Berlin is a city to see, touch and taste street art nearly everywhere. The most famous and concentrated point for that is the East Side Gallery. It’s also the longest remaining part of the Berlin Wall.

Berlin’s Hidden Art: Cork Men Bringing Smiles Above the Streets.

But if you point your nose towards the sky and watch out, you can discover those little sporty cork men “walking” all around. For everyone who doesn’t know what a “Korkmännchen (cork men) is or where to find them around the city, keep on reading… The little men are stick figures made of cork, invented and created by the Berlin Yoga trainer Josef Foos just as a marketing joke. He got the inspiration for his idea from the project “Little People” by the London street art artist Slinkachu. Josef Foos lives very healthy without alcohol and TV, like probably many others who take care of their body. Between his Yoga courses and treatments (acupressure ) he has lots of time to create those little sporty cork men. One cork serves as the body and another cork is cutting 5 pieces to serve as the hands, legs, and head.
All parts are hold together by little sticks that are usually used in the kitchen. Foos called his first creations “street yogi”.
Yoga exercises frequently have names such as "The Heron", "The cow face" or "The Dancer", depending on your mobility. Who do Yoga are mostly athletic, so the little men had to be athletic too? But two corks and a skewer don’t make a sporty Street Yogi. Thus, Josef Foos had to create also knees and elbow joints for the figurines. Everything is glued and taped together and finished is the Street Yogi. It sounds simple, but it requires a lot of fine work. Meanwhile, there are also cork men that express dance, climbing and walking. So point your nose towards the sky to see the little men sitting on traffic signs or walls, if you see one, they'll bring you good luck and happiness.
Unfortunately, their life expectancy is limited, either by the weather or curious birds that try to eat them. Meanwhile, many artists started creating those little cork men, since there is a tinkering guidance on its website. Berlin remains a city of artists. Furthermore, our roads, walls and in special cases, street signs get a unique look by our many street artists.
You just have to keep your eyes open and look to search for little details, even if they are slightly out of view.

Berlin’s Hidden Art: Cork Men Bringing Smiles Above the Streets.