The World's Largest Bag Of Potato Chips Held Over 2,500 Crisps

It's been almost 60 years since Lay's challenged the world to eat just one potato chip. The still recognizable slogan continues to live in our lexicon. But let's consider the reverse. If you can't eat just one potato chip, how many can you eat? Back in 2013, a group of potato chip factory employees in Little Downham, England decided to build a bag of chips big enough to satisfy even the most ardent snacker's appetite. Their plan, though, wasn't to eat the chips — it was to set a Guinness World Record. 

They succeeded, knocking out the previous world record holder, Calbee, just 14 months after the Japanese potato chip manufacturer set the record. What did it take to set a new world record — a record that's about to mark 10 years and is still standing? According to a BBC report, it took employees at Corkers Crisps about 20 hours to make the record-setting bag of chips. 

In the end, their effort resulted in a behemoth that was more than twice the size of the Japanese company's previous Guinness World Record. To complete the task, Corkers Crisps managing director Rod Garnham told BBC that employees worked overnight, sleeping in shifts on hammocks set up on site. And the effort wasn't without challenges. Their first attempt failed when the purpose-built bag broke open.

It was colossal. When all was said and done, Corkers Crisps' world-record size bag of chips weighed in at 2,513 pounds. For a point of reference, the average weight of a Toyota Prius is about 2,500 pounds. The purpose-built bag measured 18 feet high, about the height of a two-story office building or as Garnham told BBC, "If you stood in the top window of your house and looked out, it would be higher than that." 

Prior to the challenge, Garnham estimated it would take the company about 14 hours to complete the task. While the broken bag during the first attempt likely set them back a bit, the process itself was pretty remarkable. To claim the record, Corkers Crisps had to adhere to a Guinness World Record stipulation requiring the entire batch of sea salt potato chips to be cooked in a single production round. 

In order to accommodate that condition, the company jerry-rigged a system to transfer the chips from the fryer to the bag via a system akin to a grain elevator. We can't be sure if anyone dipped into the bag to eat just one —or many — potato chips, but we do know it was a well-intentioned stunt. Funds raised during the challenge went to a local charity focused on childhood cancer.