Sunday, August 31, 2014

DIY Climbing Cardboard Circus Men Toys

I love making interactive toys for Chuck. There's something immensely gratifying about creating something that's beautiful, functional, and fun.... out of recyclable items!  Recently I made these two cardboard climbing circus men toys for Chuck.  You pull on the strings and the men race to the top.

Cardboard Climbing Circus Strong Men Toys

DIY Toys:  Make Climbing Circus Men Toys!

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Hee hee.  Do you dig their leotards, chest hair, and handlebar mustache?  Yup.  These manly men exude quite a bit of style, don't you think?

Ok.  Let's get making!



What You Need


  • Corrugated Cardboard
  • Cereal Box
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Yarn
  • Masking Tape
  • Clear Tape
  • Straws 
  • Paint
  • Paint Brushes
  • Sharpie Markers
  • Skewers

Instructions

Like my Cardboard Rocket Launcher Craft, the idea for this toy was inspired from a craft from the same awesome craft book.  So if you're in the library, definitely check that book out!

Cut out climbing men from cardboard

1.  Sketch and cut out some men from your cereal boxes.  Make sure their hands are open so that they have space to grab onto the yarn.


paint your circus men

2.  Cover your work area.  Then, paint your men.  Once your paint dries, use Sharpie Markers to add on any extra important details (like the all-important chest hair... oh yeah.)  Optional:  Use Mod Podge to protect your paint job.


Add straws to the man's hands and cut out a cardboard rectangle

3.  Cut out a rectangle that's longer than your puppet's width.

4.  Tape on a piece of straw to both of your puppet's hands.

5.  Cut out a short piece of  yarn. Then, cut out two pieces of long yarn that are the same length.  (Note:  If you're making 2 puppets, you'll have to cut out 2 short pieces of yarn and 4 long pieces of yarn.)

6.  Find the middle of your cardboard rectangle.  Cut two tiny slits on both sides of the middle of the cardboard.  Then, tie your short piece of yarn into a loop around the middle.  Make sure to triple knot it so that it will not come undone!  (The slits will hold the yarn in place.)

7.  Make slits on both ends of your cardboard rectangle.  Tie both long pieces of yarn (triple knotted) onto both sides of the cardboard rectangle.

string yarn through circus man's hand with skewer

8.  Now you're going to string the other ends of the yarn through your puppet's hands.  Roll on a piece of masking tape to the end of your yarn.  If needed, use a skewer to push the yarn through the straw.

tie a piece of cardboard onto the end of the strings

9.  Cut out a small piece of cardboard and cut out slits on both sides.  Tie your yarn to the cardboard with triple knots.  Now repeat steps 8 and 9 for the other hand.


Tada! Now you have two climbing circus men who are ready for action!

how to make climbing cardboard Circus Men Toys


To make them climb, simply pull the strings apart.  This toy actually works quite similarly to my DIY climbing cardboard rocket ship toy.

Ahh, I see mustache man won. 

DIY climbing cardboard toys circus men


Hrrm.  Apparently someone isn't too happy with that.

cardboard toys thoughts

And if you're interested in more fun DIY Toys that you can make for or with the kids, check out the links below!



And you can always find other fun ideas on my Kids' Crafts and Activities Page or my  Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter accounts!

Happy making!