This hairdryer is taller than a zebra!

If you could create anything, what would it be?

British engineers Ruth Amos and Shawn Brown run the YouTube channel Kids Invent Stuff, where they bring their subscribers’ wild and wonderful ideas to life.

Some of their previous inventions include a giant robot squirrel that cuts trees, a carrot car and a flame-throwing marshmallow cannon.

In 2023, they claimed their first GWR title with the largest electric toothbrush: 2.008 m (6 ft 7 in), akin to the average height of a door.

And now they’re back with another record-breaking build… the largest hairdryer!

It measured 1.755 m long and 1.6 m tall (5 ft 9 in x 5 ft 3 in), which is roughly 8 times bigger than a normal blowdryer...

Or equivalent to the average height of an adult!

The YouTubers got this idea from their fans, Kiki and Thea, who won a competition to choose their next invention.

Over 5,000 kids between the ages of 4 and 11 sent in their entries, which ranged from a giant lion that shoots out chicken nuggets to the world’s longest car!

Ruth told GWR: “There's something really special about taking an everyday object that everyone recognizes and turning it into something that makes people stop in their tracks.

“Hairdryers look quite simple, but they're actually a really interesting engineering challenge.”

Moving the contraption also has its difficulties… Either 4 people or an engine hoist are required!

Ruth and the team spent 3 weeks building the blowdryer in the Kids Invent Stuff workshop in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.

But how exactly did they do it?

Metal ventilation ducts and aluminium straps were used to form the shape.

Any gaps were then filled with 14 cans of expanding foam and 12 litres (3.1 US gal) of car body-filler.

Once this had set, the team added layers of resin and fibreglass matting before sanding and painting the hairdryer.

“It was a challenge to make something that big that would usually be moulded out of plastic”, Ruth shared.

And now for the real question… does it work?

“It can dry your hair very quickly and effectively,” Ruth revealed. “It has an industrial fan and 2 big oven heater elements.”

This is hardly a surprise when you think it has 5,000 watts of heating!

For context, normal hairdryers have a wattage between 1,800 and 2,000.

With this record, Ruth wants to prove that engineering can be fun.

“I hope [this record shows] that engineering isn't just about equations and textbooks.

“It's about imagination, problem solving and bringing ideas to life.

“Some of the best engineering projects begin with someone asking, ‘I wonder if we could…’”

Ruth and Shawn holding the largest electric toothbrush.

One of Ruth’s main aims is to inspire kids – especially young girls – to get into STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

“Representation really matters,” the 36-year-old said. “If young people can see someone who looks like them building exciting things, it helps them picture themselves doing it too.

“I'd love more girls to realize that engineering is incredibly creative and that their ideas deserve to be built.”

Ruth is one of the many astonishing talents in Guinness World Records 2027, which is out now.

The 4-time GWR titleholder described her feature as “a real honour”.

“Guinness World Records is something so many of us grew up reading, so to be part of that history is incredibly special.

“Hopefully someone flicking through the book will see the giant hairdryer and think, ‘Maybe I could build something amazing one day too.’”