The Guinness Book of World Records houses some of the most impressive feats of human accomplishment and dedication. The achievements of everyone from the most successful athletes to the most devoted religious practitioners are immortalized in its pages, for future generations to pour through and marvel at the extent of human accomplishment.
Of course, not everyone who makes it into the fabled Book is a superstar athlete or a spiritual monolith. Some of the record holders adorning the pages of Guinness display a different kind of devotion.
One man in New Zealand recently added his name to the list of Guinness alumni for a unique record. Lee Weir, 27 years old, of Auckland, New Zealand, has been commemorated for his devotion to popular cartoon show "The Simpsons," which he has immortalized on his body in the form of tattoos of one of the series' main characters, Homer Simpson. In fact, it's not just one tattoo, but 41 – more tattoos of a single cartoon character than anyone else in the world, which is apparently good enough for Guinness.
Celebrity tattoos get animated
For some stalwart fans, their favorite cartoon characters take on an air of celebrity and importance that is on par with that granted to our movie stars and musicians. These people wouldn't think twice about marrying their love of tattooing with their love of a favorite cartoon character, comic book hero or movie protagonist, and the Internet is awash with examples of tattoos commemorating some of our culture's animated A-listers, some impressive, and some not so much. Everything from classic childhood favorites to newer, more modern additions to everything in between have been inked onto the skins of devotees. The tattoos range from inspirational to ironic to humorous.
Skin art gets sketchy
What is it that compels someone to take their love of a cartoon or cartoon character to such a permanent level? Shockingly, some people's reasoning may not be as ironclad as you'd think. For example, Weir told The Mirror that one of his primary motivations for embarking on his Simpsons-themed tattoo quest was an act of defiance – as a child, his father forbade him from watching the iconic cartoon show, so now Weir is making up for lost time in other ways.
Of course, each person's motivations for their tattoos are individual and important to them, but such sketchily defined reasons for a permanent body modification are bound to raise a few eyebrows, even those of the artists. In fact, it's not unheard of for a tattoo artist to refuse to perform a tattoo on a client if the design is considered to be the brainchild of whimsical caprice. After all, a tattoo artist's reputation is wrapped up in the work he or she performs, and bad tattoos are akin to advertising a poor product. Tattoo hopefuls shouldn't be surprised if they're turned away by a seasoned artist who suspects that tattoo regret and laser tattoo removal might be in the near future.
Permanent impermanence
Even if you can convince an artist to ink you up with your animated idol, there's no guarantee that the shelf-life of the subject will match that of your tattoo. Television shows are canceled all the time, and characters who are pop culture icons can fade into obscurity in a fairly short time frame, leaving behind an unfortunate and awkward legacy of their passing.
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