo of every section with the main pathway by itself before I fill in the rest, just in case I will have to solve it myself one day. Since the pathway leads from one page to the next and to the next and so on, I believe this qualifies my maze as being the world's largest when it's done. All sections perfectly line together. On occasion when I finish several sections, I clear some floor space and line all the sections together to see how cool it's looking. Of 150 sections, I have completed 30, so I have a long way to go. But mark my words, it will get done. I have time for 1 section per week. It will take about 2 more years.
- themugglequeenover 8 yearslove the way he put drawings in the maze
- Jonathanover 8 yearsI've made a maze, and it has very tiny lines. It'll beat all y'all mazes!!
- spaethonabout 8 yearsI'e been working on a maze for a long time now. As of today it measures 22.5 square feet. When done, it'll be 112.5 square feet....in about 2 years from now! But my maze is nothing like this guy's Each pathway in my maze is about 1/8" thick.
- themugglequeenover 8 yearsbut maybe not this one
- Alexalmost 9 yearsYo im up for that challenge
- californiadreamalmost 9 yearswow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- sisimboabout 9 yearsI would totally love to walk up to my teacher and say, "I'm not coming to school for a week because I'm going to be solving a maze."
- themugglequeenover 8 yearsimagine her/his face!
- Nicholasover 9 yearsI'm totally up for the challenge!!
- Cutekittyover 9 yearsHey I want to do it too!!! I want to do it too!!!!!!!! I really want to do it!!! I am soo excited!!!!! let me do it!!!! I want to do it!!!!!!!!!! plesase?????????? me?????? I love puzzles!!!!!
- spiderman24about 8 yearsI wish i I could do it to .
- emilysmileover 9 yearsI WANT TO SOLVE IT
- emilysmileover 9 yearsI CAN DO THAT!