Aluminum Cans Delightfully Transformed into Pop Culture Icons

Once you’re done drinking out of an aluminum can, there isn’t much left to do but recycle it. Not for Japanese artist Makaon, though. He takes these would-be discarded cans and turns them into sculptures featuring characters from popular culture. We see the Super Mario Brothers, Batman, Pikachu, and even Buzz Lightyear crafted out of the various colorful packaging.

To construct these works, Makaon takes small pieces of the aluminum and bends it to form the shapes that he wants. Any given sculpture might have two or three different brands of drinks depending on their color. Coca Cola provides Mario with a bright red hat while Carlsberg Beer gives Yoshi his green sheen. Makaon has also managed to find a label that includes a peachy skin tone in its design, meaning that he can accurately depict the human faces.

Each character is angular in shape with a rigid-looking build. But, this doesn't stop them from feeling like a fun and energetic tribute to the pop culture icons that we know and love.