Just when you think this country has run out of ways to surprise us, we find out that South Africa is the home to the biggest bar of soap on Earth. When it comes to world records, we’ve got a monopoly on the big ones.

We say big… We obviously mean ‘most utterly bizarre’. Our list features records that no-one would imagine there’s even a market for. But take nothing away from our bonkers trendsetters. Their names belong to history. A niche, incredibly diverse passage of history, but history nonetheless.

Top eight crazy world records held by South Africans

1. Most consecutive backwards handsprings (one hand)

We start with a breathtaking feat of human endurance from Zama Mofokeng. A talented gymnast, Zama suffered a severe hand injury aged just 13. This was hardly grounds for him to throw the towel in, though. Mr Mofokeng’s elasticity doesn’t require a second point of balance, as proved by his 34-consecutive backwards handsprings.

2. World’s Largest Gathering of Dogs Wearing Bandannas

This is it. We got the big one. The cup final of Guinness world records. In October 2017, Gauteng’s dog-owning community set their sights on the prize of all prizes. A group of 765 canines, complete with headgear, smashed the ‘most dogs wearing bandannas in one place’ world record at The Big Red Barn, Pretoria.

3. Biggest soap sculpture

South Africa may not have a squeaky-clean reputation on the global stage. So it’s nice to see our record-breakers trying to do something about it. Not only is South Africa home to the world’s biggest bar of soap, but we can claim to have the biggest soap sculpture too – a globe being held in the palms of two hands.

The vital measurements? 2.19 x 2.07 x 2.68m.

4. Most lipstick applications in one hour

The things we do for charity, eh? Bertha Le Roux-Wahl, working for Finesse Magazine, was attempting to raise funds for the Red Cross Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town. In just 60 minutes, Bertha managed to apply her lipstick 535 times. That’s nine times a minute. Good job Revlon were paying…

5. Most bungee jumps in one hour

Veronica Dean (South Africa) performed 19 bungee jumps in one hour at Bloukrans River Bridge, South Africa, on 9 May 2003. She must really enjoy that feeling of plummeting to the ground at an alarming speed, because she was doing it once every three minutes.

6. Longest sausage roll

Never have we been so proud of this country. Sausage rolls, also known as ‘the savoury snack of the Gods’, come naturally to the King Pie bakers. Clocking in at 111.11m (which, actually, looks like five sausage rolls), the Faerie Glen foodsters cooked their way into the record books with this mammoth effort.

7. Most people blowing a vuvuzela at the same time

Well, imagine our shock when we found out South Africa held this record. Unique, yes. Surprising, not even remotely. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium still holds the record after nine years, which was during a fixture between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. An estimated 12,511 vuvuzela blowers set the bar high and loud.

8. Most surfers riding one wave

A total of 110 surfers put Muizenberg on the map back in 2009, when they all caught the same wave rolling across the Cape Peninsula. Never have we seen such enthusiasm surrounding surfing in SA since Kim Kardashian took to our boards:

South Africa is totally tubular! Cowabunga!!!!!! — Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 18, 2010

Also read: South Africans break two world records sailing to Hawaii