Chips + Buds Spud Wagon Family Costume

I wanted to make something unique this year that I'd never seen before - when I first thought of a fry truck, I thought it was perhaps a bit odd, but ran with the idea!

"Chips" and "Buds" are our kids nicknames, they call french fries "chachas" (from when our girl first started talking) and everything is "tiny" or "huge" to them at this age!

The "Spud Wagon" slips over top of our Little Tikes wagon and is constructed of 2x2" wood framing covered with 1/4" plywood. The french fries are stained/cut up 1/2" square dowels, the drinks are 2" dowels and the condiments all started off as a single baluster. Lighting is all 12V LED and borrows our lawn tractor battery for power (stored in the "trunk" behind the rear plate). I found the helium tank on the side of the road. Exhaust vent is a stainless steel bowl and a small piece of scrap exhaust piping from our old furnace. Mom & Dad are helpers carrying around the potatoes - the bags are real, but filled with pillows and a printed picture of potatoes so it looks full through the little window. I made up custom shirts for the kids with the logo on the back and logo/nickname on the front. I had much of the material around the house but probably still have ~$150 into the project (mostly lighting and the 2x2" lumber) - fun to build and well worth it!

Lastly, the kids have real mini deep fryer baskets to hold out for Trick or Treating :)