Giant Trojan horse built by Scarborough-based Animated Objects theatre company earns title of Guinness Book of Records largest cardboard sculpture

The sculpture was made for The Odyssey – An Epic Adventure on the Yorkshire Coast.

The new instalment, supported by the Yorkshire Coast BID, tells the tale of how the hero Odysseus had a plan to bring the Trojan Wars to an end with vision of a giant horse carrying a deadly secret.

The giant biodegradable sculpture, standing more than 23ft tall, illustrated the most famous element of Homer’s tales of Troy.

Animated Objects led sessions with communities from across the Yorkshire coast to work together to create the sculpture. More than 180 volunteers were involved in the project. The figure is the largest of its kind ever to be built.

Animated Objects are committed to demonstrating the magnitude of what can be achieved when working with eco-friendly materials for large-scale construction and sustainability and eco-friendly materials were at the forefront of this project.

The build involved more than half a mile of cardboard, weighing in at nearly 1.5 tonnes all of which will be used and recycled for future episodes of the project, ensuring no materials go to waste.

The horse stood at 23ft tall, 22ftwide and 52ft long. It took a week to construct, with every section being observed by independent witnesses and measurement experts to ensure it complied with the strict guidelines from Guinness World Records. Its team has verified the evidence and confirmed that this is a new world record.

Commenting on the creation of The Trojan Horse, Lee Threadgold from Animated Objects, who designed the gigantic structure. said: “We’re thrilled to have broken the Guinness World Records title for the largest cardboard sculpture as part of The Odyssey.

" It’s taken a huge amount of planning and we’d like to thank everyone involved for all their hard work in helping to bring this epic sculpture to life.”

“We hope it will inspire young people from across the Yorkshire coast region and beyond to explore how engineering, maths, design, and large-scale art can be combined to create wonders of their own.

"It is a huge honour and a real testament to the power of teamwork and community. As one of my favourite movie characters once said: ‘If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.’ I hope The Trojan Horse inspires people to think exactly that.”

Speaking on the involvement of the Yorkshire Coast Bid chief executive Kerry Carruthers said: “We are delighted to be involved in yet another amazing project with Animated Objects.

"We have achieved something that has never been seen before on the Yorkshire Coast. All while bringing together local residents, visitors, communities and businesses to pay tribute to such an incredible historical story and inspiring the Yorkshire coast community.”