COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland celebrated the 90th birthday of Muppets creator and alumnus Jim Henson by attempting to break a world record.
What we know:
Students, faculty, staff and family members gathered in the Stamp Student Union on campus to participate in the university’s first Sock Puppet Party. However, they came up short of setting a Guinness World Record for the most sock puppets worn simultaneously in a single venue.
The attempt was part of Henson Week, a campus-wide celebration dedicated to the iconic puppeteer.
Henson and his wife, Jane, both graduated from UMD, where they originally created the Muppets.
Festivities leading up to the event included "Henson-mania, which featured tie-dye activities and Muppet character drawing sessions.
To claim the official Guinness World Record, the university needed 629 participants wearing sock puppets at the same time. On Friday, officials said they had 500 participants.
Sammy Popat, UMD Manager of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, highlighted that the event's message centered on re-imagining creativity and encouraging artistic expression across the campus community.
An official representative from Guinness World Records was not present on site.
The Source: Information in this article is from the University of Maryland.