ORLANDO, Fla. — The world of the extraordinary just got a little closer to home. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has officially unlocked its vault to release a brand-new book called “Wired into Weird.” Packed with mind-bending tales from across the globe, the latest edition features some homegrown talent.
Local Legends: Central Florida’s own Macias family from Windermere secured a coveted spot in the book. Brother and sister duo Erick and Paulette Macias managed to turn real, playable guitars into fully functional waterskis.
The “Double Take” Rule: Getting into a Ripley’s book isn’t easy. Editor Jordie Orlando says the competition to make the final cut is fierce, operating on a strict standard: “Will it make the reader do a double take?”
Celebrating the Different: For the Macias siblings, making the book is about more than just a quirky stunt. “I think it’s a good representation of how being different can be awesome and how you can turn anything into something,” Erick shared. Paulette added, “Guitars aren’t meant for the water… But why can’t you be different?”
Mind-Boggling Artifacts: Beyond local waterskiing instruments, the pages are stuffed with global oddities. Readers will find stories on a purse woven entirely out of human hair, an albino porcupine, and a giant penny meticulously crafted from 84,000 smaller pennies.
A Long-Distance Holiday Record: Readers will also discover a heartwarming and bizarre story of a single Christmas card. The book documents a piece of holiday mail that has been signed and successfully mailed back and forth between friends for a whopping 62 years. “Wired into Weird” is available for purchase now online and at major book retailers.