Wisconsin can contribute its fame to a wide range of things — the Green Bay Packers, a surplus of breweries and a borderline obsession with cheese of all kinds.
Of course, we can’t forget about the Dairyland State’s world record holders, some which were set locally in the Fox Valley.
To celebrate, here are five world records you may not have known were set in Wisconsin, but it totally makes sense that they were.
World’s Largest Brat Fest
Madison’s Brat Fest, dubbed as “The World’s Largest Brat Fest,” holds several brat-related records. In 2010, the event set the record for most Johnsonvillen brats consumed in four days at 207,376 brats.
To put the magnitude of their festival into perspective, Brat Fest said they have sold 362.03 miles of brats placed end-to-end since 1983.
World’s Largest Cheese Board
The only thing Wisconsinites love more than brats is cheese, especially considering the state is the largest producer of cheese in the United States.
To prove their passion, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin assembled a 4,437-pound cheese board of more than 145 types of specialty cheese.
After the record was confirmed, the mass amounts of cheese were either sampled, raffled off or donated.
Most Vehicles to Break Through the Ice
In one of Wisconsin’s most bittersweet world records, 37 vehicles fell through Lake Winnebago’s ice during Oshkosh’s Battle on the Bago ice fishing competition in 2012.
Although the event’s organizers urged participants to avoid parking on the ice, many participants did.
Ultimately, the weight was too much for the ice conditions and left nearly 40 vehicles at least partially-submerged.
Fastest time to drink one liter of gravy
Wausau resident Steven Ruppel set the record for the fastest time to drink one liter of gravy for the second time in 2020, downing four cans of Campell’s gravy in just 38.22 seconds.
Ruppel made sure to note that he heated up the gravy before his successful attempt. After all, who likes cold gravy?
World’s Longest Shotski
Although Wisconsin is known for its breweries, the home of seven of the 10 drunkest cities in the country is known to take a shot (or more) every once in a while.
Sometimes, those shots are taken off skis — or in this case —468 skis fastened together. In 2022, an Eagle River bar rightfully named Shotskis gathered nearly 1,200 participants to take shots of Fireball whiskey off a 2,454.95-foot long shotski.
