Look: Guinness World Records reverses course, accepts matchstick tower
Feb. 9 (UPI) -- A French man's Guinness World Records dreams were reignited when the organization reversed its decision and awarded him the title for world's tallest matchstick sculpture.
Richard Plaud spent eight years building a 23.6-foot model of the Eiffel Tower from 706,900 matchsticks, but the record-keeping organization initially told him he was disqualified from the world record because he used matchsticks that weren't commercially available.
Plaud started the sculpture with store-bought matches, but ended up striking a deal with a company to sell him 33-pound boxes of headless matches.
Guinness World Records officials said earlier this week that they would review the decision, and Mark McKinley, director of central records services, said Plaud has now been awarded the title.
"We have corrected some inconsistencies within our rules which now allow the matchsticks to be snipped and shaped as the modeler sees fit," McKinley said in a statement provided to NBC News.
