Pet & Animal: How to Make a LEGO Costume

LEGO costumes are both creative and easy to make. For something quick, try making a basic LEGO brick costume. For something a little more complicated, attempt a LEGO man costume. Here's what you need to know about making either one.

EditSteps

EditLEGO Brick Costume

Get a box. The box must be tall enough to cover the entire torso of the intended wearer and about shoulder-wide.
- Do not get a box that extends below the knees or past the elbows, as either trait will make it impossible to move around in. Ideally, the box will end just above the hips and at the shoulder line so that the wearer will still have no difficulties moving around.
- The depth of the box should be no larger than the width, but you may opt for a box with a more shallow depth to make it easier to move around in. At a minimum, the box only needs to be deep enough for the intended wearer to fit into.
Remove the bottom of a large cardboard box.^[1]
- Use a box cutter or sharp pair of scissors to cut the cardboard away in a smooth, even line.
- Tape up the other sides of the box to prevent the cardboard flaps from coming loose.
Cut holes for the arms and head. The hole for the head will need to be in the center of the top while the holes for the arms will need to be along the sides and toward the top.
- Use a box cutter or sharp pair of scissors to cut circles out for the arms and head.
- Begin with the head. Either gauge the space needed for the head or measure the diameter of the wearer's head with a ruler or tape measure. Cut the hole for the head as near to the middle of the top as possible.
- Slip the box over the wearer before cutting out the arm holes. The exact distance from the top of the box to the top of the arm holes may vary depending on the individual wearing the costume, and so gauging it with the eye after slipping the box on is the best way to determine where the arm holes should go. Usually, this will be about 2-3 inches (5-7.6 cm) below the top of the box, along the sides. Each hole needs to be at least as wide as the widest part of the wearer's arm.
Paint a white undercoat. Cover the top and all sides of the box with white spray paint or white acrylic craft paint.
- The white paint creates a "blank slate" of sorts, making it easier for the final color to show accurately without being tinted by the color of the cardboard.
- Use a non-glossy, matte paint. You need to use a type of paint that other paint will stick to, making matte paint a far better choice than glossy paint.
Paint a color overcoat. Use spray paint or craft paint to cover the box with a primary color.
- Red is the most classic color for a LEGO brick, but you could also paint the box blue or yellow. Multiple colors are an especially good idea if you have multiple people attending the same function as LEGO bricks. Opt for bright, solid shades, like "fire engine" red.
- Both glossy and matte finishes work for this layer of paint, but spray paint is preferable to acrylic craft paint since paint applied by spray tends to be smoother than paint applied with brushes.
- You may need multiple coats of paint, but applying the white layer before the color layer should reduce the total number of color coats.
- Don't worry about getting paint on the inside of the box as you work. It makes no difference whether the inside of the box remains clean or gets accidentally coated in paint.
Cut out circles of painted cardboard.^[2] You will need six even circles, each with a diameter that measures about 1/8 of the box height.
- The circles should be primed with white paint and painted with the same color as the rest of the box.
- A good idea is to save the cardboard bottom you cut out from the box, cut out your circles from that, and paint the circles using the same paint used on the rest of the costume. Additional cardboard may still be needed, though.
- Use a stencil, cookie cutter, or compass to draw and cut out perfectly round circles.
- Instead of using cardboard, you could also use round, shallow food tubs, like the kind holding ice cream or margarine. Paint these using spray paint or craft paint approved for use with plastic.
Attach the circles to the box. Use a hot glue gun to secure the cardboard circles onto the front of the box in two columns with three rows each.
- The columns and rows should all be evenly aligned, with even spacing between each one.
- You may need to use a ruler or tape measure to mark out the two even columns and three even rows. Do this by dividing the width of the box into three even sections and the height into four even sections. Draw light pencil lines marking off each section, and place the center of one circle over each intersection of lines. Erase the lines when done.
Wear a matching color beneath the box. Before putting on the LEGO costume, the wearer should slip on a long-sleeve shirt and long pants that closely match the color of the box.
- The shades do not need to be the exact same, but they should be similar. For instance, if you painted a bright red LEGO, wear clothes in other bright shades of red.

EditLEGO Man Costume

Create a LEGO brick body. The body of the LEGO man should be a basic LEGO brick without the circles or connecting links pasted on.
- Remove the bottom from a torso-length and shoulder-width cardboard box. Cut holes out for the head and arms, and paint the box red.
- If you feel a little more daring, you could try creating a shirt pattern on the front of the box. Spray paint the box white and draw a collar and two pockets on the front. Outline these features with black paint, and use a pencil and paintbrush to paint a red tie on the front.
- Underneath the box, wear a long-sleeve shirt that matches the color of the cardboard torso.
Alter sonotube to create a head.^[3] Cut the sonotube so that the height is roughly 4 inches (10 cm) taller than the length between the base of the wearer's neck and the top of the wearer's head. Cover the top of the sonotube with a cardboard circle and cut out two holes for the eyes.
- Sonotube is a type of thick cardboard cylinder usually used for forming round concrete columns. You can use any cardboard or styrofoam cylinder large enough to fit over your head, however.
- Place the sonotube over a flat piece of cardboard and trace a circle that perfectly matches the diameter of the tube. Cut this circle out with scissors or a box cutter and glue it to the sonotube with craft glue or hot glue.
- Gauge where the eye holes need to be by holding the sonotube next to the wearer's head. Use a pencil to mark off where they eye level of the LEGO head needs to be. Draw and cut out your eye holes at this level.
- Spray paint the entire cylinder yellow. Draw a smile beneath the eye holes using black paint and a paintbrush.
Attach a small circle onto the top of the painted sonotube. Paint a small, thin, round container or circular piece of cardboard yellow and glue it to the top of the sonotube.
- The circle should be half the diameter of the sonotube.
- Use craft glue or hot glue to attach the circle to the sonotube. The two centers should be aligned.
Paint and divide two leg-length boxes.^[4] Spray paint two length-length boxes black or dark blue. Cut the boxes in half at knee-height and fix them together with heavy-duty craft wire.
- The boxes should be just wide enough for the wearer's legs to fit through and just long enough to reach from the top of the leg to the top of the foot. Make sure that the boxes are snug on the wearer's legs to help keep them in place.
- Cutting the box in half at the knee allows the wearer to bend at the knee. Punch even holes in the top and bottom of each half and thread wire through the holes to connect the two halves together. The wire will keep the leg halves together while allowing the wearer to continue bending the knee.
- Also connect the legs to the torso box using the same heavy-duty craft wire. Punch a hole in the bottom of the torso box on each side and another hole in the tops of each top leg halves.
Wear yellow mittens and black shoes. Use thin yellow mittens to mimic the appearance of LEGO man hands. Wear shoes that match the color of your LEGO man pants, whether those are black or blue.
- Make sure to wear mittens, not gloves. You should not wear anything that has separate fingers.