Latinos Make Their Way Into 2012 Guinness Record Book

By Michael Lopez

It's that time of year again. A time when 700-pound women mingle with 115-year-old great-great-grandmas. Yup, the Guinness Book of World Records team has announced their newest entries and quite a few Latinos have made the list.

New Yorker Victor De Leon was able to make the cut though. At just 13-years-old, he's officially the "Youngest Person to be a Professional Video Gamer." Nicknamed "Li'l Poison," Victor has been dominating consoles since the age of two! He's already kicked major butt in the annual Halo tournament and now has a contract with Major League Gaming, making him a button-mashing force to be reckoned with!

One contender who we were really rooting for was Edward “Niño” Hernandez. Colombia's “Smallest Man” fought hard to make it into this year’s book. But alas, he was trumped by Nepal's Khagendra Thapa Magar, who measures just 26 inches.

Of course, the Latino community could still have a shot at the "World’s Oldest Woman" prize. Brazilian-born Maria Lucimar Pereira recently celebrated her 121st birthday, putting her a full six years ahead of the current titleholder (an American named Besse Cooper). The problem is, since Maria is indigenous, proper birth records could not verified. Thus, Guinness has refused to acknowledge her entry.

In addition to Victor de Leon's, the Big Apple earned another notable Guinness title this past year. Last August, the city built "The World’s Largest Piñata." Measuring over 60 feet tall, it was made in the shape of a giant Pretzel M & M and we're sure it doled out tons of chocolatey candies.

On the music side of things, Tr3s faves The Black Eyed Peas got themselves a pretty astonishing record. Their smash single "I Gotta Feeling" recently became the biggest-selling download in the UK, exceeding over one million purchases.

And finally, what Guinness Book of Records story would be complete without a "World's Hairiest Man" mention? Yes, the Latinos dominated that category too with Mexico's Larry Gomez keeping the title and proudly displayed his body full of fuzz. But, it's important to note that there's a new furry contender on the block. Thailand's Supatra Sasuphan nabbed the 2012 "Hairiest Child" moniker for her feathery facial mane.

Which Guinness records do you find the most fascinating? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Black Eyed Peas, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Cultura, Edward Hernandez, Guiness World Records, Larry Gomez, Maria Lucimer Pereira, Odd News, Victor De Leon, video games