Kicker - Doug the spud

NICK EICHER, HOST: A man in New Zealand was out hoeing his garden when he struck something big and tough buried in the soil. At first, he thought it might be some kind of weird gigantic fungus.

So Colin Craig-Brown and his wife Donna persisted. The audio here from a New Zealand news site called “Stuff.”

COLIN: We were just pokin’ around over there pullin’ out weeds. And once I dug it up, it was just a massive potato. I just couldn't believe it. We both couldn't believe it. Had a taste and it was the real deal.

The real deal—the big, heavy, real deal: 17 pounds! That beat the standing record at the time, up to that point, of 11 pounds. So this spud beat that spud by 6 pounds.

So big the couple even named it!

COLIN: Yeah, he's named Doug. Yeah, we well, we dug up the potato. So yeah.

DONNA: That's a good name for it. Isn't it?

COLIN: Yeah, potato has been dug. (laughs)

Colin built a little trolley to tote Doug around town as the minor celebrity spud he became.

But that’s soon to end. Doug’s losing weight.

COLIN: Yeah, but he shrunk.

DONNA: As he's dried out, he's got a bit lighter. Yeah, Yeah. (both laugh)

All in good fun. Colin and Donna’s only advice to grow a big tater? Get some straw and cow manure. Wait long enough, see what happens.

It’s The World and Everything in It.

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