My Secret Obsession With “The World’s Biggest …”
Do you have one of those secret (or not-so-secret) travel obsessions? A sort of guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
For me it’s stopping off at “The World’s Biggest …”!
No matter what it is. No matter how cheesy it is. I MUST STOP TO SEE IT!
This past weekend this obsession came to me when the World’s Biggest Rubber Duck came to Toronto for Canada Day weekend!
World’s Biggest Rubber Duck
The World’s Biggest Rubber Duck swam it’s way into the Toronto Harbourfront this past weekend, though not without a little controversy.
Why a duck? It cost how much?? These were some of the most popular among the questioning party-poopers around the city and province. Every great idea has it’s naysayers …
Judging by the crowds of smiling faces (of all ages!) I’d say the duck was an overwhelming success. I’ve never seen so many people gathered in this area of the Toronto waterfront for any event, but they all came for the duck. Then they stayed for the amazing fireworks display off the CN Tower. [UPDATE – All previous records were smashed for the attendance for the Waterfront Festival, and local businesses had their busiest long weekend ever]
This duck is a replica of a sculpture designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. It comes in at 6-storeys tall, is 78 feet wide, 89 feet long, and weighs over 13 tonnes (30,000 lbs). And it’s a social media phenomenon!
CN Tower
Speaking of the CN Tower … For 34 years this structure held the record for World’s Largest Free-Standing Structure and World’s Largest Building. It’s reign came to an end in 2010 with the completion of the Burj Khalifa and Canton Tower.
At 553.3m (1815.3 ft) tall, the CN Tower remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere.
The interior of the CN Tower is home to the World’s Tallest Metal Staircase at 1776 steps. The stairs are closed to the public except for twice annually when they’re used for charity stair-climb events. I personally completed the climb at one of these events in 2000, and it was an amazing experience!
The Big Lobster
As you start out along The Great Ocean Road from the Adelaide end you’ll find The Big Lobster, affectionately known locally as “Larry the Lobster”.
Larry is 17m tall, 15.2m long and is 13.7m wide, with an approximate weight of 4 tonnes. He’s made of steel and fibreglass, and was designed to to attract attention to the restaurant and visitor centre.
The Big Rocking Horse
Located in the Adelaide Hills, The Big Rocking Horse is only 40 minutes from the city; a perfect pit-stop on the way to tour of the Barossa Valley wine region.
The Big Rocking Horse stands over 18m tall and weighs 25 tonnes. It’s part of a larger complex that includes a wooden toy factory, wildlife park and café. The main viewing platform on the horse’s back can be reached by steps, but you’ll need to climb a series of steel ladders to enjoy the great views from the top of the head.
The Big Apple
A short drive east of Toronto will take you right past The Big Apple. Everyone in the area knows it, and it’s a popular spot to stop during road trips.
Inside the complex you can watch apple pies and apple bread baked right in front of you … then take some home. Outdoor activities include table tennis, shuffleboard, bocce ball, 18-hole mini putt, and a train ride for kids. But the main attraction is climbing inside the 35 ft tall “Mr. Applehead”, the world’s biggest apple-shaped structure.
The Big Nickel
As you travel into Northern Ontario, you’ll find The Big Nickel just off the main highway in Sudbury.
Opened to the public in 1964, the 9m (30 ft) tall replica of a 1951 Canadian nickel (5 cent coin) is located at the grounds of the Dynamic Earth science museum.
The 1951 design was chosen to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the isolation of nickel as a metal, to be a lasting tribute to the men and women who mined and processed the minerals in the Sudbury Basin.
Video Display at AT&T Stadium
Earlier this year I attended an event at the incredible AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The centerpiece of this building is a 55 x 22 m (180 x 72 ft) center-hung Mitsubishi video display board that was the largest high-definition television screen in the world at the time of installation.
Each board stretches from one 20-yard line to the other 20-yard line with 11,393 square feet of screen area, and weighs 1.2 million pounds.
Special highlight was that I managed to make an appearance on the massive screen dancing with a few of my friends!
Grand Canyon West Skywalk
A quick 120 mile (190 km) drive from Las Vegas will take you to Grand Canyon West, the lesser known sibling to the popular North and South Rims.
In 2007 the Hualapei Nation opened Skywalk at Eagle Point. The Skywalk is a glass-floored, horseshoe shaped walkway 4000 ft above the canyon floor! The height of the vertical drop directly under the Skywalk is between 150m (500 ft) to 240m (800 ft). At 21m (70 ft) is was the longest cantilever bridge in the world until it was surpassed in 2015.
I ventured out onto the glass a couple of years after it opened and loved it! The views are incredible, and the experience is definitely one-of-a-kind.
World’s Biggest Turkey
This “Big Tom” is located in Frazee, Minnesota – the Turkey Capital of the World – just off Highway 10 on a hilltop in Lion’s Park.
Assembled in August, 1998, this turkey monument stands over 20 feet tall and 17 feet wide, and weighs over 5000 pounds. It’s made of fiberglass with steel reinforcements, and estimated to have 3000-4000 fiberglass feathers that were assembled offsite.
World’s Biggest Buffalo
The World’s Largest Buffalo is located just off I-94 in Jamestown, North Dakota. It stands 26 feet tall and is made of 60 tons of concrete.
Nicknamed “Dakota Thunder” in 2010, this monument had been standing watch over the Jamestown Frontier Village since 1959.
On the same site is the National Buffalo Museum where you can see a live buffalo heard roaming their large paddock.
World’s Biggest Holstein Cow
“Salem Sue” is located in New Salem, North Dakota, just off the I-94. There’s no mistaking where she is as you can see her high on a hilltop as you approach the village from up to 5 miles away.
Sue measures 38 feet tall by 50 feet long, and weighs 12,000 pounds. She is made of fiberglass, and was built in 1974 by the New Salem Lion’s Club to help promote area dairy farms and their Holstein herds.
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Resources
Here is a list of the resources mentioned in this post:
World’s Biggest Rubber Duck – a replica of a sculpture designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. It comes in at 6-storeys tall, is 78 feet wide, 89 feet long, and weighs over 13 tonnes (30,000 lbs)
CN Tower – At 553.3m (1815.3 ft) tall, the CN Tower remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere
The Big Lobster – “Larry” is 17m tall, 15.2m long and is 13.7m wide, with an approximate weight of 4 tonnes. He’s made of steel and fibreglass, and was designed to to attract attention to the restaurant and visitor centre
The Big Rocking Horse – Standing over 18m tall and weighing 25 tonnes, it’s part of a larger complex that includes a wooden toy factory, wildlife park and café
The Big Apple – Climb the stairs of the 35 ft high structure to the top observation deck for great views of the area, and even Lake Ontario
The Big Nickel – The 9m (30 ft) tall replica of a 1951 Canadian nickel (5 cent coin) is located at the grounds of the Dynamic Earth science museum
Video Display at AT&T Stadium – At 180 by 72 feet (55 by 22 m), the boards stretch from one 20-yard line to the other 20-yard line with 11,393 square feet of screen area
Skywalk at Eagle Point – A glass-floored, horseshoe shaped walkway 4000 ft above the canyon floor
Great history lesson Bruce!
Now you need to come to Darwin MN to see the World’s Biggest Ball of Twine!
Dr. Lisa
I definitely need to stop by to see the twine (and you of course!)
I LOVE things like this! I think I almost have an accidental addiction to the worlds biggest … so thank you for bringing to my attention haha. What’s your favourite though?
hahaha, glad I could help Laura! Favourite? I’d say the Skywalk was the best overall experience, but the big duck was probably the most fun
Omg I love the biggest rubber duck. Kids are bound to be fascinated by it. It should go on tour and circumnavigate the world.
I hope you get to take them soon … it’s so much fun for the whole family!
This is a fun little article. You have checked out a few big things in your travels. We have plenty in Australia that you missed. Big Banana, Big Pineapple, Biggest Boot, Biggest Koala are just a few. Loved the photos. Thanks for the read.
Yes! I definitely need to re-visit Oz just to see all of those Big Things 🙂
I love your post! I saw the rubber duck in Sydney Australia in Darling Harbour! It also made an appearance near the Night Market in Richmond, BC. I took several photos myself and was amazed!! Thanks for sharing your other ‘World’s Biggest’ finds!
Thanks Lauren! It’s such a fun addition to travelling
Very cool idea! On your list of the biggest, I’ve only been to the CN Tower.. I think when I travel, I will look up to see if the location has the biggest of something and visit it!
So glad you’ve been converted into a “big things” hunter 🙂
We love this! To each their own and sounds like a great idea to add to a Bucket List – See as many of “The World’s Biggest…” as I can. Can’t wait to see what you visit next. Cheers. P.S. We will be in Alberta in a couple weeks – will have to see if any of “The World’s Biggest” reside in that area!
Thanks so much Darcee! I know there are a few “big things” in Alberta, so i hope you find them 🙂
My friend went to go see the duck in Toronto. I was so excited looking at her pics! I have a thing for “World’s Biggest” things as well. I want to map out a roadtrip across the States to see all the World’s Biggest/Tallest things.
That sounds like a great roadtrip! I may need to steal that idea …
I wanted to see the giant rubber duck in TO but the dates didn’t match 🙁
It’s been touring the whole province, so there’s still time if one of those other stops fit your schedule
That was a fun read. Loved the duck and the apple. Rarely do I see such quirky attractions.
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That’s exactly what makes it so fun … well, to me anyway, lol
Wow, so many unique places you have visited in search of the “world’s biggest..”. I must say it is an unique way to explore places. I have only been to worlds tallest building ‘Burj Khalifa’. Hope to visit the rest.
I love the pictures I see from that building, and can’t wait to visit myself!
I’ve visited 3 of the locations on your list, the CN Tower, the Grand Canyon Skywalk and I’ve seen the TV hung inside the Dallas Cowboys stadium. I love the rare ‘biggest’ that you’ve included such as the rubber duck, rocking horse, apple, nickel and the lobster, I had no idea these existed. My daughter would love that huge duck!
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Yes! There are so many of these quirky attractions across North American and Australia
Oh my goodness this is brilliant! The world’s biggest duck? That made me laugh so much! My travel obsession I think is trains – I love to ride local trains and see how they work and what they look like!
Another great travel obsession! I love trains too and definitely need to ride more “local trains”
I had fun reading! : ) Love the big apple, too bad I have this fear of heights though! : (
Thanks so much Macs! Perhaps we should search out some of the the World’s Smallest for those afraid of heights 🙂
We love looking for world’s largest things on our travels too!! We recently saw the world’s largest fire hydrant (Columbia SC) and largest cowboy boots (San Antonio)! Good stuff!
Amazing! I love the scavenger-hunt feel of finding these items on our travels
Haha! These are super cool “worlds biggest” items! I got excited when I saw the rubber duck because I got to see him too when he made a stop in Taiwan. He is BIG!
That’s amazing! Yes, so big and so fun to explore 🙂
This is amazing totally loved the Lobster and the Ducky! For me, I have obsessions with visiting interesting places to eat around the world! When we were in Florida we went to a restaurant that was full of taxidermy animals and served all kinds of meat! Bizarre!
So bizarre! I love that you have this sort of obsession too 🙂
Because I live in my own bubble, I have never thought that this big (and cute in the same time) things actually do exist. That World’s Biggest Rubber Duck is so impressive. Having an itinerant duck that goes to Toronto for Canada Day is definitely a good marketing approach.
It really is amazing what things exist around us that we’re not even aware of 🙂
the big duck trumps every other one – it just so cool and humourous at the same time
Thanks David! It is definitely one of the most fun 🙂
the big duck trumps them all – it’s so cool and funny – it needs to come across the pond
This is a fascinating list of some of the World’s Biggest…. I agree inspite of so many naysayers, the Duck seems to have brought a lot of cheer. I think almost does get a thrill of seeing iconic landmarks. Some of them are coincidental that they are ranked as the largest or biggest, while for others it is intentional.
You’re right, it really depends on how far you want to stretch your view of what to include in the category of your obsessions, right? 🙂