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Gridley Herald

Granting Wishes and Breaking Records!

Oct 07, 2021 12:00AM ● By Seti Long

What could be more fun than a skateboard ramp slip-n-slide?!?! Photo by Taryn Merkley

Granting Wishes and Breaking Records! [5 Images] Click Any Image To Expand

Mark Rober Presents World’s Tallest Elephant’s Toothpaste

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – Gridley was once again honored to help YouTube sensation and former NASA engineer, Mark Rober, create another one of his epic videos and surprise a well deserving young man with a party beyond his wildest dreams.

Rober first came to Gridley in the summer of 2020, bent on breaking world records and throwing cancer survivor Fletcher Rollinson, the biggest and best birthday party of his life.

Rober’s team of engineers and scientists, along with locals, constructed a giant Erlenmeyer flask from hurricane glass and heavy timbers, which took the Guinness Book of World Records for biggest (or tallest) Elephant’s Toothpaste by funneling a blast of searing-hot red foam made from hydrogen peroxide, sodium iodide, soap, and food coloring, 60 feet into the air before the base of the flask failed. Regardless of the ruptured base, a new world record was set and gifted to Fletcher.

Rober, of course, saw the failure of the flask as an invitation to try a second time, and a year later, returned with his crew to Gridley and Dale Leishman’s walnut dryer and huller. It also meant throwing another truly massive surprise party for an incredibly special young man, Brody.

During a grueling 3-year battle with blood cancer, Brody gave away his one and only “Make a Wish” chance he intended on using for a Quad, to another teen battling cancer after he had his “wish”, also a Quad, stolen. Brody’s selfless act of kindness drew the attention of not only Rober, but his friend, Mr. Beast, a YouTuber and philanthropist. But more on that later.

Like Rober says in the latest Elephant’s Toothpaste YouTube video, “As word got out about Brody’s story, the good people of Gridley came out in droves.” Preparations for an out-of-this-world surprise party and series of epic foaming explosions brought locals out to help with the builds, from carpenters, heavy equipment operators and welders, to those simply willing to sling colorful paint. Gridley volunteers dedicated their time and energy to help make “Round Two” bigger and better than last year.

This time, Rober’s guest of honor would be privy to a party held at the Leishman’s home, fully equipped with a giant skateboard ramp slip-n-slide into a pool, a pit filled with 26 million Orbeez balls (water gel balls) to swim in and jump into, a Devil Toothpaste experiment 2 ½ times larger than before, and a shot at crushing the world record with the largest Elephant Toothpaste experiment ever. But first, Brody would be flown to Sacramento for a meeting with a “new Doctor” so that Rober could reveal himself and then whisk the teen away, via private jet, to Gridley where this event of a lifetime would all take place.

To correct last year’s problem with the base, the 2021 Elephant Toothpaste’s flask would have a custom poured concrete foundation, the walls of the flask made from five tons of steel, bolted to the concrete pad with 33 x ¼” bolts with 80 tons of clamping pressure. The body of the flask was built of 2x4’s and steel panels welded together, for a completed design 20% larger than the 2020 flask. As for the Devil’s Toothpaste experiment, troughs 2.5 times larger made for a huge explosion of foam that nearly engrossed an unoccupied ranch-house that served as the experiment site.

As the time came for the grand finale, guests gathered at the Leishman’s walnut dryer and huller for the show of a lifetime! The experiment went off without a hitch, blasting glowing green foam sky-high. Rober reports in his video: “When you do a side-by-side comparison of the max height from last year to this year, I’m happy to report, we absolutely destroyed the previous record by nearly a factor of 5, rising to the height of a 25-story building, at 250 feet. And so, with a new Guinness World Record under his belt, I still had one grand final surprise for Brody.”

After Rober’s friend Mr. Beast heard of Brody’s good deed, Rober and Mr. Beast arranged for Brody to be the recipient of a new Quad. Brody, distracted by a video call with Mr. Beast, was delighted when Dale Leishman drove the sparkling new Quad up to the teen, surprising him with his original “wish.”

Rober sums it all up perfectly in his video saying, “What’s cool here, is this (quad) is the exact model he wanted to get for himself before he gave it away to someone else. And he didn’t do that expecting to get something back in return – just like those who worked so hard to put this party together for him, didn’t expect anything either. Which is why I believe, when you try to be a good person, it may not always come back to you immediately, but somehow, it always comes back.”

To watch the amazing Mark Rober in his “World’s Tallest Elephant Toothpaste Volcano” video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e09xig209cQ . For more Mark Rober videos, visit his channel on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY1kMZp36IQSyNx_9h4mpCg.