“I’m a redneck, you know. I was always in the creeks, me and my cousins.”
Matthew Franklin has taken a childhood passion — collecting vintage bottles he finds in nearby creeks — and turned it into extremely popular social media fodder. The Kentucky native started his KyCreekers channel in 2023. Two years later, some of his TikTok and Instagram exploits in the creeks have wracked up millions of views. Besides offering a history lesson on old moonshine, whiskey and soda jugs, it’s Franklin’s enthusiasm and knack for creating hilarious original phrases (see “bangalangdanger”) that have made the antique bottle collector an unlikely online star.
We spoke with Franklin about how he started his bottle obsession, the hidden dangers of walking creeks and how his newfound fame doesn’t mean he’s retiring anytime soon.
His Love of Vintage Bottle Collecting Started Early
“My grandparents got me into all things old and antique,” Franklin says. “I was kind of the last generation to grow up without a big, huge technology wave. And I’m a redneck, you know — I’m in the creeks, me and my cousins. I come across bottles a lot. When I was about 14 or 15, I became more interested in the bottles I was finding. I’d take them back to my grandfather and sometimes I’d find that the bottles were 50 years old. I thought that was pretty cool.”
Covid Turned a Childhood Hobby Into Something Bigger
Franklin stopped walking the creeks for a few years, but the isolation of COVID-19 reignited his interest. “I was like, man, I haven’t walked a creek in a long time,” he says. “So I went out and started finding bottles again. KyCreekers was born on TikTok then, and it just kind of blew up and evolved from there.”
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On a near-daily basis, Franklin and his team will find ceramics, moonshine jugs, whiskey jugs and more. “I just found my first stencil jug, and that video did like 20 million on Instagram,” he says. Stay with the KyCreekers channel for a bit, and you’ll find yourself looking up Hutchinson-style bottles, circle slugs and other old bottle terminology. “I don’t always know 100% of what I find, but I generally have a good idea,” he adds.
That Said, “Bangalangdanger” Isn’t a Real Term
It’s a common phrase Franklin shouts during a particularly good creek find. “Again, I”m a redneck,” he says. “I don’t know, I just always come up with different words, just describing things when I get excited. It’s my way of saying this bottle is next level.”
It’s an Easy Hobby to Pick Up
“Just start exploring rivers and creeks,” Franklin says. “Especially in the central states of the South, a lot of towns and places around here were huge dump sites, usually a mile or two outside the cities.” With that in mind, look for rivers and creeks that run close to the towns. To narrow down locations, hit up newspaper archives and look for keywords like reuse, garbage and dump.
“It’s a pretty easy game to get into because you don’t have to do too much,” he adds. “Mother Nature, with the rain and stuff eroding, washing those banks and churning the creek beds, there’s also going to be new treasures.”
Beware of Hidden Dangers
If you think walking around muddy creeks could be hazardous, well, yeah. “I take a long shovel — you never know what’s going to be in front of you,” Franklin says. “If you get a good flood rain, it’ll change the creek bottom. Sometimes you’ll find holes that are 12 feet deep, but then after a flood, it’ll only be like five or six inches deep. Or vice versa. And be on the lookout for snakes and snapping turtles. Wear cut-resistant gloves if you’re going to be picking things up.”
Realize Bottle Collecting Might Not Be a Career
“I’m just in this for the history,” Franklin says. “I’d love to do this full-time; that’s the goal. We post every day. But it’s a cool hobby if you’re into adventure and exploring. But I guess for now, it’s more of a side hustle.”
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