Total Time Needed: Afternoon Or Evening
This costume ingeniously transforms a plain cardboard box into a bull and a rider - with a pair of fake cowboy legs that hang from hidden suspenders.
Materials
- Large topless cardboard box
- Utility knife
- Sheet of cardboard
- Acrylic paints
- Paintbrushes
- White leggings
- Craft glue
- Small cardboard box
- 2 pink egg carton cups
- 2 white egg carton cups
- Black marker
- Wire coat hanger
- Tape
- Denim shorts
- Button-down shirt
- Pair of jeans
- Western-style belt
- Newspaper
- Clip suspenders
Instructions
1. From the cardboard sheet, cut out the cowboy boots and the bull's ears, horns, two back legs and a tail. Paint the ears brown with pink centers, then paint the back legs and tail brown and white; also paint brown spots on the white leggings, and make the boots and horns yellow.
2. To make the bull's body, take the large box, turn it upside down, and cut a child-size hole in the bottom. Using brown and white paint, paint the box. Glue the bull's tail and back legs onto the body.
3. To make the head, take the smaller box, and cut two nostril holes in it. Insert pink egg carton cups and glue in place. Cut two eye sockets in the box and glue white egg carton cups in place. Draw black irises in the centers of the cups. Paint the entire head white and brown. Cut two slits on both sides of the head, and glue the horns into the top slits and the ears into the bottom ones.
4. To attach the head to the body, create a neck by twisting a wire coat hanger into a spring. Cut a hole in the back of the smaller box, poke one end of the hanger through and tape in place. Make a hole in the front of the large box near the top, poke the other end of the hanger through, and tape it in place.
5. To put it all together: Have your child wear the cow-print leggings, denim shorts and button-down shirt. Run a belt through the front loops of the jeans and the back of your child's denim shorts and fasten. Have your child step into the bull's body, lay the suspenders over his shoulders, then clip them to the front and back opening of the box. Lightly stuff the pair of jeans with newspaper and insert the painted cowboy boots into the jean legs (taping them in place, if necessary). Accessorize with a rope, bandanna, cowboy hat, and gloves.
Variations:
For a quicker face, simply paint on the eyes and nose.
Crafts
