These hairy mermen are the next big thing in calendars - and it’s all for charity

Picking out a calendar for the new year can be a big decision. You’ve got a choice to make: lovely flowers, cute puppies — big, hairy guys dressed up as mermen posing on the Newfoundland coast.

The group of men call themselves “merb’ys” (a combination of mermaid and b’y, a slang term in Newfoundland for boy or buddy), and are members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Beard and Moustache Club.

The photos include the shirtless, tattooed and bearded men posing with their sparkly mermaid tails in a barber shop, by the ocean, over a waterfall, and even in a pumpkin patch.

So far, the group has sold hundreds of calendars in pre-orders, the group’s founder Hasan Hai told the Huffington Post.

“Something about a bunch of bearded men being comfortable in their own skin ― and being extremely vulnerable in ways that defy traditional standards of masculinity ― seems to have connected with people,” Hasan told the site.

The calendar’s proceeds are for a good cause, too - the sales will benefit the Spirit House NL charity, which provides mental health counseling for children and adults as they take care of horses, reported CTV News.

“They're desperately in need of funds and awareness because it's expensive to raise and upkeep horses," Hai told CBC News. “I figured right away that this is a cause our club can get behind.”

It wasn’t always easy to shoot the photos, Hai told Buzzfeed. “Moving around in a fishtail is not as easy as you would think, he told the site. “Behind the scenes, when the camera's not running, there's a lot of hopping involved — and squirming,” Hai said. “I will sell my dignity for a good cause here.”

The group’s work has garnered then some international acclaim, and has netted them plenty of new fans.

The calendar can be purchased at the group’s website for around $20.

This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 9:37 AM with the headline "These hairy mermen are the next big thing in calendars - and it’s all for charity."