Meet the pair who have won the “World’s Most Tattooed OAPs” title four years in a row.
Charlotte Guttenberg, 76, and Charles Helmke, 81, both of Melbourne, Florida, have tattooed their bodies for 2,000 hours.
The couple, who met in a tattoo parlor in 2006 and subsequently became together as feelings developed, both hold the Guinness World Record for the most tattooed elderly people in their respective genders.
Charlotte, who began getting tattoos at age 57, has stated that she has hit her limit and will not be getting any more after covering 98.75% of her body in ink.
Charles, often known as ‘Chuck,’ has 97.5 percent of his body covered in tattoos.
‘I see myself as a walking art gallery. Some people buy art and place it on their walls; I wear it,’ Charlotte told the Daily Star.
‘Young people tell me I’m cool, and their grandmothers wish they were like that,’ she adds.
Charlotte got her first tattoo when she was 57, as a birthday present from her second husband, who had prevented her from getting any.
That’s when she met Chuck, who offered to hold her hand while she got tattooed; they started dating a year later.
She quickly applied more ink to her skin, eventually setting a separate Guinness World record for the most feather tattoos on a person, with 216.
Only her head and fingertips are tattoo-free. However, Charlotte has stated that her tattoos do not define her life or identity.
Meanwhile, Chuck got his first tattoo when he was much younger, in 1959, at 18, during basic training with the United States Army.
Chuck waited 41 years before being tattooed again, despite acquiring two more tattoos on the same day as his first.
He never looked back after covering third-degree burn scars on his arms with sleeves.
With 376 skulls tattooed on his 6ft 4ins physique, the former self-defense instructor also holds the record for the most skulls tattooed on one person.
He now has 97.5 percent of his 6ft 4ins frame tattooed, and he also holds the Guinness record for the most skulls tattooed on a person, with 376.
When asked why they obtained so many tattoos, they told the Independent in 2017: ‘Because we can. There is no limit to how much somebody can have; the only limitation is your ambition.’
‘That is entirely up to the individual. We both have Asian and Spiritual-themed body costumes. However, they are very different. Our tattoos each tell a different story. It appears that we both have a lot to say.
They both have a favorite tattoo. Chuck stated his favorite tattoo was one he received in commemoration of his late wife, while Charlotte said her favorite was the first one she ever had.
The duo is new to glances and has garnered unwelcome attention due to their tattooed appearance.
On the other hand, they don’t take the comments personally and have been able to brush them off, claiming that if people don’t like their tattoos, they don’t have to look at them.
Charlotte and Chuck have also been contacted by fans who admire their tattoo and want tattoo guidance.
They have requested that young people approach them frequently for dialogue.
In 2017, the couple stated that receiving their Guinness World Record was an honor.
