Watch Minnesota's 65-foot nutcracker chase a world record
Watch Minnesota town039s 65foot nutcracker Verne the Patriot may be the world's largest. The City of Luverne is seeking Guinness World Records recognition for the 65-foot landmark, designed by Katie Walgrave and opened to the public in a Saturday ribbon-cutting ceremony. It stands nearly twice as tall as the current German record holder from 2008.
Key Takeaways
- Luverne, Minnesota, unveiled Verne the Patriot, a 65-foot-tall nutcracker now open to the public.
- Artist Katie Walgrave designed the sculpture, installed near the edge of town.
- The city is seeking Guinness World Records recognition; Germany's 2008 record stands at 33 feet, 1 inch.
- The display builds on a nutcracker tourism campaign launched in 2017 and inspired by collector Betty Mann.
- Mann, 96, attended the ribbon-cutting and said she was overwhelmed.
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Why did a Minnesota town build a 65-foot nutcracker?
Luverne adopted a nutcracker-themed tourism campaign in 2017. The idea grew from local resident Betty Mann, 96, who became famous for a personal collection of 7,554 nutcrackers.
Verne the Patriot is the campaign's newest landmark. Walgrave's design was installed near the edge of the city and formally opened with a Saturday ribbon-cutting. Mann attended the ceremony and reacted emotionally to seeing the giant figure tied to the town's theme.
"Right now, I'm crying, I have tears in my eyes because I'm overwhelmed," Mann told The Minnesota Star Tribune, according to UPI.
That personal collection helped put Luverne on the map for holiday-style roadside curiosity. City leaders later leaned into the motif as a visitor draw, and Verne is the latest, largest expression of that pitch.
How does Verne the Patriot compare with the Guinness record?
Guinness World Records currently lists a 33-foot, 1-inch nutcracker sculpture in Germany, set in 2008, as the largest. Luverne's Verne measures 65 feet—nearly double that height.
"We know he's the tallest because he is almost twice as tall as the current world record holder," Walgrave told KMSP-TV. Official recognition still depends on Guinness verifying the claim.
If confirmed, the Minnesota landmark would more than erase the gap left by the German sculpture that has held the title for nearly two decades. Until then, Luverne is presenting Verne as a record-ready attraction rather than a certified champion.
What happens next for Luverne's giant nutcracker?
The City of Luverne is actively seeking Guinness World Records status for Verne the Patriot. Until a ruling arrives, the sculpture already serves as a public draw for visitors following the town's long-running nutcracker theme.
Local officials and the artist are framing the landmark as both a record chase and a tourism centerpiece. For travelers hunting viral roadside attractions, the 65-foot figure is now open after its weekend debut near the edge of town.
Mann's presence at the ribbon-cutting underscored the through-line from a private collection of thousands of nutcrackers to a city-scale monument. Whether or not Guinness stamps the title soon, Verne the Patriot is already Luverne's newest must-see stop.