A group of burly men have channeled their inner Playboy Bunnies for a hilarious ‘dudeoir’ calendar photo series.
Whimsical Woodsman And Friends, the calendar created by Arizona photographer Chad Castigliano, sees a group of big, bearded guys stripping and posing for over-the-top silly images – all in the name of a great cause.
Chad first came up with the idea for the collection of funny photos after convincing a fireman friend, Tim Wilson, to strip down to his underwear for a shoot on his own.
Showing off: Bearded guys channel their inner pin-up models in a photo series for dudeoir calendar Whimiscal Woodsman and Friends
A celebration: The series, shot by Prescott, Arizona, photographer Chad Castigliano (not pictured), exclusively features big and bearded men
Making way: The calendar sales benefit causes including Books to the Rescue and The Red Cross
The original goal was to help out Books to the Rescue, a non-profit organization that Chad’s wife Jasmine works for in Prescott.
They shared the photos of Tim, the original Whimsical Woodsman, in April 2016 on Facebook, and they were a massive hit.
Soon enough, Chad began enlisting other men to come and join in. The rules? They just have to be big, bearded and willing to let loose in front of the camera.
Chad’s series began attracting local press attention last year, but soon blew up online thanks to a video montage created by The Scene that has since been viewed more than 1.7 million times.
Stylish: Many of the models are made even more glamorous by the addition of flowers in their beards
Perfect posing: The rules for those participating in the series is beards and a willingness to let loose for a good cause
The original: The series started after Chad convinced his fireman friend Tim Wilson (pictured) to strip down to his shorts for some photos
Skills: Tim proved to be a natural at pin-up posing and the photos of him quickly went viral
Going for a ride: After that success, he invited other men to join the series as friends of the original Whimsical Woodsman
Sandy fun: Since the series went viral, Chad has received messages from people all over, with many praising him for showing bigger men in a body positive manner
The photos include a group of men with similar nicknames to Tim, the original, including the likes of the Ravishing Rancher, the Fabulous Farmer, the Voluptuous Viking, the Captivating Captain and the Majestic Mountain Man.
The oldest of the bunch is The Raffish Rambler, a former military man in his 60s hailing from Utah, who won a popular vote on the series-dedicated Facebook page.
Since the series went viral, Chad has received messages from all over the world, including from people who were overjoyed to see bigger men depicted in such a body positive way.
‘That’s something Tim and I really didn’t think of when we first started this,’ Chad told Huffington Post.
Fighting fires: Each of the men in the series have their own Whimsical Woodsman-style nickname, such as this Captivating Captain
His natural habitat: This Bashful Bartender poses in little more than an apron
Coming up: Chad is now on the hunt for more men to reach out to him looking to be featured in the 2018 calendar
Still got it: The Raffish Rambler (pictured), a former military man in his 60s hailing from Utah, is the oldest of the bunch
Making an entrance: Chad is hoping to eventually snap men from all 50 states and compile a coffee table book
‘Tim is just a cool guy who is completely at ease with who he is ― the photos are just Tim being Tim. It’s cool so many people could see how relaxed and comfortable all of these guys are in their own skin.’
But now, Chad is on the hunt for his next batch of models for the 2018 edition of the calendar. Aside from having a beard, all he is looking for in a subject is for him to be ‘a good guy’ looking to give back to his community.
The sale of the calendar benefits multiple charities including Books To The Rescue and The Red Cross.
Eventually, Chad hopes to have shot a man in every state for the series, which he will then compile into a coffee table book entitled: The United States of Whimsy.