The bigger the better? This made-in-Arlington homecoming mum just set a Guinness world record

Everything is bigger in Texas, isn’t it?

Especially returning mothers.

The Arlington ISD special education department just broke the Guinness World Record for Greatest Homecoming Mother.

The pink and white mom is nearly 22 feet long and has a plywood base wrapped in ribbons, flowers, and a teddy bear. With just over 11 square meters, this mom beats the previous Guinness world record of 6.5 square meters.

Homecoming mothers have long been a Texas tradition. Every October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the district’s special education department develops a way to raise awareness about breast cancer.

That year the department decided to merge the two.

“Breast cancer is a disease that has touched our department personally many times over the years,” Sherry Hall, special education specialist, said in a press release. “We just wanted to give a little hope and raise awareness and have fun at the same time.”

University of Texas staff in the Arlington Architecture Department measured and certified specifications for the nut. Arlington ISD received notification last week that the mother officially broke the record. The county is now waiting for the Guinness certificate.

The mother has been at work for two years, delayed by COVID-19 in 2020.

More than a dozen employees completed the mother this summer after almost 50 hours of construction. Because of her size, the mother was built in a driveway at Hall’s mother’s house.

Some of the materials, including about 450 yards of tape, were recycled from previous departmental events. Mom even attached a coat hanger, although no one would actually be able to wear this piece.

The mother will be on display in the lobby of downtown Arlington Public Library this month. A pink wall will be put up behind the mother for people with breast cancer to sign.

“If you are fighting or supporting someone who is fighting this disease, we hope that it gives you some joy and hope,” Hall said in the press release. “We urge everyone to get tested and to do their part to fight this disease.”

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