Long-tongued people

Seen here are Stephen Taylor and Annika Irmler. German teenager Irmler had the Guinness World Record for the longest tongue, 7 cm, until the UK's Taylor beat her by 2.5 cm. Link to Guinness page on Taylor, Link to BBC New story about Irmler

Previously on BB:
• It's official: At seven centimeters... Link

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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Burns!

Seriously. Where the hell does he keep that thing?
Argon

“The okapi is one of the few mammals that can lick its own ears.”
chrisnixon

Is that Ballmer on the left?
Apreche

How do you measure a tongue? I mean, the tongue technically starts very far back in the mouth. If I measure mine from the back of my mouth all the way to the tip, when fully extended. I beat the world record. However, I know my tongue isn’t very long because I can’t even touch my nose with it. I question their measuring metric.
Drew Blood

@Apreche
This sounds very similar to another debate that’s raged for ages!

I’m wondering, am I the only one that reached for a ruler after reading this story? I’ve always thought I had a very long tongue. I can’t reach my nose but I can lick underneath my chin. I feel a bit inadequate now at only 5cm though.
Shannon

Regarding tongue stretching, that’s generally done by breaking down or removing the sublingual frenum. It’s sometimes done as a neccessary surgery for people who are “tongue tied”, and makes about 1/2″ to 1 1/2″ of difference depending on the degree.

When I was running ModBlog, I posted a number of long tongued people (warning — other content on the site is NSFW):

http://modblog.bmezine.com/2006/03/21/long-tongue-olympics/
http://modblog.bmezine.com/2006/02/12/now-thats-what-i-call-a-tongue/
http://modblog.bmezine.com/2006/03/08/another-long-pierced-tongue/
ralphleon

Hate to be a link gestapo, but your link for the “previously on BB” is borked.
stovis

What in the hell is a centimeter?
ChrisG_nyc

Once we finally get this genetic engineering thing down, his DNA will be worth a fortune.
airship

So who has the longest tongue with a pair of these things on it?

http://boingboing.net/2008/06/10/what-is-on-keiths-to.html
deckard68

“Annika was 12 in 2001, so she’s quite likely 18 or 19 by now.”

We need a “Where Are They Now?” update on her, stat!
Jongo

As a long-tongued person (I can lick around the bottom of my chin and even stick my tongue up my nose), I can shed a little light on the situation.

It really can be a pain, having such a large and long tongue. It sometimes lolls out of my mouth when I sleep, or if I’m very focused on a videogame. It surprises the hell out of those you kiss, and while they generally have a positive reaction, a lot of people get grossed out by it. It can draw stares, when you absentmindedly extend your tongue out onto your cheek to grab that last crumb.

All that said, the benefits far outweigh the awkwardness.
M

Where does he store that thing when he pulls it in for the night?
seanfitz

Watch out Gene Simmons!
Agies

Insert sexual innuendo *here*
Takuan

pikers
Antinous

There have to be yogis in India who have stretched their tongues out to a couple of feet. They’ve stretched everything else.
noen

Is there anything that can be done to the human body that someone somewhere hasn’t already perfected? No wait… I don’t want to know.
lightsyrup

How long is Gene Simmons’ tongue?
Antinous

Just long enough.
minTphresh

gene had his sublingua ( those two tendon like thingys under your tongue) snipped to get the added length. good times!
The Lizardman

@Antinous – there are yogi exercises for stretching the tongue but they rarely result in more than a centimeter or two of added extension outside the mouth, despite the mythical claims

Of course, I have always felt that two tongues beat one
Takuan

push-ups
neurolux

Really? I’d think Count Smokula would have them beat.
Santa’s Knee

Tor Johnson lives!?!?!?
Takuan

maybe
http://duplave.freeblog.hu/files/plan9.jpg
Takuan

important pointer: do NOT take a first date to:
Frank Zappas 200 Motels
Sid and Nancy
Liquid Sky
anything by Ed Wood
Antinous

How about Eraserhead?
eustace

CERTAINLY not Eraserhead. That must have been rhetorical.
Antinous

FYI, I don’t recommend Googling ‘longest tongue’ or any variant thereof. Is anyone else really grossed out by the sight of people’s tongues, or is it just me?
rickrider

I’d love to see what’d happen if these two had a kid together.
Timefishblue

I think Stephen Taylor would go to jail.
RJ

What a charming young lady!
Eh, eh? Say no more, say no more. Tchk-tchk!
Ocker3

Nope timefishblue, Annika was 12 in 2001, so she’s quite likely 18 or 19 by now.

Having said that, they’ve chosen a somewhat unattractive picture for Steve, perhaps his publicist is angling more for the freak-show market rather than the “OMG that’s a Long tongue *giggle*” female market? (or male, depends on his fancy)
Antinous

I’m not sure that he really has good pics.

BBC pic
inquiring mind

So, Jongo…what do you personally weigh in as the benefits? ;>