Kisses were collected at Eurovea and across Slovakia. (source: SITA)
ON SEPTEMBER 14, Slovakia made an attempt to set a new record in collecting “kisses” – marks of lipstick-tainted lips smooched onto small papers. The attempt to break the record began at 7:00 simultaneously in 50 cities and towns with the goal not only of breaking the previous Slovak record of 3,014 kisses set in 2004 but also of establishing a new world record. Because the old Slovak record had been accomplished over several days, this attempt was limited to a single day so that a legitimate challenge could be made to the current one-day world record set in Istanbul – where 2,302 kisses were collected.
Event organisers, led by cosmetic consultants from the Oriflame cosmetics company, reached out to people in the streets and at various events throughout the 50 towns and cities and by the afternoon, 11,703 people had offered up their kiss. The event culminated in the early evening in front of the Eurovea Gallery in Bratislava. Twelve hours after the record-breaking quest had begun, at 19:02, the results were announced under the watchful eye of a notary: an astonishing 23,420 Slovaks had puckered up.
Lenka Štefániková, marketing director of Oriflame Slovakia, received the official certification that a new Slovak record had been established.
The certificate was then forwarded on to the Guinness Book of World Records to be examined and confirmed so that Slovaks can be anointed the world’s champion kissers.
