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Is this a genuine image of the hand of André René Roussimoff (André the Giant) holding an everyday 12-ounce (350 mL) can of beer?

Andre the Giant holding a beer can

Uproxx and reddit suggest it's real (and word is he once drank 119 beers in a single sitting), but I'm not so sure.

Is there any evidence to suggest his hands were really this big?

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    I doubt the 119 beers thing is true, though. According to this calculator, he'd be at around 0.829% BAC. LD50 is around 0.4-0.5%. So if he did drink that much, and didn't have some exceptional resistance due to his gigantism (besides his weight), he more likely than not would have died (probably not impossible for him to live, but especially without medical attention? highly unlikely).
    – Tim S.
    May 20, 2014 at 13:32
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    There's been a suggestion it is an old 10-ounce can, not 12-ounce as the article claims. Anyone have a reliable source for that - e.g. how Molson Canadian was sold in 1981?.
    – Oddthinking ♦
    May 21, 2014 at 1:44
  • taverntrove.com/item.php?ItemId=57648 (says this style can is 12 oz)
    – user5582
    May 21, 2014 at 5:18
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    Actually, it looks closer to this one: ebay.com/itm/… (also 12 oz)
    – user5582
    May 21, 2014 at 5:24
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    This is Jan Todd, wife of the author of the SI article on Andre. The other hand on that page is Terry Todd's and I can verify that this was a 12 oz regular beer and that the photo was in no way tricked. The photographer was Stephen Green-Armytage--still hale and hearty and living in New York--in case anyone has any other questions.
    – user21087
    Jul 11, 2014 at 12:49

2 Answers 2

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Yes, that's Andre's hand.

This image was part of the cover spread for a biographical article "To the Giant among us" in Sports Illustrated in 1981. The full cover spread includes regular-sized hands pouring a beer for comparison:

Andre Holding his beer

The full article text for To The Giant Among Us is available on sports illustrated's vault.

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    I'm not entirely clear on the definition of "cover spread". Does it imply that the subject is pictured on the cover of the magazine, because it appears he wasn't?
    – Oddthinking ♦
    May 20, 2014 at 10:36
  • @Oddthinking It's only that the magazine covered him, with a feature in the middle of the magazine, which was prominently advertised on the cover.
    – Tim Post
    May 21, 2014 at 3:19
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    @Oddthinking Maybe I'm using the wrong term, but it's a long-form feature article with a large introductory image that spans both pages of an open magazine. The image may more accurately be called a "double page spread"? "Double page title-spread"? If there's a more precise term for this I'm all ears!
    – John Lyon
    May 22, 2014 at 22:12
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Bronze coated casts of Andre's hands are on display in the Adrian E. Flatt, M.D., Hand Collection at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas in the George W. Truett Memorial Hospital lobby.

Here's a photo of Andre's cast:


Image source: http://www.juliatexas.com/hands/historichands21.jpg

There is also footage of his hand relative to other objects:


Image source: http://www.cnjradio.com/images/andre/5.jpg

Next to a visitor's hand:


Image source: http://trashcity.org/ARTICLES/pics/cac2004c.jpg

Yes, his hands were that big.

Regarding whether that is actually a 12 oz can, it is at least visually consistent with what one Ebay seller is calling a 12 oz can:

  • Ebay ad that says: "12oz Molson Canadian lager beer by Molson, Vancouver. 12oz Diamond lager beer by Formosa Springs, Barrie, Ontario. 12oz Red Cap Ale by Carling, Toronto & Waterloo"

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