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Chaska Is Now Home To Perhaps The World's Largest Mustache

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota is home to the world's largest ball of twine, Adirondack chair and snowman.

Now, there is one more to add to the list. Chaska is the birthplace of what is believed to be the world's largest mustache.

Two months ago, the Udermann family added some unique décor to their front lawn -- making 3247 Kelm St. stand apart from the rest of the homes in their area.

"I think most people say, 'Wow, what's that?' and they want to check it out," mustache creator Matt Udermann said.

Standing 3-feet tall, 11.5-feet wide and 22-inches deep, the bright red, plastic facial hair is definitely in your face -- but that is the point when creating a tourist destination in a small town.

"People have their different things. This is somewhat of a hobby for my wife and I," Matt said. "Other people like golf, professional sports and other things. We like to create things and have fun with it."

Krista, Matt's wife, says people were initially skeptical of the feat.

"I think initially there may be a stage of eye rolling, like, 'Are you really going to do that,'" Krista said.

When dreaming up the concept to create something that engages the public and brings attention to Chaska, Matt wanted the attraction to tie into the city's history.

"Over 100 years ago, when Kline Bank was founded and the brick mill was here, they all had handlebar mustaches. And so we tied into that," Matt said.

Local printing company Stratasys helped create the plastic masterpiece on a 3-D printer. It took more than 300 hours for the 100-pound attraction to come to life.

Matt put it in the front yard in late August, and the crowds have started to find his home over the last two months.

"During the day, it's fun to see the influx of cars come through and come out and take a picture," Krista said.

Neighbor Beth Fetzer loves her neighborhood's new claim to fame.

"I've already shared it with many people, probably too many people," Fetzer said. "I'm like, 'Wait til you see what my neighbors have done in their front yard!'"

While many neighbors like the attraction, a few do not like the extra traffic it is bringing into the neighborhood.

But Matt's plan was never to keep the giant mustache on his property. The goal is to eventually find a permanent public space for the attraction.

"Ultimately, we want a permanent place to display this in a high-traffic area, but the path we were educated on is to install it in your own home, create a fanfare behind it and ultimately we want to find a permanent place for this to be enjoyed by others," Matt said.

The Udermanns say they are in the process of getting the mustache verified by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Over the next month, the mustache will be at several locations around the Twin Cities.

To see it for yourself, click here.

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