Purse Dude: A Love Story of a Boy And a Bag

It started as most modern love stories start. Boy meets girl, girl leaves her purse in boy's car, boy falls in love with purse, takes it with him everywhere he goes, and the whole thing goes viral. A tale as old as time itself, really. Two whirlwind days and a handful of photographs later, both purse and boy have been catapulted to fame on the internet. Even better: the girl who owned the purse returned to claim it, and she wasn't even mad.

"Purse Dude," as he is now known, is actually 28-year-old Nate Daniels, a social media and brand strategist from Los Angeles. His foray into the world of internet fame began when Jacquelyn, the girl he was dating, left her purse in his car. She told Daniels he could "borrow" her bag until she returned to claim it, and boy, did he take the suggestion to heart. If the way he treated the purse is any indication, I think it's safe to say this girl's found herself a keeper. In the two days he had custody of the purse, Daniels brought it with him to go bowling, to the beach, and even took it out for a lovely breakfast. It even looks like he bought the purse pancakes! Throw in a romantic hot tub date, and that's more wining and dining than most ladies get in an actual

relationship!And talent doesn't just extend to purse modeling. Daniels and his friend Mark Freiburger were the geniuses behind two Doritos Super Bowl commercials, "Fashionista Daddy" from this year's game, and "Sling Baby" from 2012.

We spoke with Daniels about his recent "pursecapades." Click here to view them in full, and read on for the inside scoop.

The Thread: What made you court this woman's purse and document your dates online?
Nate Daniels: The idea to create a photo album with the purse came to mind immediately when she had said I could borrow it. I was laying on the beach at the time so when we walked back to the car I made sure to snap a picture because it was a great location for the "pursecapades."

TT: How do you feel now that you and the purse have gone your separate ways?
ND: There's an unexpected longing and emptiness that's stirring in my soul now that I've had to give the purse back. I believe I'll make a quick recovery, though.

TT: What did you like and/or dislike most about carrying the purse?
ND: I was happy to borrow the purse--it's very fashionable and complimented my facial hair quite well (according to internet commenters). Only downside to borrowing the purse was being afraid of losing it or damaging it in some way. That may have been a deal breaker with Jacquelyn.

TT: Do you happen to remember who made the bag?
ND: I'm told Be&D made the purse. Not sure if I'm the clientele they are looking for, but I hope they are enjoying all the free publicity they've gotten!

TT: You managed to fit quite a lot into those two lovely days you and the purse spent together. Did you make strategic plans that would really showcase your new accessory?
ND: A good friend of mine from Michigan State, Luke, teaches English in Quito, Ecuador (hence the ceviche text). [While he was in town visiting] I just took the purse everywhere we went and he snapped

most of the pics for me. Most of the activities with the purse were really me just showing Luke a good time in LA--it worked out nicely for the purse as well!

TT: How does the purse's rightful owner feel now that her bag is "internet famous?"
ND: Jacquelyn had no clue I was doing this until I showed it to her when she came over yesterday afternoon. I had sent her the ice cream picture while she was gone, but she didn't think anything of it other than a that's just "Nate being Nate" sort of thing. She was a little nervous about the follow up photo (nurses don't get this much attention generally) but everyone wanted to know more about her so she

agreed to it. Plus, she's really cute! [ed. note: aaaaaaw!]

TT: What were some of the reactions you got carrying the bag?
ND: I got a lot of strange looks for sure, but most people who know me understand I'm a pretty self-assured person. They just wanted to know what kind of hijinx I was scheming.


We'll stay tuned for more adventures between Daniels and other inanimate objects