Trying to build world's biggest queen of hearts has calming effect on Lego master

Faith Howe sifted through a bucket of white Lego bricks at the Fredericton Public Library, her latest project stretched before her — the first few rows of the queen of hearts.

Howe is trying to set the world record for the largest Lego playing card.

When finished in the next few weeks, the card will be about eight feet wide and at least 12 feet long, or about 2.4 metres by 3.6 metres. And about 50,000 Lego bricks.

"It's very calming for me," said Howe, who lives in Burton, southeast of Fredericton. "Because I'm focused in, I can just, like, shut everything else out and just really narrow in on the project.

"I like the feel of Lego bricks in my hands. I like the sound they make, and just watching it all come together is very satisfying."

To set the record according to the standards of Guinness World Records, Howe said, she has to build in a public space and film the project as it takes shape, so it's clear she was the only one who built the card.

When complete, her queen of hearts will undergo a complex measuring process, carried out with the help of her parents, Cindy and Adam Howe, on Sept. 9.

Howe got $1,000 from people and businesses in her community so she could get her application to Guinness World Records reviewed faster. Even if she finishes the project on schedule, she will have to miss her first week back at Crandall University.

When Howe received the go-ahead from Guinness World Records on Thursday, she started looking for a place to build. She called the Town of Oromocto and the City of Fredericton, among others, before the public library said she could create her card on the second floor.

""We were more than happy to oblige," said librarian Amanda Lloyd.

Lloyd was excited to see the build start on Tuesday. The library wants everyone to feel welcome because it's a community space, and Howe's project will draw people in, she said.

Howe has been building things with Lego for a while. She created a mural at Oromocto High School and often posts her creations on her Facebook page, Boundless Bricks.

She decided to build the card after she completed her last Lego project, a life-size mermaid.

"I was thinking, 'How can I top that?'" she said.

Then, at her job at Mastermind Toys in Moncton, where she works while she goes to Crandall, Howe was walking around to get some inspiration. She saw a deck of cards in the store and wondered how large the biggest one was.

The largest playing card was created by Ramkumar Sarangapani in Dubai in 2020. It was about 9½ feet tall, or about 2.8 metres. Howe aimed for taller, although her card will lie flat.

Howe said it would be pretty cool to have a Guinness World Record.

"Some of the people in my community call me a bit of a local celebrity, and I guess [a world record] would make it a little bit bigger than just my small town of Burton," she said.

Cindy Howe said she and Adam are proud of what their daughter has done.

"She keeps challenging herself and doing bigger and harder things, It's exciting to see."

Howe's father agreed.

"We just help her — whatever we can do to help and cheer her along and be as supportive as we can."

Journalist

Jacob Moore is a reporter for CBC News in Fredericton. He likes feature writing and investigative work. If you have a story tip, send him an email at [email protected].

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