The magical Walter Rolfo made five record titles appear out of thin air

For the crowd gathered at the 2008 Magic Congress in Saint-Vincent, Aosta, Italy, seeing the man onstage in the tuxedo pull a pure-white rabbit out of a top hat was a familiar sight.

But then he pulled out another. And another. And another.

And to the delight of the audience, Italian magicians Walter Rolfo and Piero Ustignani kept pulling rabbits out of the hat in a somewhat-comical time loop until 300 fuzzy white hares were hopping across the stage - thereby collecting the record title for most rabbits pulled out of a magician’s hat.

While this sight was undoubtedly a first for the magicians gathered in Italy, this feat marked the beginning of a magical career for Rolfo, one of the most awarded magicians in Guinness World Records history.

Rolfo has the magic touch for conjuring records - he collected four more in 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2018, bringing his total to five, amongst his other accomplishments. The life coach, author, and television host has made doing the impossible his speciality, which is particularly true for his magic tricks.

A key part of Rolfo’s persona is growing the magic community, which inspired his 2010 performance for Masters of Magic at Casino De La Vallee, Saint-Vincent, Italy. Rolfo shared the stage with 62 of his fellow magicians as they performed tricks, setting the record for most magicians in a magic show.

The magicians each stood under a giant projector displaying their number, before quickly performing a trick in front of the lively audience. Once the performance was over and the record was confirmed, they all shared the stage in celebration.

But the magic community is a competitive bunch - and after their record was broken by the Magic Circle Germany in 2012, Rolfo joined up with 134 magicians to reclaim it in 2015 with FISMITALY2O15.

Not the type to be outdone, the Indian Brotherhood of Magicians overtook his record in 2016 after gathering 162 magicians in Delhi – a remarkable feat that only started because of Rolfo’s desire to showcase the power of magic to bring people together.

By this point, Rolfo had the taste for record-breaking, and it was impossible to stop him. In 2011, he teamed up again with his partner-in-crime Ustignani to shock crowds at the Masters of Magic Convention at the Casino de la Vallée in Saint Vincent, Italy.

Determined to prove that anything can be done with the power of thought, Rolfo set 140 fine-stemmed wine glasses atop a dining table, and attempted to crush the lot with his mind. 66 glasses shattered, spraying shards of glass feet away from where the closest person was standing.

This magical accomplishment awarded him his third record, for most glasses broken during a mind control stage illusion.

His most magical moment arguably came in 2018 however, when he gathered an entire city in Italy together to break a record with him. As part of the New Year's Eve celebrations in Turin, Rolfo completed a magic trick with 12,514 spectators, breaking the record for most magicians performing a trick simultaneously.

We’re not the type to reveal a magician’s secret, but since at least 12,514 people already know – the trick required all spectators to hold four cards. They then rip them in two, shuffle them, and put a single piece in their pockets. Next they shuffle them again, decide to keep some, or throw some away. At the end of the trick, they will 'magically' remain with one single piece of card, and it will match exactly the one in their pocket.

Although he hasn’t broken a record in a few years, Rolfo has been busy writing books and serving as Italy’s Ambassador for TikTok’s World Kindness Day. Always a positive and encouraging spirit, he remains dedicated to making people’s days a little more magical.