NEW YORK (Sept. 7) -- At 27 inches high, Edward Nino Hernandez is the world's shortest man. But not for long.
Only days after Guinness World Records recognized the 24-year-old Colombian for his short stature, Ripley's Believe It or Not has stepped forward with someone 5 inches smaller.
Meet Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal, a 22-inch, 10-pound dynamo who loves dancing, martial arts and the glow of the spotlight.
Like a pop star on the red carpet, the bright-eyed 17-year-old smiled for photographers at Ripley's Times Square museum, where he was promoting "Enter If You Dare," a dazzling new book of world oddities.
"This young man is on the cusp of adulthood, and yet he is about the size of a newborn. He is truly one of the most amazing people we have ever come across," said Edward Meyer, Ripley's vice president of exhibits and archives.
"At 10 pounds, he weighs less than my cat."
Magar eats about 3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) of food each day -- the equivalent of two chocolate bars. His height is believed to be caused by a pituitary disorder, though doctors have yet to determine what form of dwarfism he has.
The teenager will take Hernandez's title as the world's shortest man next month, when he celebrates his 18th birthday.
"It's crazy to think a human being could get any shorter," said Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday, acknowledging that the record will soon change hands.
A wee controversy was caused last year when Magar's parents claimed that their boy had reached adulthood and was ready to claim shortest man honors, displacing He Pingping of China.
But Guinness officials found that this was not the case, noting that the age of majority differs from country to country. The record-keeping company, based in London, defines adulthood as 18 years of age.
On March 15, He died of a heart-related ailment while filming a TV show in Italy. The 24-inch man was 21 years old.
As the new star of Ripley's and, eventually, Guinness, Magar can expect to travel the world.
As cameras flashed, the tiny teen posed on a table, leaning against the new Ripley's book as if it were a cane.
A Ripley's official cradled Magar like a baby on a tour of the museum. He posed beside the statue of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in history, who measured 8 feet, 11 inches. Magar was just slightly larger than one of Wadlow's size-38 AAA shoes.
Magar's next stop was the observation deck atop the Empire State Building, where Ripley's entertained Wadlow on his famous trip to Manhattan in the 1930s.
From there, Ripley's new star was planning to stop for a nosh at Katz's Delicatessen, where he was promised a pastrami sandwich equal to him in height and weight. The day was to end at a Buddhist temple.
"Khagendra is really looking for the right chance to show everybody his dance moves," Ripley's spokesman Tim O'Brien said. "He's a healthy young man, and he loves to have a good time."
Perhaps the only disappointment on this trip was that he wasn't able to meet Jyoti Amge of India, otherwise known as the world's smallest teenage girl. The 23 1/2-inch, 17-year-old couldn't secure a visa in time for the event.
Amge is, however, featured wearing a bright pink skirt and top in a pull-out centerfold in the new Ripley's book. And unlike any other centerfold you've ever seen, this one is life-sized.