If you think one whoopie pie is a lot to digest, how about 2,121? That turned out to be the magic number for the Portland Sea Dogs in setting a world record outside Hadlock Field last June.
To set the record for the longest line of whoopie pies, the Double-A baseball team arranged the treats made by Wicked Whoopies, of Freeport, in the design of a giant whoopie pie.
“We wanted at least 2,000 whoopie pies and 2,121 just happened to be what it took to complete the design of the whoopie pie line that was created by Wicked Whoopies,” Chris Cameron, the Sea Dogs vice president for communications and fan experience, told Mainebiz. “We didn’t know exactly how many it would be until it was completed.”
Sometimes called a black moon, Maine’s official state treat is generally made from two mound-shaped pieces of cake with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them.
The record-setting feat, achieved June 9, 2023, was the first of its kind to be acknowledged by the Guinness Book of World Records, more than a decade after Wicked Whoopies unveiled the largest-ever single whoopie pie at South Portlland’s Maine Mall in 2011. Wicked Whoopies, led by owner Amy Bouchard, hosted a celebration Tuesday for last year’s accomplishment at its store in downtown Freeport.
“We know that Maine put whoopie pies on the map, and now Maine has put whoopie pies in the Guinness Book of World Records,” said Patrick Myers, organizer of the annual Maine Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft.
Cameron said that the idea for the whoopie pie feat came from a brainstorming session with Wicked Whoopies and organizers of the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival.
“It truly was a team-inspired event,” he said.
On the record-setting night, the Sea Dogs took the field as the Maine Whoopie Pies against the Akron (Ohio) Rubber Ducks, carrying on a rebrand tradition that debuted in 2019. For this year’s Maine Whoopie Pie Night sponsored by Trademark Federal Credit Union, the Maine Whoopie Pies will host the Rubber Ducks on June 7. Sea Dogs mascot Slugger will be there, of course, along with Sweetie Pie, the Dover-Foxcroft festival’s official mascot.
“The Maine Whoopie Pies game is one of our most popular alternate identities, which is why we continue to bring the identity back each year,” Cameron told Mainebiz. “It’s also among our best-selling lines of merchandise.”
And what did the team do with the 2,121 whoopie pies after the big-sugar stack? Cameron said the treats were handed out to fans as they exited that night’s game.
Save the dates
- The Sea Dogs open the 2024 season on Friday, April 5, at 6 p.m. against the Hartford (Conn.) Yard Goats.
- This year’s Maine Whoopie Pie Festival will be held on June 22 in Dover-Foxcroft.