The company behind a chain of museums showcasing the most bizarre objects the world is buying the Guinness World Records brand for £60 million.

Ripley Entertainment, whose 30 Odditoriums feature such idiosyncratic items as giant hairballs and medieval torture instruments, acquired the famous name from HIT Entertainment, that specialises in entertainment rights for children's brands.

HIT, owned by the private equity investment group Apax Partners, purchased the Guinness World Records brand in 2002 when it acquired Gullane Entertainment for £139 million.

The company, that owns brands such as Barney the Dinosaur and Bob the Builder, has been looking for buyers for the Guinness World Records last year.

The Guinness Book of World Records is the world's bestselling copyright book. First published in 1955, it is available in more than 100 countries and 37 languages and was popularised by Norris McQuirter and Roy Castle on the BBC programme, Record Breakers.

Ripley's has licensed the Guinness World Records brand for museums and attractions for more than a decade.

The company is to open a London museum in the Trocadero, which will feature a four-metre-long matchstick model of Tower Bridge.

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