I remember stacking cards as a kid, once using two full decks to create a primitive multi-story structure. It stood intact for perhaps ten minutes, long enough for my mom to see it and my two mischievous little brothers, one of whom is today an architect, to knock it down. Just think what I might have accomplished had I stayed with it instead of pursuing a career in business!

Bryan Berg broke the Guinness World Record for the World’s Tallest House of Cards in 1992 at the age of seventeen, with a tower fourteen feet, six inches tall. His latest record-holding structure in the category is over twenty-five feet tall. In 2004, Guinness created a new record category for the World’s Largest House of Cards to recognize a project Berg built for Walt Disney World — a replica of Cinderella’s Castle. He continues to hold both records.

A self-taught artist, Berg uses no tape, glue, or other tricks in his work. With 3,000 decks of freestanding playing cards, some scaffolding, and a view of the real building, he worked for a month on the Disney grounds to build the 450 pound card version of Cinderella’s Castle. The structure was 14 feet tall and 14 feet square, detailing all the turrets and tunnels of the actual castle.

Take a look at some of the structures Bryan has built in the galleries. Maybe if I start practicing now…