At the ripe old age of fifteen, Auldin Maxwell is already breaking world records and inspiring Hallmark movies.
Maxwell landed his first spot in the Guinness World Records in November 2020, when he successfully balanced 693 Jenga blocks all on top of one vertical facing Jenga block.
Only four months later, he broke his own record by stacking 1,400 Jenga blocks onto one vertical block, more than doubling the original amount. He then broke the record for most Jenga GIANT blocks (500) stacked on top of a single vertical Jenga GIANT block.
And now, 15, Maxwell has re-broken both of his previous records—with a tower of 900 Jenga GIANT blocks, and a staggering pile of 1,840 regular Jenga blocks.
Maxwell, who is on the autism spectrum, told Guinness World Records that his passion came naturally, saying that he had “one or two Jenga sets, and I just started building different designs and came up with stacking ideas.”
He even watched videos of different Jenga block records, and when he realized he had enough pieces to attempt breaking the most Jenga blocks on a vertical Jenga block, he became determined to do so.
Though it involved a lot of trial and error, eventually Maxwell had a system in place—starting each attempt with another enjoyable activity like riding his unicycle or playing basketball, listening to music while working and taking a half hour break when he felt the structure might collapse to allow for a fresh perspective.
“For me, it’s an engineering challenge, and using them really taps into my creativity!” he said.
Maxwell’s accomplishments have also inspired a heartwarming Hallmark movie titled “A World Record Christmas,” which debuted on 16 November.
The story centers around a neurodivergent boy named Charlie who, like Maxwell, is set on earning a title for Guinness World Records by stacking 1,400 Jenga blocks on top of one single vertical Jenga block.
Charlie gets the opportunity to fulfill this dream on Christmas Eve, which becomes a community event that raises money for children with autism.
You can watch Maxwell in action below, courtesy of Guinness World Records. It’s pretty incredible to watch, not to mention nerve-wracking. But then again anxiety is all part of what makes Jenga fun. And unlike most Jenga towers, this one doesn’t wobble at all.
Enjoy.
Humanity truly never runs out of unique discoveries.