See how I made the Lego heads here.
Back to our Halloween costumes…from last year! The Lego costumes had bodies were made from cardboard, large furniture boxes. I measured a lego mini figure and proportionally made measurements based on everyone’s height to create a pattern. They were cut out using my jigsaw (yes, I used a saw for cardboard – it’s what I’m comfortable with!) and taped together on the inside and the outside using Gorilla tape. I first tried duct tape but it didn’t stick to the cardboard like the Gorilla tape did.
I initially thought I would quick spray paint all the bodies. But a trial run left me with undesirable results. The paint soaked into the cardboard and all you could see was the tape on the edges. Plan B: Cover the cardboard in fabric and paint the design on the fabric. Plan C: skip the bodies all together and wear clothing that represents the bodies. I was determined to make plan B work.
I didn’t think covering the boxes in fabric would be extremely difficult. However, I’m not a seamstress and I basically had to create slipcovers for each box with odd angles. The results were a long shot from being perfect but they were 100% better than plan A and still better than plan C.
With fabric covered boxes, I used our video projector showing lego guys to trace designs on the boxes. I then went to work painting each design with craft paint.
This was probably my favorite step out of the whole project. I remember Steve was out of the country the week before Halloween and all I had was cardboard box bodies somewhat put together before he left. As I painted late into each night he was gone, I saw the costumes coming together and it made excited. Each detail I painted added to authenticity and it wasn’t the chore I thought it would be. The task was more than rewarding and I watched some great movies in the process.
My mom came into town while Steve was gone and was with me while I painted a few of the bodies. She shook her head in disbelief that I was spending as much time as I was on each body. And although the word “crazy” escaped her lips more than once in describing the process (or perhaps referring to me in general) she pitched in and helped me out. Two of the costumes needed some pants to go with their bodies – and she sat at the sewing machine and whipped them out. Where was she when I was covering the boxes?!
By the time Steve arrived home just in time for Halloween, he was amazed by the finished product. The kids continually tried them on and loved them. The bodies and the heads sat on our dining room table in hopes of not being ruined before the big day and everyone that came to our house and saw them could not wait to see them in action.
Who could’ve predicted that we would have record heat (breaking 100) on Halloween. Those costumes were not meant for summer weather and our heads were a bit toasty. But the kids were troopers (aside from Cannon who was sick that evening and didn’t wear a costume at all!)
Just about everywhere we went – we were celebrities – we took a lot of pictures with random people. It was a fun night.
After Halloween was over they sat back on the dining room table until I could figure out what to do with them. I have high hopes of wearing them again someday – so they carefully sit wrapped in garbage bags in the attic awaiting to make their grand re-entrance!
Want more Lego fun?
Homemade Christmas gift using Legos
Lego Birthday Party
Lego Photo Board
These costumes are amazing! Such a lot of work went into them, but the result is really astonishing! I hope you will be able to use them again. These costumes really should be seen!
Me too! I tried convincing the kids we should wear them again this year and no one liked my idea!
I don't think I have ever seen costumes so amazing! Great job!
Thanks!
These costumes are awesome. I wish I could make one for my son, but I truly don't think I could figure out the head. You're such a fun mom to do this!
I had no idea what I was getting into when I started, but starting is half the battle!
Wow these are amazing! You are very talented!
Thanks!
So nice, what did you use for the hair?
It’s foam that was glued together and then carved to shape. Time consuming!
Love, love, love the costumes! Do you happen to remember the name of the foam you used?
I don’t know the name of it but it’s exterior insulation that comes in large sheets, covered in foil on both sides from Home Depot. Good Luck!
These look amazing! What did you use to size the hole for the head? Thanks!
It was a little guessing game I played. I started with a small hole, and then tried it on the person. You really want that to be snug because when it’s sitting on their neck the more loose it is the hard it will be to keep in place. Unfortunately, you really do have to make it a decent size hole to fit a head through it!
I’m debating doing this for my boys this year but head mobility is my only concern. I’m brainstorming ideas to make it work. How was is for your kids? Did the heads fall off if they bent forward? If they looked left or right does the head stay facing forward or did it move with them?
The heads are tough. The hole that they put their head through is tight enough that it was not about to fall off – ever. You have to be very careful cutting the eye holes in the head to make sure they can see through them. We also put a towel inside the head so it didn’t move left to right. The largest problem we ran into was it was over 100 degrees the night they were trick or treating – they were hot and halfway through they pulled the heads off and finished up the night.
I dont know if it matters, but what kind of fabric did you use? I’m so glad i came across your picture! I too, was thinking of spray painting my cardboard bodies!
I used basic cheap quilting cotton. It took some planning, coming up with a pattern for each box (they were all different sizes) but I love how it looked. Good luck!
How did you “angle” the boxes for the body?? Also approximately how much fabric (for 1 large box) did you use for the main color (Like 2 yards?)Then did you glue the Fabric on the cardboard? Thanks for any tips/help! My son wants to be a lego policeman!! Aggghh
I don’t. I used flat sheets of cardboard and cut each side separately and connected them with duct tape (inside seam and outside seam). I found measurements of a mini figure online and then I scaled it up, cutting each side of cardboard accordingly. Once the box was built, I measured to figure out how much fabric I needed for each one. The fabric was almost like a tight sleeve over the box and then I duct taped the edges on the inside of the box. Hope this helps, good luck!
Do you instructions posted somewhere on how to construct the body?
I don’t. I used flat sheets of cardboard and cut each side separately and connected them with duct tape (inside seam and outside seam). I found measurements of a mini figure online and then I scaled it up, cutting each side of cardboard accordingly. Hope this helps, good luck!