Lee Weir, a 27-year-old from New Zealand, just set an important record that lands squarely in the center of the Tattoo/Cartoon accomplishment Venn diagram: “Most Tattoos of the Same Cartoon Character Tattooed on the Body.”
Weir set the mark when he nabbed his 41st tattoo of Homer Simpson and submitted his proof to Guinness World Records. He received word in May that he would soon receive his certificate. Four things stand out about Weir’s story:
– The impressive variety. Weir’s tattoos depict Homer in a number of different states: as a jack-in-the box, the Grim Reaper, in an elephant suit, as the Hulk, and as — of course — a donut.
– The location. All of Weir’s tattoos are on his left arm, leaving plenty of room to extend his record.
– His late-to-the-party Simpsons fandom. Weir was banned from watching the show when he was a kid because his father thought it depicted the head of the household as “a buffoon.” So Weir didn’t watch the show at all when he was young and then became obsessed during adulthood, which is the exact opposite experience of most Simpsons fans.
– It caused sobriety. Weir spent the last year alcohol-free, putting the money he would have spent on alcohol toward his tattoos.
Here are some shots of Weir’s ink, courtesy of Guinness World Records and Weir’s Instagram:
