Americans can make a competition out of anything. The extent of this was seen on Monday, when giant pumpkin growers descended with their massive gourds on Northern <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/us-wildfire-scorches-luxury-homes-in-southern-california-as-strong-winds-fuel-flames-23655558" rel="nofollow">California</a>, for an annual pumpkin-weighing contest.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Pumpkins-2_1792277075_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
As per event spokesman Ronan Fowler, around 30 of them participated in the 53rd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Pumpkins-3_1792277086_s.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" />
They were all out to win the top prize, and break the world record set by Ian Paton, of Lymington, England, who grew a pumpkin that weighed 1296 kilograms. The prize went to Travis Gienger, a former world record-holder and four-time pumpkin weigh-off champion from Minnesota.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Pumpkins-4_1792277097_s.jpg" alt="Travis Gienger became a five-time weigh-off champion with his 1083 kg pumpkin. PICS/Instagram@hmbpumpkinfest" width="1280" height="720" /> Travis Gienger became a five-time weigh-off champion with his 1083 kg pumpkin. Pics/Instagram@hmbpumpkinfest
He took home $21,501 for his massive, 1083 kg pumpkin, driving 30 hours to reach California. A spokesperson for the competition had previously lauded Geinger: &ldquo;The fact that Travis can weather the elements, like 30-degree weather, and still grow this massive pumpkin is pretty unbelievable.&rdquo; What&rsquo;s even more unbelievable is how much people care about pumpkins.
<h2>Rushing to another record</h2>
Idaho man David Rush catches 20 to break the world record for most paper aircraft caught in the mouth in one minute
David Rush is at it again. It was not enough for him to hold more than 200 <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/dogpalooza-2026-296-dogs-set-guinness-world-record-at-nevada-water-park-pool-party-23653224" rel="nofollow">Guinness World Records titles</a>, he just had to have another one. The man from Idaho teamed up with his 13-year-old niece, Ali, to break the Guinness World Record for the most paper aircraft caught in the mouth in one minute with 20 planes.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Planes_1792277135_s.jpg" alt="David Rush had his niece throwing paper planes at him as he attempted to catch as many as he could with his mouth in one minute. PIC/x@Ginasassyass" width="1280" height="720" /> David Rush had his niece throwing paper planes at him as he attempted to catch as many as he could with his mouth in one minute. PIC/x@Ginasassyass
A video posted by him on Instagram showed how the girl kept throwing paper planes at him, while he stood with his mouth wide open, biting at the incoming projectiles. He admitted that he had put this plan on hold years ago when he found out that getting stabbed in the face with the point of a paper airplane was painful.&nbsp;
For this attempt, he found a form of paper plane with a blunt note. According to him it &ldquo;still stung,&rdquo; but was merely &ldquo;painful&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;dangerous.&rdquo; He also commended his niece online, saying &ldquo;Ali had an advantage from her first throw. Her release angle was higher, and her delivery was remarkably steady (not surprising since she&rsquo;s a top-tier soccer goalie).&rdquo; Let&rsquo;s make our guesses, which object will he try to catch in his mouth the next time?
<h2>Baa-sotted with Buck</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Buck_1792277164_s.jpg" alt="PIC/x@lunarbloomers" width="1280" height="720" /> Pic/x@lunarbloomers
When you introduce a mascot, you want it to go viral. But not Kiwibank. Their new mascot, a green cartoon sheep called Buck, is getting a lot of praise for its sex appeal. The bank is filing copyright claims against the use of Buck&rsquo;s image in a tweet that featured drawings described as &ldquo;sexy sheep art&rdquo;. Perhaps they&rsquo;re jealous of Buck&rsquo;s aura.
<h2>You&rsquo;ve won a forgottery!</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Lottery_1792277188_s.jpg" alt="PIC/x@DojaKitten55" width="1280" height="720" /> Pic/x@DojaKitten55
Fifty-three-year-old British woman, Zoe Wallace, has proven how forgetting can change your life. She won a share of a &pound;1 million prize pot won by her old street in a People&rsquo;s Postcode Lottery jackpot, by forgetting to update her lottery ticket after moving. Sometimes it literally pays to forget.
<h2>A Dolly business</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Dolls_1792277219_s.jpg" alt="PIC/Instagram@sonnetxgabriella" width="1280" height="720" /> Pic/Instagram@sonnetxgabriella
Diane McMillin, the US owner of over 80 American dolls, has been selling doll clothes to grown-up enthusiasts on the Internet. &ldquo;Other women are just as in love with American Girl as I am,&rdquo; she says, &ldquo;and they&rsquo;re willing to invest in their dolls.&rdquo; We hope to have as much money as them for ourselves.
<h2>Facing a tAIger</h2>
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/oct/Trump-Tiger_1792277263_s.jpg" alt="Pic/x@TrumpTruthOnX" width="1280" height="720" /> Pic/x@TrumpTruthOnX
<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/business/business-news/article/trumps-sanctions-waiver-offers-india-temporary-relief-not-lasting-certainty-gtri-23655597" rel="nofollow">Donald Trump</a> morphed a video of a UK man who had fallen in a tiger enclosure, using AI. The video was changed unempathetically to show Trump in the place of the deceased man, only in this version, the tiger runs away. It ends with him tackling the animal, embracing it, and smiling at the camera. Users all over social media were quick to call him out with the funniest comments. One wrote &ldquo;I&rsquo;d love to invite Mr Trump to play in the tiger enclosure,&rdquo; while another put it simply: &ldquo;Orange predator vs a tiger.&rdquo;

A 1,083 kg pumpkin wins Half Moon Bay’s weigh-off, David Rush catches 20 paper planes with his mouth, and bizarre viral stories feature a sheep mascot

World’s giant pumpkin contest, a paper-plane record and more bizarre stories making headlines

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From a 1,083 kg pumpkin winning California’s World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off to Idaho’s David Rush catching 20 paper planes with his mouth, unusual stories are making headlines. The roundup also features a viral sheep mascot, an unexpected lottery win and an AI-generated video of Donald Trump

Giant pumpkins, paper planes and AI tigers: The internet’s strangest stories this week

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Home / News / World News / Article / Giant pumpkins, paper planes and AI tigers: The internet’s strangest stories this week