World's tallest sand castle built, and demolished. BYO Caterpillar tractor

 Watch Caterpillar Inc, set a new Guinness Record for the tallest sand castle in Rio de Janeiro.  Here are a few other world records you might be tempted to break. 

December 10, 2014

While much of America is gearing-up to make snowmen, a fleet of Caterpillar earth-moving equipment run by a team of artsy operators and sculptors hit the beach in Rio de Janeiro and set a Guinness World Record for the world’s tallest sand castle – 41-feet high.

The challenge was the latest edition of the Built For It trials - and is essentially a clever ad for Caterpillar. 

An official was on hand from the Guinness Book of World Records to document and judge the effort and present the team with their certificate on the spot, according to a video released on YouTube on Tuesday as well as on the Caterpillar company website.

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Five Cat earth movers stacked and shaped the sand but all the artistic heavy lifting was done by sculptors who carved out the fine details.

When it was all done and the Guinness judge had pronounced the effort “Officially Amazing,” the castle was demolished by the same big Cats that helped to make it.

It’s enough to give any kid the urge to hit the beach with a pail, shovel and a dream to become the next World Record holder.

But if you down happen to have access to five Caterpillar tractors, here are some thoughts on how to make that dream come true in sand or snow.

For example, you might take a shot at the world record for the Most People Making Sand Angels Simultaneously –  292 – achieved by LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. (USA), in Santa Monica, Calif., USA, Sept.  6, 2014.

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If you want a solo effort just grab a teaspoon and head for the shore to try and break the record for The Most Sand Moved in 30 seconds with a Teaspoon. That's 194 ml (6.83 fl oz). It was achieved by Majid Mohammad (Pakistan) at the Guinness World Records Pavilion in Global Village, Dubai, UAE, on Jan. 30, 2009.

However, given the current temperature drop over much of the United States, let's take a look at some of the more massive ice and snow record-breaking experiences that could make for frozen fun at this time of year.

The world record for Most People Making Snow Angels simultaneously is significantly harder to beat than it’s sandy counterpart.

That record has stood since Feb 17, 2007, when 8,962 people at the State Capitol Grounds in Bismarck, N.D., were organized by the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

If you want to build the World’s Tallest Snowman, you have to beat the Guinness record set by Robin Zinchuk of Bethel, Maine, and surrounding towns. They built a snow woman measuring 37.21 m (122 feet, 1 inche) tall, over a period of one month, completing her on Feb. 26, 2008.

The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculptures Festival in has the record for the Largest Snow Sculpture, entitled 'Romantic Feelings' measured 35 meters (115 feet) tall and 200 meters (656 feet) long when it was created in the Heilongjiang Province, China, on Dec. 20, 2007. A team of 600 sculptors from 40 different countries created the Olympic-themed landscape, which included a French cathedral, an ice maiden and a Russian church.

However, if building with snow or ice leaves you cold, you - and a few friends - might try breaking the record for World’s Biggest Snowball Fight.

That record was achieved by 5,834 participants at an event organized by Seattle Snow Day (USA) in Seattle, Wash., on Jan. 12, 2013. Each participant threw at least one snowball during the attempt, with proceeds benefiting the Boys and Girls Clubs of Seattle.