Wall-e Costume

Find out how to make this simple yet creative Halloween costume! Follow these directions submitted by Jenny Gordon and you can make a Wall-e costume.

Materials Needed:

• Cardboard Box for Body
• Gray Spray Paint
• 1 1/2 Yards of Gray Fabric
• Acrylic Paint
• 12" x 12" x 2" Piece of Foam for Track
• 2 - 3 Yards Black Ribbon
• 1 Wall-e Robot Arm (Compare Prices)
• 1 Wall-e Mask (Compare Prices)
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
• Utility Knife
• Tapestry Needle

Instructions:
Start off by cutting the flaps off of the cardboard box. Cut holes in the sides of the box for your child's arms to fit through. Give your child a paint brush and let him or her help you paint the entire box yellow. Let it dry. Use a picture of Wall-e for a reference and paint the control panel and other details on the box. Let that paint dry.

Cut your 12" x 12" x 2" piece of foam in half diagonally and round off the edges. The best tool for this job is an electric knife! To make the foam gray, you can use one of two methods:

1. If you can sew, fold your fabric in half and lay it on your work surface. Lay both of your foam pieces on the fabric and trace around them, adding about a 1/2-inch for a seam allowance. Cut out the pieces you traced through both thicknesses of fabric. You might want to mark each set A and B in case the sizes are slightly different. Cut two 3-inch strips of fabric that is long enough to fit all the way around the edge of your foam track. Sew one of the strips of fabric to one piece of triangle fabric. Sew the other triangle piece of fabric to the other side of that same strip. Leave an opening big enough to turn the fabric right side out and to fit the foam through. This should form a casing to slide your foam track into. Slip the foam track into the casing and sew it shut. Repeat these steps for the second track.

2. Use gray spray paint to color the entire foam piece. Let the paint dry. This might take a few coats.

No matter which method above you used, you will add the black details to the tracks using black acrylic paint. While the paint is drying, cut two pieces of ribbon, each about two feet long. Thread an end of one of the pieces of ribbon onto the needle. Start on the inside, bottom edge of the box and poke the needle through. Next, push the needle and ribbon through the foam so that the needle comes up in one of the black circles. In a spot no more than an inch away from where the needle came up, poke the needle back down and through the foam. Now, push the needle through the box. Finally, tie the ends of the ribbon together to hold the track in place. Repeat this for the other track. Cut off any extra ribbon.

Cut four triangles out of gray fabric to cover your child's shoulders at the top of the box. Sew the triangles together, leaving a hole big enough for your child's head to fit through. Fold down the extra fabric and sew a casing around the opening. Thread the remaining ribbon through the casing. Use this to secure the costume around your child's shoulders. Glue the other edge of the fabric to the top edge of the box. If you would rather not do any sewing, simply cut four slits along the top edge of the box and use the ribbon to make straps to secure the box on your child's shoulders.

When it is time to dress up, use the Wall-e arm for one hand and carry a lunch box cooler in the other hand. Don't forget to put on the Wall-e mask!

- See a larger picture of this costume made by Jenny Gordon.

Looking for more costume ideas and Halloween projects? Check out these easy costume ideas! You can also browse through my other Halloween articles and find many Halloween crafts, games, recipes, and other activities.

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