Record-Breaking Do-Gooders

For several years now one of the most popular features for National Geographic Kids (NG Kids) has been a department in its pages dedicated to cool/wacky/weird Guinness World Records. “The Guinness World Record department has always been one of the most popular with our readers,” says Rachel Buchholz, managing editor. “So, we thought, since our readers like to read about the records so much, why don’t we try to engage them and set some records ourselves.”

NG Kids set its first Guinness World Record in 2004--the world’s Longest Line of Footprints—10,932 prints, measuring almost two miles. With such an amazing reader response (Buchholz still has glitter in her office from some of the decorated “feet” that arrived), the magazine decided to harness that energy into a way that could truly help others. In 2006, NG Kids and their readers set out to create the Largest Gathering of Plush Toys—a record that also allowed them to add a community component by giving all the stuffed animals collected (2,304) to the Marine Corps Reserves’ Toys for Tots program. NG Kids knew they were on to something—they had discovered a way to tap into the interests of their readers and use this as a way to get them motivated about a movement. “We moved from just setting records to having our records have some meaning behind them. Since one of our missions as a magazine has always been to inspire kids to care about the planet, we wanted our next record-breaking feat to be along those same lines,” says Buchholz.

In October 2007, with the NG Kids Green Issue hitting the stands, the magazine used their guest editor, Cameron Diaz, to kick-off what would become one of their biggest record-breaking achievements. “Someone mentioned that Nike had a cool program, Reuse-A-Shoe, that recycles sneakers into athletic surfaces,” says Buchholz. "So we asked Nike if they'd like to be our partners in a Guinness World Record for the Longest Chain of Shoes, in which they'd take all the sneakers we collected." Of course the athletic shoe giant said yes and the record of the Longest Chain of Shoes was born. Thousands of donations from readers, families, schools and even members of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team poured into the NG Kids office—reaching a staggering 10,512 shoes which were laid heels-to-toes in the National Geographic Society courtyard (almost 2 miles) before handing them off to Nike.

Their most recent record—Most Items of Clothing Collected for Recycling—was done in partnership with Cotton Incorporated and was displayed in a massive art installation at Union Station, Washington D.C., in late August 2009. “This was the perfect record for our readers,” says Buchholz. “Everyone has at least one pair of jeans that are out of style, too small, etc.  It was a simple way for kids and their families to help the environment and help other people.”  More than 33,000 items of denim clothing including jeans, shirts, jackets and hats were collected and used for the display. All of the collected denim was donated to Cotton Incorporated’s COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN® denim drive program, which gives denim a second life by recycling it into UltraTouch™ Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation for use in restoring or rebuilding homes damaged by hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. The denim collected (which included items from Ben Stiller, Dylan and Cole Sprouse and Allie Grant) was enough to insulate more than 60 homes. In a recent press release, Paula G. Rosario, vice president of Cotton Incorporated Strategic Alliances stated, “This record-setting collection for the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN® denim drive not only speaks to Americans' love of denim and the environment, but to their civic-mindedness. The high response illustrates the positive influence of National Geographic Kids magazine on today's young people."

Each record-breaking initiative takes almost a year of planning and is usually kicked-off within the pages of NG Kids 3-months prior to the collection deadline. The magazine also sends out e-blasts to their membership lists as well as sends out traditional press release announcements and works with their corporate partners to get the word out to as many people as possible. “Sometimes kids feel like they can’t make a difference because they are ‘just kids.’ But, our records prove that’s not true at all, “says Buchholz.  “The simple, small steps they take to help us break each record are big steps toward making a real difference in the world.  That’s a very big deal.”