If you’re looking for a unique experience to brag about to your friends and family, look no further than the World’s Largest Ball of Paint!
This famous ball is located in the town of Alexandria, Indiana and was started in 1997 by Michael Carmichael and his son. On January 1 of that year, Carmichael’s son dipped a baseball in baby blue house paint, and suddenly the masterpiece begun. Over the years, the layers kept piling on, and the Carmichaels’ ball of paint eventually became a world record holder. What started out as a small baseball now weighs over 11,600 pounds and has over 30,000 coats of different colors of paint!
Photo by: AMCVB
Photo by: Porch Moon
The original ball of paint began in the late 1960s when a baseball landed into a can of house paint. Carmichael was just a teenager working in a paint shop tossing a baseball to pass the time when the baseball bounced off the counter and took an unplanned swim in paint. After the paint dried, he dipped the ball again, and again, and soon realized the ball was slowly but surely growing.
Once the ball hit 1,000 layers, it was not a baseball anymore, but an item to pique curiosity and begin conversation. It soon found a home at the Knightstown Children’s Home and spent generations promoting thought among children until it was returned to Carmichael in 2003. It is currently in the “Ball House” along with the World’s Largest Ball of Paint that began as a father-son project in 1997.
People from all over the world have come to leave their mark on this roadside attraction, including residents of Ukraine, Japan, New Zealand, and 100+ other countries. The ball has even been featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live and in the Guinness Book of World Records!
When you visit the Ball of Paint, you will get the opportunity to pick out what color you would like to use from the several large buckets the Carmichaels keep in the “Ball House”. Take note: Pink is by far the most popular choice! Visitors can also sign the walls of the building and will get their own copy of a certificate stating they officially painted the World’s Largest Ball of Paint. If you’re lucky, you might be able to snag a multi-colored, cross-section of paint carved from the ball itself!
Want your own opportunity to paint the ball? Call or email the Carmichael family to schedule your visit! Admission is free; although, donations are accepted and highly appreciated.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 765-724-4088
Updated by Brenna Sealy | September 2025
