The 2015 World Beard and Moustache Championships kicks off today in Leogang, Austria - an event which sees a panel of judges examine the attendees in search of the most attractive, unusual and original beards.
There's sure to be some impressive examples of face fuzz on show at the event, but guests will struggle to match the achievements of the following ten record-breakers who have each achieved Guinness World Records titles for their bearded brilliance.
Most wins at the World Beard/Moustache Championships
The most wins at the World Beard and Moustache Championships is 8 and was achieved by Karl-Heinz Hille (Germany). From 1999 to 2011, Hille has been competing in the Imperial partial beard category. His most recent success was in Trondheim, Norway, in 2011.
Longest beard chain
The longest beard chain consisted of 20 participants, measured 19.05 m (62 ft 6 in) and was achieved by the members if the 'Verband Deutscher Bartclubs e. V' in Amberg, Germany, on 2 December 2007.
Heaviest weight lifted by a human beard
The heaviest weight lifted by human beard is 63.80 kg (140 lb 16 oz) and was achieved by Antanas Kontrimas (Lithuania) on the set of ‘Rekorlar Dunyasi' in Istanbul, Turkey, on 26 June 2013. Here he is in 2012:
Heaviest vehicle pulled by beard
Antanas then went on to set a record for the heaviest vehicle pulled by beard at Litexpo in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 13 December 2014. The car weighed 1,952 kg (4303 lbs 6.72 oz).
Longest beard on a living male
The longest beard measures 2.495 m (8 ft 2.5 in) and belongs to Sarwan Singh (Canada) when measured in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on 8 September 2011. It was initially measured on the set of Lo Show dei Record in Rome, Italy, on 4 March 2010 where it then measured 7 ft 9 in.
Longest beard on a living female
The longest beard on a woman belongs to Vivian Wheeler (USA) and was measured at 25.5 cm (10.04 in) from the follicle to the tip of hair on the set of Lo Show Dei Record, Milan, Italy, on 8 April 2011.
As a small child growing up Vivian was always made to feel different. Her father insisted she started shaving at the age of 7 but this failed to stop the taunts. It was only after four marriages and her mother’s death in 1993 that she finally stopped trimming back the facial growth and let her beard grow. She prefers to tie the beard up, to allow her to continue with her day-to-day routines. Currently the mother-of-three has joined a touring curiosity show based in Illinois and feels much happier with her life. She said: “It really helped to have a Guinness World Records title, it showed me I could be proud of being me. It made me feel like I had a chance in society.”
Largest gathering of people wearing false moustaches
The largest gathering of people wearing false moustaches is 2,268 and was achieved by the City of Fairfield & the Fairfield RAGBRAI Committee (both USA), in Fairfield, Iowa, USA, on 26 July 2013.
Longest moustache
The longest moustache measures 4.29 m (14 ft) and belongs to Ram Singh Chauhan (India). It was measured on the set of Lo Show dei Record in Rome, Italy, on 4 March 2010.
Most toothpicks in a beard
The most toothpicks put in a beard is 3,157 and was achieved by Jeff Langum (USA) on the set of 'Lo Show Dei Record' in Milan, Italy, on 3 July 2014.
Largest beard and moustache championships
The largest beard and moustache championship involved 462 participants and was organised by the Newport Winter Carnival (USA), in Newport, NH, USA, on 12 February 2011. The overall winner of the competition was Steve Lucas (USA), who was chosen by the judges as having the "Grand Stache". They took the record from the 2007 World Beard and Moustache Championships.