Intended as an April Fool's joke: Naked skin from Upper Franconia - beer belly calendar becomes a success
Created: 12/19/2022, 9:36 am
By: Katarina Amtmann
It was intended as a joke and became a great success: the beer belly calendar.
A photographer and a brewer have teamed up for this.
Warmensteinach - It started as an April Fool's joke and became a bestseller: The "Beer Belly Calendar 2023" shows 13 Upper Franconian men who are clearly enjoying their favorite drink.
A photographer and a brewer from the Fichtelgebirge had the idea.
The “Beer Belly Calendar 2023” from a brewery in the Bayreuth district has become a bestseller.
13 "real Fichtelgebirge men" can be seen in the pictures, the photographer writes on her homepage.
Initially, the Hütten Brewery from Warmensteinach in the Fichtel Mountains sold the calendar.
But at some point you were overwhelmed by the number of orders, says co-owner Patrick Nickl.
In the meantime, an external service provider has taken over the printing and distribution.
April fool's joke becomes a great success: beer belly calendar from Upper Franconia
What began with a gag eventually became a serious success: According to Nickl, the idea arose from an April Fool's joke in the spring of 2022.
Warmensteinach photographer Simone Werner-Ney wrote on her website and on Facebook that she was looking for men with beer bellies for a shoot.
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Patrick Nickl liked the idea: "I then asked around among my friends and acquaintances and among my customers." He quickly drummed up some passionate beer drinkers.
"But they don't all have a giant satchel," says Nickl.
Some of the male models are by no means fat - even if you look at their preference for beer.
The beer belly calendar for 2023. © Daniel Vogl/dpa/dpa-Bildfunk++
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Beer belly calendar from Bavaria is a success - new edition also in 2024
"Most people recognized it as a joke," says photographer Simone Werner-Ney.
"But Patrick Nickl said: We have to make something out of it.
I'll get your bellies!” And he found 13 men willing to be photographed topless - one for the cover, the other 12 for each month of the year.
The photo shoot was fun and relaxed, as Simone Werner-Ney reports: "I already knew the men.
There was also a beer.”
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After the surprise success, Patrick Nickl wants to continue - there should also be a beer belly calendar in 2024: "Maybe we'll invite you to a casting where we're looking for new beer belly models."
(kam / dpa)
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