Every now and then a story comes along that is so outrageous it can cause you to do a double take. There were a few such stories in 2015.
We present you 15 of the weirdest stories that were too funny to be true.
1) At this Chinese eatery, shorter your skirt, bigger the discount
Love wearing short skirts? A Chinese restaurant is offering women clad in skimpy skirts massive meal discounts.
A Jinan-based eatery is offering its female customers, whose skirts’ hems measure at 33 centimetre above the knee, a discount of 90 per cent on their food, while women wearing clothes revealing mere 8 cm will only got 20 per cent off the bill.
2) Australia builds ‘curvy’ Beyonce-inspired skyscraper
Baby, can you handle this? Beyoncé’s fiercely curvaceous frame is a showstopper for men and women alike. Now, it’s even inspired architecture. The 33-year-old singer’s body is the inspiration for a skyscraper in Australia.
Designers at the Aussie firm Elenberg Fraser were drawn to Beyoncé’s ‘Ghost’ music video when projecting what the 68-story Premier Tower at 134 Spencer St. in Melbourne would look like.
3) Unbeelievable! Man covered in 1.1 million bees sets new world record
This Chinese beekeeper isn’t going to let the small matter of 1.1 million bees stop him from smoking a cigarette. Gao Bingguo, 55, set a new Guinness World Record after being covered in a massive 17st of the insects on Monday. He suffered 2,000 stings in the attempt -- but managed to puff on a cigarette regardless. Gao is no stranger to bees, having kept them for over 35 years.
4) Weird couple took wedding pictures with coffin!
Weddings are a chance to show the world your love in a totally unique way -- but one couple took their individuality to the extreme.
Jenny Tay, 29, and Darren Cheng, 30, who are both undertakers, broke new grounds when they posed in and with a white coffin in a park in Punggol, Singapore.
The couple say that the concept of death is as important to them as ever, even when it comes to saying ‘I do’.
Jenny said, “When couples take wedding pictures, many of them think of something significant and meaningful to them - their favourite cafe, the place where they first met. “Both of us are very passionate about our jobs, so I thought, why not?”
5) Yes, the Wife Carrying World Championships do exist
When they say your marriage vows, most people don’t anticipate this is what wedlock looks like. But it does at the annual Wife Carrying World Championships. Yes, it’s really a thing.
The event’s website even boasts: ‘The wife carrying is good for your relationship.’
Ville Parviainen and Sari Viljanen, the winning couple for the second year running.
They emerged victorious after the 253.5 metre course, which saw them climb over two dry obstacles and a mini-pool to wade through.
6) Model removed 6 ribs to win world’s smallest waist award
US model Pixee Fox, who originally hails from Sweden, voluntarily had six ribs removed in order to achieve her desired size -- a procedure that cost her nearly $120,000.
“People often come up to me and say, ‘don't take this the wrong way, but you look like a cartoon’ - but for me that's a compliment, that's what I want to achieve,” said Fox.
The model’s transformed her 30-24-34 statistics to an out of this world 38-16-38.
7) When underwear models brightened up London Underground
A group of underwear models transformed a London Underground platform into a catwalk as passengers looked on in disbelief.
The stunning girls strutted their stuff in little more than knickers and bras. But Northern Line commuters need not expect this early morning surprise every day as it was the launch of lingerie brand Bluebella’s spring-summer collection.
8) Meet Muscle Barbie
Teenager Julia Vins has the delicate facial features of a porcelain doll - and the ripped physique of The Hulk. Julia has an army of fans in her native Russia for her unconventional combination of good looks and rippling muscles. The 18-year-old -- who likes to take topless pictures of herself -- even holds three world power-lifting records.
She said: “People know me as Muscle Barbie - I like this comparison. It’s nice.”
9) Believe it! Japan has a 24-hour festival to celebrate the penis
It’s a sight that draws giggles and curious stares from tourists and other first-timers -- an unusual festival where revellers carry gigantic phalluses through the streets of a Japanese city.
But for the residents of Kawasaki, who lug erotic shapes of all different sizes, this odd tradition is not a joke.
Shinto Kanamara Matsuri started as a small tradition but has grown into a popular a tourist attraction, with participants praying to a god of fertility, child birth and protection from sexually transmitted infections.
Known as the Festival of the Steel Phallus, it is held every spring at the phallus-shaped Kanayama Shrine.
Festivalgoers parade through the streets with three giant phalluses, while spectators lick lollies or snack on sausages or vegetables shaped as male and female genitalia.
10) This record is nail biting!
A lot of world records were awarded in 2015, but perhaps the strangest of these accolades was bestowed upon a man in India who hasn’t cut his fingernails since 1952.
Shridhar Chillal earned a Guinness World Record for his 30-foot-long (9 metres) claws, which have not been trimmed in 62 years. Sure, his long nails make certain daily tasks more difficult (even sleeping through the night is an issue), but now the 78-year-old has a nice plaque to show for his efforts.
11) Meet the ‘World’s sexiest dwarf’
Super-glamorous Karina Lemos is living proof that good things come in small packages; the 4 feet 3 inches tall model was dubbed the “world’s sexiest dwarf”.
The diminutive actress and pin-up has attracted an army of fans, including 35,000 followers on Instagram, thanks largely to her revealing pictures. She also regularly appears on TV in her native Brazil.
12) Poop problems
For Halloween this year, Burger King unveiled an unusual menu item: a Whopper with a black bun. At first, this spooky-looking burger seemed like a totally harmless way to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve, but once digested, the black bun yielded an unsavoury surprise.
The Halloween Whopper turned people’s poop green. The emerald-hued stools were likely the result of the black bun’s abundance of food colouring, which is often not fully absorbed by the intestines, resulting in oddly coloured poop.
13) Kuwait pilot loses licence after allowing porn star into cockpit
A pilot for Kuwait Airways had his licence revoked in response to an incident in 2013 where he allowed an adult film actress into the plane’s cockpit.
The pilot, who was not named, allegedly allowed ex-porn star Chloe Khan into the cockpit alongside her “glamourous friend” during a flight from London to JFK airport in New York, representing a violation of stricter regulations implemented after 9/11.
Communications Minister Essa Al-Kandari stated an investigation was launched when news of the incident emerged in July.
Following reports that the pilot smoked a cigar in the cockpit, invited Khan to sit on his knee and offered them champagne, Al-Kandari ordered an “immediate recall” of the pilot’s licence.
14) Lawyer offers 50 cows, 70 sheep and 30 goats to marry Obama’s daughter
A lawyer in Kenya had offered US President Obama an assortment of cows, sheep and goats in return for his teenage daughter’s hand in marriage. Felix Kiprono said he “got interested” in 16-year-old Malia in 2008 and has been saving himself for her ever since.
The lawyer, whose age has not been revealed, said he would give the US president 50 cows, 70 sheep and 30 goats if he let the two tie the knot.
Kiprono said: “I have shared this with my family and they are willing to help me raise the bride price.”
15) The dad and daughter who have the world’s widest tongues
A dad and daughter have become overnight celebrities -- for having the world’s widest tongues. Byron Schlenker was gobsmacked to discover he had has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the jaw-dropping feat.
His tongue measures a whopping 8.6cm across the same width as a beer mat and 2cm wider than an iPhone 6.
And daughter Emily, 14, is not far behind at 7.3cm - the widest female tongue in the world.
