Ontario woman collects 1,618 toothbrushes

July 12 (UPI) -- An Ontario woman's unusual collection earned her a Guinness World Records title when the organization confirmed she owns 1,618 different packaged toothbrushes.

Kelly Hardy of Mississauga said her collection began when she was 12 years old and found an unusual toothbrush with a built-in floss dispenser.

"I was like, 'That's so interesting, that toothbrush,' and I never bought it the first time I saw it. But I kept thinking about it for a few weeks, like I'd see it and I said 'I need that toothbrush," Hardy told CTV News.

Her collection now features 1,618 different toothbrushes, including brushes featuring characters from The Simpsons and Star Wars.

"I still love toothbrushes. I still like the hunt," she said.

Hardy said she had to have all of her toothbrushes laid out on tables at a local school's gymnasium for the official count. She said each piece had to be individually counted on video.

"It took about 40 minutes to just count from one to 1,618," she said.

The evidence was then submitted to Guinness World Records, which confirmed a few weeks later that she had surpassed the record of 1,320 set by Grigori Fleicher of Russia.