The Largest Ball of Twine! (rolled by one man!)
Minnesota has some big things . . . let’s face it. First, there’s the Mall of America. It’s hoppin’ huge. Minnesota is also home to “The World’s Largest Spam Museum” (yes, it’s the only one, but the largest nonetheless). None of that holds a candle to “The World’s Largest Ball of Twine” in Darwin, Minnesota.
It's behind glass? How am I going to see it?
Weird Al Yankovic wrote a song about this stringed monstrosity. Naturally, it’s “The World’s Longest Song About The World’s Largest Ball of Twine,” so grab a can of Spam and settle in for the night if you want to listen to it….
Either I'm really little, or that's one big ball of twine!
Apparently, Weird Al visits the museum on occasion, but he wasn’t there the day that I rolled in. The curator of the museum, Roger, only unlocks the glassed outdoor pavilion, where the ball of twine is stored, for a few select visiting celebrities. Roger unlocks the pavilion for Weird Al, for example, and the Queen of England – should she ever show.
So I was fit to be tied when Roger unlocked it for ME and allowed me to snuggle up right next to that twined orb for a picture. Really! I’m not just spinning a yarn. Like everything else in Minnesota, it was BIG . . . way too big to hop over and much too wide to hug. That didn’t stop me from trying.
I would have loved to meet Weird Al at the Largest Ball of Twine! (rolled by one man!) Hey, a frog can dream big you know! Thanks Roger for treating me like a star! Can someone hand me a chocolate soda?
Tags: Polly 11
October 12th, 2010 at 5:56 am
As all my friends know, this has been on my bucket list for years. After seeing these great pictures, I’m even more determined to see it one day. Great pictures!
October 12th, 2010 at 7:30 am
Polly #11~ I’ve never been one to get tongue tied, so I must say that I’m a little bit jealous! I was just in Minnesota and I didn’t get to see the Largest Ball of Twine (rolled by one man!) Roger really treated you well! Lucky frog! You have to make me a promise…if you get to meet Weird Al, make sure you bring me along too! 🙂 Okay seriously….thanks for posting! This was a fantastic story!
October 12th, 2010 at 10:26 am
Just imagine spending twenty-nine years constructing this ball of twine! I get frustrated with a ball of yarn after twenty-nine seconds. Francis Johnson must have been one patient (or bored) man. I thought that his collection of whittled pliers was every bit as fascinating as the ball of twine. It was also fascinating to talk to Roger, the curator of the museum. The whole experience was well worth the drive!
October 12th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Now that’s something that I’d really like to see!
October 18th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Holy cow! How does Weird Al remember the words to that song? It goes on and on…and on…and on… I read once that Gordon Lightfoot regularly forgot the words to “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” so we can only assume that Weird Al’s inspiration from the ball of twine is unsurpassed.
October 18th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
All of those words that rhyme with Minnesota, and NOT ONCE did Weird Al mention Abe Vigoda!!! What’s up with that?
October 19th, 2010 at 11:04 pm
That’s huge! I do have to wonder what would make someone think, “I have a burning desire to roll the world’s biggest ball of twine….and I’m going to do it! Oh yeah, and I think someone famous is going to sing a song about it someday!”
October 21st, 2010 at 5:00 pm
It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of, but then again it’s pretty cool. The question, “Why?” will probably never be answered.
February 22nd, 2011 at 11:16 am
I had never heard Weird Al’s song or even knew about the ball of twine. Thanks for posting! The world is a funny place.