Meet The Man With 203 Characters From ‘The Simpsons’ Tattooed On His Back

A new contender has entered the arena and he’s vying to get the world record for most cartoon characters tattooed on a body. An odd record, but one we’ve heard about before and it’s still just as impressive.

52-year-old Michael Baxter of Victoria, Australia is a superfan of The Simpsons and when he’s not on duty as a prison warden, he’s working on getting as many characters from the show tattooed onto his back. He’s made it 203 to this point and is hoping that it is enough the garner the approval of the folks at Guinness World Records. From The Daily Mail:

Michael Baxter has spent almost AU$12,000 on getting inked and has been a big fan of the show since its debut. His bid to be recognised as a world record holder coincides with the series’ 25th anniversary on December 17. The prison officer said he had sat through an eye-watering 130 hours under the needle over the course of a year.

Mr Baxter’s favourite character was Homer but his tattoo includes all the main characters – including Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Supporting characters – such as Sideshow Bob, the Comic Book Guy, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner – are littered among the faces that span across Mr Baxter’s back. The tattoo also depicts scenes and locations of Springfield – home of the world’s favourite yellow-skinned family – like Moe’s Tavern and the famous couch scene of the opening credits.

‘I wanted to get something which was unique, which nobody else had or would even think of getting,’ Mr Baxter – who hails from Bacchus Marsh near Melbourne – said.

‘I’m a huge fan of the show. I love the tattoo, and I know lots of other people, including my grandchildren, do too.’

Baxter is looking to unseat current record holder Len Wein of New Zealand, the man with 41 versions of Homer Simpson tattooed onto his arm. Though Baxter took a different approach to his tattoos, he’s hoping that things will turn in his favor:

Despite Mr Baxter’s tattoo including lots of different characters, he understands that because all the characters are from the same show, he is eligible to make a claim for the record.

‘Guinness have accepted my application, but I have a lot of paperwork to fill out,’ he said.

Personally, I think it’d be funny if he hated the show. He’s only getting the tattoo done for someone he loves and Hollywood could come calling to make it into a movie event.

I don’t see why Wein and Baxter couldn’t share the title or at least get separate titles. They both took different routes to get to this point and even though they look quite alike, I think they’ve done enough for separate awards. What do you guys think?

(Via Herald Sun / The AV Club / Daily Mail)