Man builds ‘boyfriend’ out of wine boxes

A man from Portland searching for love has taken matters into his own hands by building his own boyfriend called ‘Franz’ out of wine boxes.

Image: @BLCKSMTHdesign

Michael James Schneider said the idea was conceived after a breakup.

He told Metro.co.uk: “I usually make art from leaning into and embracing the most humiliating parts of my life.

“When I’m clutzy, I take photos of me faceplanting. When I’m single and lonely and drinking… well why not create a companion out of that loneliness?”

In a post on Twitter that has since received over 5,000 retweets and 23,000 likes, he posted four pictures of himself and his creation.

Image: @BLCKSMTHdesign

Franz appears to be named after the Franzia, a brand of box wine produced by The Wine Group, which forms the torso.

Schneider continued: “Even during the shoot in the grocery store, the locals hardly batted an eye: we’re used to weird things in Portland”.

“His name is Franz (he’s not German, he’s from all over, a blend if you will). He’s an idealised, loving, sweet boyfriend.

“The reception has been so great that I can imagine further adventures in the relationship”.

Image: @BLCKSMTHdesign

Schneider reportedly made Franz by attaching empty wine boxes to a life-size metal armature. While he is potentially the first person to create a box wine boyfriend, people have been using wine and beer bottles to build structures for some time.

These include the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple in Thailand, a house in Russia made from 12,000 Champagne bottles and the ‘Blotto Grotto’ in Hertfordshire, UK. Take a look at the full list here.

With sales of bag-in-box wines surging by 212% on Amazon last summer, perhaps we’ll be seeing more cardboard creations in the future.