I’ve seen a few questions along the lines of could a 12 foot tall person really exist? and what would a 12 feet tall man look like?
I’ve even heard claims that a 12 foot tall man has been “found” in different places throughout the world.
This guide aims to set the record straight. Could a 12 foot person really exist? Or is humanity simply not capable of getting that tall?
For more height information, see our guides on the mean height for men and the avg female height. Or, to check out more extremely tall heights, see the similar articles below.
Has there ever been a 12 foot tall person?
In recorded human history, there has never been a 12 foot tall person or anyone close to that height.
The closest that we’ve come to such a height as a species is through the world-renowned Robert Wadlow, who stood at an astonishing 8ft 11in, almost 9 feet tall.
So when you think that the giant Robert Wadlow was 3 feet shorter than our 12 foot case study, you begin to realize that humans simply aren’t capable of growing to 12 feet tall.
Humans are, of course, capable of great and sometimes even unbelievable things.
However, a 12 feet man would literally be like two tall men stacked on top of each other!
Or, to say it another way, If Tom Hanks stood on top of Ryan Gosling, they’d have a combined height of about 12 feet.
Therefore, a 12 foot person doesn’t sound remotely plausible if you ask me.
Could a 12 feet tall man even exist?
But what if someone had the genetics to be even taller than Robert Wadlow? Could a 12 feet tall man exist then?
No. Let me explain why.
In the modern world, we have access to medication that doctors can give to people who have problems with their pituitary glands, which is the main cause of rapid and extreme height growth.
And even if an individual didn’t get treatment for their conditions, they simply wouldn’t live long enough to become a 12 foot person (or a height even remotely close to 12 feet).
So while a movie director might be able to create a 12 foot character, a 12 foot tall man simply can’t exist in the real world, and that’s probably for the best.
What challenges would a 12 foot tall person face?
How about walking? If you see people over 8 feet, they often struggle to walk without crutches or a walking frame.
Being extremely tall can be very uncomfortable because the man-made world isn’t created with towering giants in mind.
So while a 12 feet tall person would be an instant celebrity, they wouldn’t live very long, and they would be unable to function in regular society.
This is, of course, all hypothetical. I don’t believe for one moment that a 12 feet tall man or woman could exist; I’m simply guessing what life would be like for a person of such incredible stature.
For a 12 feet tall person, or even someone a few feet shorter, scaring children would be a daily occurrence, and they’d need everything custom-made to accommodate their gigantic frame.
In summary
In conclusion, there has never been a 12 foot man, and there never will be. As I’ve explained, humans have never grown beyond 9 feet. So to suggest that a 12 foot tall man could exist is utterly preposterous.
Still, it’s interesting to see that there have been some exceptionally tall men and women throughout history. But even though humans can get really tall, I just don’t see anyone surpassing Robert Wadlow in stature.