 A Florida man has finally bid farewell to the world's largest rubber band ball.
Joel Waul, 28, of Luaderhill, spent five years knotting, stretching and wrapping rubber bands together to create the 1,000lb ball, reports the Miami Herald.
But Mr Waul has now sold it to the Ripley's Believe It or Not! emporium who removed it with the help of a crane and a flatbed truck.
He started on his record bid in 2004 when he saw a TV episode of Ripley's featuring the then-record holder for largest rubber band ball.
"Right then, on the spot, I started," he said.
The ball grew and grew, reaching the point where it would no longer fit inside his home when Mr Waul moved it outside, to the drive.
It became a neighborhood icon and was clearly visible when Google came around taking photographs for its street view function. It was recognized by Guinness as the world's biggest last year.
The rubber ball will temporarily be staying in Orlando before a more permanent home is found. It can't go into just any Ripley's because of the logistics of moving it.
"We can't roll it through the door,'' said Edward Meyer, vice president of exhibits and archives for Ripley's.
Because the ball will have to be lowered in, Ripley's has to find a place without a roof. Most likely are museums in Los Angeles or San Francisco because they are undergoing renovations.
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World's biggest rubber band ball
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