The 25th anniversary of Discovery Channel‘s Shark Week (returning August 12) is going to have more bite than ever this year — on TV, online, across social media…and in Silver Spring! Fan-favorite Chompie, a 446-foot long inflatable shark, will be returning to Discovery Communications‘ headquarters next month in anticipation of the longest-running cable event. Local residents should stay tuned for additional Shark Week festivities coming to the D.C. area later this summer.
As our friend Tracy Jordan says, “Live every week like it’s Shark Week.”
Chompie on Discovery Communications’ Headquarters in 2010
Fast Facts About Chompie
- Chompie is 446 feet long from the tip of his nose to the back of his tail, 113 feet tall from his belly to his dorsal fin and 200 feet wide from tip to tip of his side fins. If he were a real shark, he would weigh 84,000 pounds!
- It took 11,720 yards of fabric to make the shark – that’s 6.65 miles of fabric! It also took 36.7 miles of thread and 3/4 of a mile of seatbelt webbing to build the shark. The only non-fabric part of the inflatable shark is the rings that are used to attach the shark to the building.
- The five pieces (head, two side fins, dorsal fin and tail) will be hoisted into place by a crane and tied down by cables and ropes.
- Chompie must be continuously inflated by air while he is installed. It takes 10 air blowers blowing 2,000 cubic feet of air per minute to keep the five pieces inflated.
