The snack-package-sculpting genius of this Twitter sensation finally caught the eye of a snack PR department.

The vast universe of Japanese social media is constantly twinkling with potential viral talent, like enterprising miniature artist Mozu Studios and chalkboard mage Rena Rena. And the only thing we at SoraNews24 love more than art is tasty snacks, so of course we were won over by the intricate craft work of Twitter user @02ESyRaez4VhR2l, who uses candy and potato chip vessels as his canvas.

Starting with his viral success molding an Alfort box into an airship, @02ESyRaez4VhR2l (who also goes by the moniker Karabako Shokunin Harukiru – Empty Box Craftsman Harukiru) has wowed us by turning cardboard into houses, automobiles and even the Pringles mascot himself.

And this year, our classic pal Nissin Cup Noodle was there to bring Harukiru into the professional orbit of the food industry!

▼ “Made this out of a Cup Noodle container! #KarabakoShokuninHarukiru”

For his advertising debut, Harakiru pulled out all the stops: the Cup Noodle-bound astronaut has a dynamically sculpted helmet, straps for their spacesuit and even a lovingly rendered oxygen pack. Especially of note is the protective visor on the helmet, fashioned out of the clear cellophane used to seal each cup. But why an astronaut, you might wonder?

Well, Cup Noodle actually featured astronauts prominently in one of their most classic advertising campaigns: a series of CG anime shorts collected under the title Project Freedom.

The artist himself arrived in the tweet below Cup Noodle’s to verify that yes, this was in fact his work (though, as many commenters attested, “who else would it be?”)

▼ He had his own reasons for picking a spacefarer, as it turns out.

“I’m Karabako Shokunin Harukiru, who was given permission to craft this piece.
Back when I was commissioned for this, I had this strong image of Cup Noodle being used as space food. So I turned the packaging into an astronaut!”

Harukiru’s die-hard fans poured into the comments, along with a host of new enthusiasts to appreciate his otherworldly talents.

“I thought it must be you, Harukiru! This is just oozing with your personal style.”
“Makes me think ‘I can knock this guy out in 3 minutes with enough hot water!'”
“This is one small cup for Nissin, but a giant meal for mankind.”
“I knew who made this the instant I saw it!”

Harukiru’s personal craft galaxy is studded with an array of shining stars, and we have plenty of highlights for you to moon over. He even has a book out now!

Source, featured image: Twitter/@cupnoodle_jp
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