Halloween celebrations are incomplete without pumpkins. From carving spooky faces to placing candles inside their hollowed-out centres, pumpkins perfectly set the festive vibe. But why are we suddenly talking about pumpkins? Well, first – Halloween is right around the corner, on October 31 - and second, two UK-based brothers, Ian and Stuart Paton, recently achieved the extraordinary feat of growing the largest and heaviest pumpkin, claiming two Guinness Book of World Records titles.
According to the official GWR website, the heaviest pumpkin, nicknamed Muggled – inspired by the duo's love for the Harry Potter franchise – weighed 1,278.8 kg and measured 649.8 cm in circumference. To take part in the GWR competition, they carefully transported the enormous gourd from their hometown of Lymington in the New Forest to the town of Reading on October 6. After the measurements were taken, the life-sized pumpkin was moved to Sunnyfields Farm, near Southampton, for display, where the Paton brothers were presented with their official certificates.
Interestingly, the day also coincided with another milestone. The farm, owned by the Nelson family (UK), attempted a Halloween-themed pumpkin record to pay homage to the late rock star Ozzy Osbourne. As many as 10,000 gourds were spread out across a 212 m² (2,281 sq ft) area to create a stunning – and the largest – squash mosaic image of the legendary musician. Ozzy Osbourne's wife, Sharon, even visited the farm to admire the beautiful artwork.
As for Ian and Stuart Paton, they have been growing large pumpkins for more than five decades. The two bagged the all-time British heaviest pumpkin title in 2022, presenting a 1,205-kg pumpkin. Although they had come close to winning the GWR record on multiple occasions, factors such as narrowly missing the weight requirement or minor imperfections had previously led to their disqualification.
To overcome the UK's cooler and temperamental weather, the brothers began growing their giant pumpkins in a greenhouse – a decision that has helped them achieve record-breaking proportions over the years.