Many weeks ago, I received the newest Ripley's Believe It or Not! annual, "Mind Blown!" And to be completely honest, I was surprised the 17th annual was released. If you aren't living under a rock, then you would know 2020 has been downright horrible with the pandemic, riots, lockdowns, and elections. So, it's impressive that Ripley Publishing was able to put together another edition full of new astonishing and weird facts from around the world.

Let me start with the things I liked in this book. The photographs throughout the 256-page annual are colorful and just downright stunning. The facts were all-new for me. Some were interesting, and others were strange.

A few of my favorite Mind Blown! facts are:

Chopper Cinema - A British woman bought a decommissioned army helicopter, airlifted it to her home, and placed it inside a garage. She gave the helicopter a makeover and turned it into a home theater.

Unleashing Ouija Zilla - Now I thought the normal-sized Ouija boards were creepy, but this takes the cake. A New Jersey man constructed a 9,000 lb Ouija board measuring 3,168 sq ft.

Holy Guacamole - Yeah, somebody has way too much time on their hands. Children artist Boris Toledo creates portraits of famous characters (Joker, Thor, Yoda, Homer Simpson) out of mashed avocado.

Coffin Culture - If you have some extra cash on hand, you can get a custom U.S.S. Enterprise coffin or a Doctor Who police box coffin for your final resting place.

Look Alive! - There's an astonishing (and a bit frightening) photo of the mummy Lady Xn Shui on page 80.

The 3D lenticular cover is a bit on the dull side, though I do like the blue color.

Unlike the previous annuals, the facts aren't listed in specific sections, such as animals, sports, and pop culture. Instead, the facts are uncategorized. The table of contents only lists the pages for Inside the Vault, Fan Feed, and Ripley's Exclusive. There's an index in the very back of the book, but with so many facts, it would take forever to go through it.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed reading all the facts inside Ripley's Believe It or Not! Mind Blown! (Amazon), and I had a blast looking at all the photos. Despite a few shortcomings, it's one of the better annuals from Ripley Publishing.

Is it worth buying?

Sure! If you're into crazy facts, then you're going to love it.