How to Make Homemade Robot Costumes

A cardboard box can easily transform into a robot in a few steps.

With the increase of robots appearing in movies, children and teens are asking more and more for their parents to produce them for Halloween costumes. At first thought, replicating a large piece of metal and electronics may seem like it would cost a pretty penny, but with the use of a few household items and some found items, these costumes nearly build themselves.

Things You'll Need

• 1 large cardboard box
• 1 medium cardboard box
• 2 small cardboard boxes
• 1 can metallic spray paint
• 4-inch by 8-foot dryer duct
• Scissors
• Box cutters
• 1 roll of duct tape
• Stickers
• Markers

Instructions

1. Obtain four cardboard boxes. One should be large enough to fit comfortably over the head, one should be large enough to fit over the body and the final two should be approximately the size of a pair of sneakers. Shoe or cookie boxes work perfectly for these smaller sizes.

2. Cover boxes with metallic spray paint. While silver is the most commonly used color, other colors such as black, red or blue are also available and will make perfect robots.

3. Obtain an 8-foot piece of dryer duct and cut it into four sections. Two sections will cover the legs, and two sections will cover the arms. Dryer duct is available in many appliance and repair shops.

4. Cut holes in medium and large boxes to make openings for head, face, arms and legs. Because the holes for the arms and legs will connect to the dryer duct pieces, these holes should be 4 inches in diameter.

5. Cut holes in the tops of the small boxes to fit the ends of the dryer duct sections, and then cut the entire bottom off each box. These will act as shoe covers.

6. Attach dryer duct to boxes with duct tape. The duct tape can also secure box flaps in place or reinforce the sides and corners of the boxes.

7. Create gears, switches and screens by attaching stickers or hand drawing them with markers. Many craft stores have sticker collections that come with all the pieces needed to transform the stack of boxes into a "living and breathing" robot.

Tips & Warnings

• If dryer duct is not available or does not fit over arms and legs, gray sweat suits or silver spandex clothing will work in its place.

• Smaller children may have difficulty sitting or walking if the large box extends beyond their waist. Trim the large box to give children the most mobility possible.

References

• Coolest Homemade Costumes: Robot