Mark Ruffalo loves this Hulk toy a Filipino artist made from old tsinelas

One man’s trash can be another man’s toy.

For those familiar with Jose Rizal stories, one famous anecdote recalls the national hero’s flip-flop getting carried off by the river’s current. He then tossed the other, explaining that someone might as well end up with the pair, and put it to use.

While probably not quite as brilliant as Rizal, another Filipino has come to light with his own tsinelas story: Samar-born Elmer Padilla, also known as Boy Tsinelas. Elmer grew up without enough money to buy toys, so he taught himself how to create them out of discarded flip-flops. His ingenuity was bound to make a splash, but it made big waves instead when no less than Marvel’s ‘Hulk’ actor Mark Ruffalo got his hands on a figure:

The post went on to gather over 26,000 Likes, nearly 5,000 shares, and hundreds of comments.

Not only did Elmer get the shoutout from Ruffalo, but he also got a nod from Chris Hemsworth. Check out the video below that captures the moment Marie Lozano presented the actors with the toys:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaiuJzBBwiQ

What an inspirational artist. #KeepCreating, Elmer! #PinoyPride

via CNN Philippines