Carry Me in a Box Costume

I made this costume for my teenage daughter for her last night of trick-or-treats (she feels she is too old this year). You need a good quality sturdy box, A package of Styrofoam insulation sheets (available at Home Depot and Lowe’s), 3M spray glue (2 cans), duct tape, wire, Gorilla Glue, some old light weight clothing, & a cheap Halloween mask. 1. Glue all the Styrofoam sheets together, using plenty of the 3M spray adhesive, to form one big block. Play some weight on top of the glued sheets and let dry for several days. Once dry, use a long knife (I used a bread knife) to carve out your body parts: torso, head, upper arms, lower arms, small pieces for palm of hand, upper legs, lower legs, small pieces for partial feed and knee caps. Make sure you round out the pieces to look as close to real body parts as possible. Assemble the upper body: (Note: I ran some wire through the torso to ensure all the sheets of Styrofoam would stay in place.) Glue the head to the torso. Glue upper arms to torso (used duct tape to hold it in place until it dries) make sure they are in the correct position to give the illusion that what is being carried is heavy. Once those are dried attach the lower arm and palm of hands using sturdy wire and duct tape (this way you can bend the wire to adjust the arm position so it looks more realistic. Attach the lower legs to upper legs with wire and duct tape, and do the same for the partial feet. Adjust them to look realistic (you may have to place them in the box to adjust them properly). Add the kneecaps using duct tape (this adds to the realistic look). Dress the legs and body. You will need a long shirt or coat for the body to hide where the dummy body ends and the real person begins. I used a black t-shirt under the long shirt. I used work gloves to cover the hands. I used pajama bottoms for the pants. I used some old socks and a old set of sneakers. Cut a hole in your box that will perfectly fit the person who will be wearing it. The hole will be at one of the short ends of the box. Cut approximately 2/3s of the hole in the bottom of the box and 1/3 of the hole in the bottom part of the short side of the box. (*This will cause the dummy to appear to be leaning back as if holding a heavy weight, which adds to the realistic effect.) Attach the body to the box: (*Note: I glued an extra sheet of cardboard to the short end of the box where the body goes through the hole to add extra support.) I cut slits in the t-shirt so the front section would hang into the box, this way I could glue the Styrofoam directly to the box. I used gorilla glue, with some duct tape for extra support. Once glued on I laid the torso down on its back, with the box attached. I placed some heavy books on the box surface which was glued to the torso and left it to dry for 2 days. Next I glued the hands to the bottom of the box and I glued the front open parts of the long shirt (where the buttons/button holes are) to the sides of the box just under the arms (see pics. This helps to hide where the really fake torso ends and the real person begins.) and let them dry over-night. Next, I placed the legs into the perfect position, then glued the pajama bottoms to the bottom of the inside of the box, right in front of the hole, and let dry for a full day. The mask I purchased had a built in hood and a strap inside to hold it in place, so it did not require any glue. Once all the glue was dry we were good to go. The costume was so convincing she got extra candy at some houses, one for her and one for the guy carrying her. Many people stopped her and asked if she was really being carried. She had a great time and was the center of attention.