The 21 Coolest Sandcastles Ever

My summers as a little kid (yes, in the 90's) probably looked a lot like your's: Schlepping to the beach with the family, frying in the sun, and — of course — building sandcastles. They were a crucial part of most of our childhoods, but if you're anything like me, you usually gave up on your sandcastle after a few minutes, dug a giant hole, and used the bucket to fill it with water and built a "moat." (Or you buried your friend and gave her fake boobs.) But for some, a day at the beach has always meant lots of patience, artistry, tide-fear, and the building of impressive sandcastles.

It seems there are actually lots of people in this world who know how to create insane masterpieces out of sand, a little water, a lot of patience, and whatever tools they manage to come up with. In fact, there are beaches across the country that host sandcastle building contests — and award huge cash prizes to the adult winners. Curious what they look like? To satisfy your sandcastle porn craving, (that sounds weird, but you know what we mean) we've compiled a list of only the best of the best sandcastles. Prepare to be amazed.

For the Fairy Tale Lover

Rapunzel's going to have to do a lot of deep-shampooing to get all that sand out of her hair.

Post-Hurricane Sandy

This 30+ foot castle was erected in New Jersey to raise money to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy rebuild their homes.

Welcome to Arendelle

Nice to see Olaf finally enjoying summer!

Pretty impressive, Hampton Beach.

Off-Road Driver

I'd love to have seen that ad-exec pitch.

Viva Brazil

Hot.

Archway to the City

Drip towers are highly underrated.

Classic Castle

Win.

Whatever this is

Face of the Sun

Angry Bird Peace Talks

At least the Angry Birds know how to settle their differences.

Day Dreamer

Shiver Me Timbers

May the Force Be With You

The work of a true Jedi.

For the Liquor Enthusiast

If only the bottle were full.

Meditative castle

Even Buddha needs to catch some rays.

Beware of Sand Traps

Anything for a good pun.

Now, go build one and listen to this while you do it.

Images: Maja Hitij/Getty Images