The oldest girl received a letter in the mail yesterday from a friend. The outside of the envelope had the normal return address and addressee, and in place of the postmark was "Guinness Book of Records for Kids". The letter itself went along the lines of:
Hi Everybody,
Children started this letter in 1996. If not broken by spring 2007 it will be put in the Guinness Book of Records for Kids along with everyone who took part in it. Neat! No one has broken the chain so PLEASE DON'T BREAK!!!!!!
All you have to do is copy this letter or type it and send it in by mail. Mailing is free! So no stamp is needed! All you have to do is write the 'Guinness Book of Records for Kids' in the spot where the stamp would usually go. If you don't believe me, just look at the envelope I sent the letter in! The reason why you have to send it by mail is so the Post Office can tell who broke the chain. No you only have 4 days to send this letter to 7 people under the age of 16 years. The day you send it by mail is counted as one day. So do this right away. In a few days you will get a letter thanking you for taking part.
Sincerely,
Name Omitted
My first cynical thought was "this is a bullshit chain letter". The family felt I was wrong so she typed up her own and printed out copies, and this evening called her friends and got their addresses. I still felt that it was a hoax, and my argument was that there was no way that Guinness would be able to publish everyone involved, nor is there a way to track them. The argument given to was that the Post Office could do it. Those stupid motherfuckers can't even bring my mail to the right address, how the fuck would they be able to type all the children's names into a database and then send them to a publisher that is not even in the US? Anyhow, I decided to pay a visit to Snopes and here is what THEY say:
Claim: Forwarding an Internet chain letter will get you listed in the
False.
Example: [Collected on the Internet, 1998]
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When it comes to giving the ego a quick boost with a shot of unearned fame, one should keep in mind there ain't no free launch.
By definition, Guinness is interested in world records; biggest, fastest, longest, oldest. If there were a category for longest-lived
The record keepers have very strict rules about what they will list in their pages and the procedures that have to be followed if any record attempt is going to be honored by them. According to a couple of entries in its "Tips for Record Breakers" section:
Remember that if the record you want to try to beat is not in the book chances of it being introduced are slim.
The criteria used to establish a record are as follows: the record must be measurable, must be independently corroborated, must be completely objective, and should preferably be the subject of worldwide interest and participation.
Provide documentation at all stages. We cannot send out witnesses so we need all the proof you can gather.
In short, there's no way to verify an
Guinness explains its position very clearly on its site, saying of this particular canard:
Chain Letters
London, 5th May 2006.
Guinness World Records does not recognise or verify chain letter world record claims under any circumstances.
Any correspondence alleging Guinness World Records is currently supporting an attempt to break a chain letter world record is false.
Chain letters are no longer recognised by Guinness World Records and no further claims will be accepted (whether they are requesting cards, compliments slips or any other items). People will not have their names published in any Guinness World Records book by participating in a chain letter.
Moreover, the idea that each of the participants would get his name in the book even if a measurable record was set and verified is nuts. The Guinness Book of World Records lists accomplishments, not lengthy cast calls of those who participated in them. Grabbing an entry at random from the book, Guinness says, "The record attendance at a one-day barbecue was 44,158 at Warwick Farm Racecourse, Sydney, Australia on
Also, unless the letter is intended to become an ever-lengthening inbox-choking missive with each person's forwarding information left intact upon it, there's no way to know who forwarded the note and who did not. All the rumors about
In the spring of 2001, a surface mail version of the leg-pull began appearing in the mailboxes of kids everywhere. It states the chain letter was started in 1986 by Austrian children and if it is kept circulating until December 2001, the chain will be recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records with each of the participants named. Recipients are instructed to copy the missive six times then mail the letter to six youngsters. Each of the envelopes is to be inscribed "POST OFFICE: THIS IS AN OFFICIAL GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS CHAIN LETTER."
It's every bit as much a hoax as the Internet version was. There is no such attempt in progress, nor would Guinness be interested in one. The surface mail version is specifically targeted to kids which makes this doubly sad. Children love to receive things in the mail so it's a shame one of the few letters they'll receive is an out-and-out hoax.
Bottom line? If you want to get into the book, learn to grow peppers. If you can beat
After that I decided to pay a visit to Guinness and this is from their Media pages:
Chain Letters
London, 5th May 2006.
Guinness World Records™ does not recognise or verify chain letter world record claims under any circumstances.
Any correspondence alleging Guinness World Records is currently supporting an attempt to break a chain letter world record is false.
Chain letters are no longer recognised by Guinness World Records and no further claims will be accepted (whether they are requesting cards, compliments slips or any other items). People will not have their names published in any Guinness World Records book by participating in a chain letter.
I broke the news to my daughter, who of course immediately broke into tears and started whining about the "work" she had put into typing her letter and I explained a little about what chain letters are and why they can even sometimes be illegal. I hate these almost as much as I despise email spam.
The only thing saving me here is that she gets to deliver the coup de gras and call her friend and explain that it was a hoax.
I still feel a mixture of sadness for bursting her bubble, along with the satisfaction of knowing that as usual I am right. 
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, third world county, Faultline USA, The Random Yak, stikNstein... has no mercy, Adam's Blog, basil's blog, Pirate's Cove, Blue Star Chronicles, Renaissance Blogger, Planck's Constant, Common Folk Using Common Sense, Dumb Ox Daily News, Conservative Cat, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
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meany!
Hi Richard,
This hoax sure is spreading fast. My daughter got one last week, and my son today. And we're in Sweden!
Exactly the same "no stamp needed" scheme, which is the most peculiar thing to me. Is it the post offices world wide they are out to get?
If the claim "the chain has not been broken since 1996" was true, they would have done that long ago. By duplicating the letter 7 times every 4 days, every kid under 16 on Earth would have received a copy within 44 days! After 10 years, the recipients count would be a staggering 770 figure number (yes! check for yourselves!).
Hey all,
they got us too,
in connecticut, they need to stop disappointing children...ugh. Does the post office pay attention to the stamp or can I just write anything and mail anything...hello? no wonder they are broke.
Judy
Yeah, it's funny. I checked with the postal service and apparently they just have stupid people working for them. They are probably the same damn people that keep sending the letter out.