You’ve seen the postcards. Or maybe you saw that weird scene in National Lampoon’s Vacation. The idea of the world's largest ball of twine sounds like the ultimate punchline to a joke about boring American road trips. It’s the quintessential "tourist trap." But here is the thing: there isn’t just one.
People get genuinely heated about this.
If you drive out to Cawker City, Kansas, they will tell you they have the biggest one. If you head to Darwin, Minnesota, they’ll claim the title too. Then there’s Branson, Missouri, and a contender in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin. It’s a messy, fibrous battle for roadside supremacy that has lasted decades. It’s not just about size; it’s about how the twine was wound, who did the winding, and whether or not the thing is still growing.
The Kansas Giant: A Community Project
Let’s talk about Cawker City. This is the one most people think of when they hear about the world's largest ball of twine. Frank Stoeber started this beast in 1953. He was a farmer. He didn't want to waste bits of twine from hay bales, so he started wrapping them. By 1961, it weighed over 11 tons.
It’s huge. It sits under an open-air gazebo on the main drag.
What makes the Cawker City ball unique—and why it often wins the "largest" debate—is that it is a living document. It’s never finished. Every year, the town holds a "Twine-a-thon." Visitors can literally add their own length of twine to the mass. It’s a bit gross if you think about the decades of dust and Kansas humidity trapped in those inner layers, but as of the last official measurement, it’s well over 20,000 pounds. It’s a community effort. It belongs to everyone.
The Minnesota Contender: One Man’s Obsession
Now, if you’re a purist, you go to Darwin, Minnesota.
Francis A. Johnson was a different breed of creator. Starting in 1950, he spent four hours a day, every single day, for 29 years, wrapping twine. He did this in his basement. He used a crane to move it eventually. Unlike the Kansas ball, this one is "finished." Johnson stopped in 1979 and passed away shortly after.
The Darwin ball is encased in a glass gazebo. You can’t touch it. You can't add to it. Because of this, many argue it is the true world's largest ball of twine built by a single person.
It is 12 feet wide and weighs 17,400 pounds. It’s dense. It looks like a giant, petrified brain sitting in the middle of town. There’s something almost haunting about it compared to the party atmosphere in Kansas. It represents one man’s singular, obsessive focus. Johnson didn't have a community; he had a vision and a lot of spare time.
Branson and the "Plastic" Controversy
Then things get weird in Missouri.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! owns a ball in Branson. It was built by J.C. Payne in Texas. In the 90s, Guinness actually certified this one as the largest. But here is the catch: it’s made of nylon/plastic twine.
To the old-school twine enthusiasts, this is heresy.
True twine should be sisal. It should be organic. Using plastic feels like cheating to the folks in Kansas and Minnesota. It’s lighter, it behaves differently, and it’s arguably less impressive than the massive organic mounds in the Midwest. While the Branson ball held the record for a while based on diameter, the "spirit" of the record usually stays with the sisal balls.
Why Do We Actually Care?
It’s just string. Why are we driving hundreds of miles into the plains to look at a sphere of trash?
Honestly, it’s about the scale of human persistence. We live in a world where everything is digital and fleeting. A ball of twine is the opposite. It is heavy. It is physical. It represents thousands of hours of mindless, repetitive labor. Whether it’s the collective labor of a town or the lonely labor of a man in his basement, it’s a monument to "doing something just because you can."
There is also the "weird America" factor. Roadside attractions like these peaked in the mid-20th century, but they are having a weirdly strong comeback. People want something real. You can’t "filter" the world's largest ball of twine to make it look like something else. It is what it is.
The Hidden Logistics of Twine
You might wonder how these things don't just rot.
Sisal is a natural fiber. If it gets wet and stays wet, it turns into a moldy nightmare. The Cawker City ball is under a roof, but it’s still outside. The dry Kansas air does a lot of the heavy lifting for preservation. In Minnesota, the glass enclosure is vital.
The weight is another issue. These balls are so heavy they can crack concrete pads if they aren't properly reinforced. They are essentially solid boulders made of fiber. When you stand next to the Kansas ball, you can smell it—a dusty, earthy, farm-like scent that reminds you that this thing is basically a giant haystack that’s been compressed for 70 years.
The "Texas" Ball and Other Pretenders
Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin, has a ball started by James Frank Kotera. He calls it "JFK’s Ball of Twine." He weighed every piece he added. He claimed it was the heaviest, even if it wasn't the largest in diameter.
This brings up the big problem with ranking them:
- By Weight: The Kansas ball usually wins because it never stops growing.
- By Diameter: The Branson/Texas ball often takes the lead.
- By "Single-Handedness": Minnesota is the undisputed champ.
Guinness World Records has changed their criteria over the years, which has only added fuel to the fire. At one point, they had different categories for "Largest" and "Largest built by one person." It’s a political minefield for the three people in the world who take this seriously.
How to Visit Without Being Disappointed
If you’re planning a trip to see the world's largest ball of twine, don't just go for the ball. Go for the drive.
Cawker City is small. You’ll see the ball, you’ll take a photo, maybe you’ll buy a souvenir from the local shop, and then you’re done in 20 minutes. The magic is in the surrounding landscape—the endless sunflowers, the massive sky, and the quiet.
If you go to Darwin, Minnesota, you’re about an hour and a half west of the Twin Cities. It’s a beautiful drive through lake country. The Darwin ball has a little museum nearby that’s worth a look if it’s open.
Pro Tip: If you visit the Kansas ball, ask around at the local shops. Sometimes they have extra twine and will let you officially add a few feet to the ball, making you a part of world record history. It’s a weirdly satisfying feeling to wrap a piece of string around a 10-ton object and realize you're now part of the "we."
Misconceptions You Should Know
People think these balls are hollow. They aren't.
They are solid twine all the way through. There’s no wooden core (usually) and no hidden treasures inside. It’s just layers upon layers of history. Another misconception is that they are dangerous or might "unroll." They are so compacted and heavy that they are basically solid objects. You could probably hit them with a car and the car would come out worse.
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Actually, don't do that. The locals wouldn't appreciate it.
The Verdict on the "True" Winner
If you want the most authentic experience, go to Cawker City, Kansas. The fact that you can still touch it and contribute to it makes it a living thing. It’s not a museum piece; it’s a project. It feels like the purest expression of the weird, obsessive American spirit that created these things in the first place. Darwin is for the historians; Branson is for the tourists; Kansas is for the believers.
Actionable Steps for the Twine Tourist
- Check the Calendar: If you want to add to the Kansas ball, time your trip for the "Twine-a-thon" held during the Cawker City picnic in late summer (usually August).
- Verify Museum Hours: The Darwin, MN museum is small and often run by volunteers. Call ahead or check their local Facebook page before making the trek.
- Pack for a Picnic: Most of these locations are in small towns with limited dining. Cawker City has a nice park nearby.
- Bring a Wide-Angle Lens: These things are surprisingly hard to photograph because they are tucked into gazebos or small spaces. You’ll want a wide lens to get the whole sphere in the frame without backing into traffic.
- Respect the Sisal: If you’re at a ball that allows touching, be gentle. These are historical artifacts, even if they are made of string.
Don't expect a life-changing epiphany. Expect to see a very large, very heavy ball of string. There is a quiet beauty in that simplicity. It’s a reminder that if you do one small thing every day—like winding a piece of twine—eventually, you’ll have something the whole world wants to see.