Few toys set and break records the way spinning tops do. Spin duration, size, and simultaneous spins are just a few of the records set by tops. Read on to learn about the world’s biggest spinning top and 8 other world records set by tops and the people who spin them!
Unless otherwise noted, the following records are those acknowledged by Guinness World Records as of 2021. There are individuals and organizations that claim to hold the same or similar records. Regardless of what’s official, I like to think that all impressive spinning tops are winners.
The world’s biggest spinning top
A team of 25 individuals of the Mizushima Plant of Kawasaki Steel Works in Okayama, Japan created the world’s biggest spinning top in 1986. It was 6 feet, 6.75 inches tall and 8 feet, 6.25 inches in diameter. It weighed an impressive 794 pounds and spun for over 1 hour and 20 minutes!
Though not recognized by Guinness, the Rizal Re-Creation Center in the Philippines claims to currently have the world’s largest top. It is a massive 990-pound blue top with giant red dots around its perimeter. It stands over 10 feet tall and is display on the grounds of the rec center. Its large size doesn’t keep it from spinning, but it does require a 1.5-ton moving weight to launch it.
The longest spin time for a top
The world’s longest spin took place at the The Madd Fun Arcade in New York in 2006. It lasted an impressive 7 hours, 1 minute, and 14 seconds. Interestingly, the top used was made from wood. The man behind the spin was Ashrita Furman, who has set more than 600 official Guinness records since 1979 – including holding the most Guinness World Records.
The most tops spun simultaneously
Mark Hayward spun 27 stops simultaneously in 2012. In my opinion, this is far less impressive than the top that weighs nearly 800 pounds or the top that spun for over 7 hours. But a record is a record, and the most tops spun simultaneously to date is apparently a mere 27.
The most people spinning tops at the same time
In 2016, a group of 891 locals from Kitanagoya City, Japan got together to spin the most tops ever spun simultaneously. They did it to promote the city’s spinning top manufacturers. Now that’s supporting local business!
There is another record for most simultaneous tops spun at multiple venues. At 967, it’s not that much more than the single-venue record. The event was, however, a cool way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Isehara City Youth League in Japan, which took place in 2019.
Dreidels have their own record for most people spinning them simultaneously. In 2011, 734 participants in a United Synagogue Youth event spun dreidels at the same time for at least 10 seconds.
The fastest mile while spinning a whipping top
The extraordinary Ashrita Furman makes another appearance on our list by running a mile in 25 minutes and 13 seconds while spinning a whip top in Antalya, Turkey in 2006. A whipping top is a spin top that is set in motion by a toy whip that curls around the top and then pulls away from it, forcing it to start spinning. One can, in fact, do this while running!
Up for grabs – the longest continuous spin for a mechanical top
A mechanical spinning top uses mechanical parts to enhance its ability to spin or balance, such as this 3D-printed top. There is currently no record-holder for this category. Who wants to give it a spin?!
We don’t have the world’s biggest spinning top, but…
Get some practice as you prepare to beat a spinning top world record! Scovie Precision Turning tops haven’t won any world records (yet), but they are great tops. Our perfectly balanced tops will spin for over 10 minutes and last a lifetime. Check out the selection in our store.
