Maitland 8-year-old builds milk jug igloo

Believe it or not, igloos can be built in Florida. You just need milk jugs.

That’s what 8-year-old Maitland resident Otto Collins did to win Ripley’s My Believe it Or Not! “My Unbelievable Moment” Writing Contest, writing his story on the surface of a milk jug. Otto earned $500 and a display at Ripley’s by collecting 500 milk jugs, then gluing them together to build a 10-foot-wide, 5-foot-tall igloo.

Otto’s mother, Meghan Collins, said Otto’s goal was to create a realistic igloo, like the pictures he saw online and in books. He wanted to recreate the feel of an igloo, including the visible light through the translucent snow.

“It was big enough for five kids to stand in,” Otto wrote on his winning milk jug. “Inside, the light glowed like a real igloo, but it stunk because the milk cartons weren’t clean enough.”

Ripley’s Vice President of Exhibits and Archives, Edward Meyer, said he was captivated by Otto’s story.

“The heart of the contest is human achievement,” Meyer said. “These winners all accomplished something they didn’t think they could accomplish. It’s unbelievable, but true.”

Collins said the igloo was a family project. Otto and his brothers are home-schooled, and part of the curriculum involves a series of hands-on activities based on a country. Previous countries include Germany and England. The projects culminate in a Christmas party featuring music and food from that country. The igloo was meant to be one of the party’s decorations.

“I think that kids learn best through multiple approaches, and they enjoy hands-on projects more, so I think it helps them get more out of the learning process,” Meghan said.

“Every Christmas we have a theme, and last Christmas the theme was Antarctica,” Otto said.

The Collins family began their project in September by collecting 500 milk jugs. Otto and his brothers rode around on bikes collecting milk jugs from local recycling bins and donations from neighbors. They began building the igloo around Thanksgiving, using hot glue to stick the milk jugs together in pairs before assembling the milk jugs on cardboard in December. The biggest challenge, Otto said, was building the arch for the igloo’s doorway without all the milk jugs caving in.

Collins said family and friends all admired their hard work.

“Someone even told Otto they wanted to have their Christmas dinner in it,” Meghan said.

The family heard about the Ripley’s “My Unbelievable Moment” contest through friends, Meghan said. When Otto received the call from Ripley’s, he was ecstatic.

“We were driving home from New England when we got the message,” his mom said. “He was jumping up and down.”

The Collins family donated a portion of the $500 prize to their local church’s mission in Haiti, saved a portion in the bank and divided the rest between Otto’s brothers.