Fan’s Cars collection earns Guinness record

A Mexican fan of the Disney-Pixar film Cars earned a Guinness World Record by collecting 1,200 pieces of memorabilia from the movie. Jorge Arias, of Mexico City, said his collection of items related to the 2006 animated comedy began when his daughter asked him to buy toys of some of the characters so she could play with a neighbour.

Arias said he was impressed with the quality of the toys and their vibrant colours, so he kept buying them. Arias amassed 1,200 items in his 15 years of collecting, enough to earn the Guinness World Record. The father said all of his items are catalogued and he keeps them in glass display cases. He said he regularly gives tours of his collection to other Cars fans, especially children.

The visitors to Arias’ collection have included Cars director Brian Fee and co-producer Andrea Warren, who presented him with a drawing of Lightning McQueen and an invitation to the premiere of Cars 3.

Colorado town pleads for return of stolen phone booth

Residents of a small Colorado town are pleading for the return of a stolen phone booth that served as the centrepiece of a public park for decades.

Cope residents Vickie Cecil and Lanny Payne said the phone booth was a major landmark in the town of about 56 people for some 50 years.

The booth, in its functioning years, originally sat outside of a Conoco gas station, but later became an ornamental feature of Memorial Park when the station closed. The booth didn’t have phone service, but often drew travellers who would pose for photos.

Residents said the theft has been reported to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Japanese sisters dubbed world’s oldest twins at 107

A pair of Japanese sisters born in 1913 were awarded the Guinness World Record for the oldest living identical twins at age 107 years, 300 days.

Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama, who were born on Shodo Island, Kagawa Prefecture, on November 5, 1913, were awarded the Guinness World Record when their ages were verified recently, the record-keeping organisation said.

The twins, who live in separate care homes, were presented with their certificates via mail due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The record was previously held by fellow Japan residents Kin Narita and Gin Kanie. Kin Narita died at age 107 years, 175 days in 2000.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 9th, 2021