Prize Claw Machine Costume

After finding the idea on the internet I decided to make a Prize Claw vending machine for my son's costume this year. We had just moved so I had an abundance of cardboard boxes and the idea was creative and more than affordable.

I started with two large boxes. A taller box for the game and a short wide one for the base. I first cut three large windows on the front and sides of the taller box and a hole in the bottom for his head. I wanted his head to be level with the stuffed animals so the bottom of the top box rested on his shoulders. I cut the bottom box to have a head hole on top, arm holes on the sides, a large open space on the bottom for his legs and a prize door on the front.

I hot glued the boxes shut and then together so I wouldn't have tape marks. I also hot glued cut pieces of cardboard, small boxes and box covers to the front for the controller, start button and money slots.

I then spray painted the entire thing inside and out black, it took several cans. I hand painted with acrylics the details and used sticker letters to spell out START by the button. I hand cut the lettering and stars with bright dollarstore poster boards. I used tons of glitter on the letters and around every star, around the front window and on the joystick and start button bases.

The actual start button on the box cover base was a circle wood cut out glued to a foam headphone cover so it would really push in. The joystick was a thick glow stick wand that I stuck thru several layers of cardboard. I used the other foam headphone cover and poked a hole in it to slide it over the glow stick to cover up the base and sloppy hole.

For the crane I hot glued two plastic dollarstore headbands together and painted them silver. I used a black pipe cleaner to attach it to the top of the box. I also duct taped a curly phone cord front the crane to the back corner. I hot glued two dollarstore stands of battery operated lights to the back of the inside of the box. I used a weather proofing plastic kit to cover the windows.

I stuck four glow stick necklaces along the horizontal sides of the two side windows using the windows double sided tape and sone hot glue where needed. For extra safety I also glued plastic glow in the dark stars and smiley faces on the sides and back of the costume.

On the front I used dollarstore star shaped battery operated candle lights and hung them off of the edge to be able to turn them on and off. The flap to the prize door was a foam sheet stapled over the hole decorated with glitter tape.

I don't have a photo of the end result but we used random stuffed animals to fill the machine and my son wore a plush turkey hat so he blended right in! We broke the glow sticks before trick or treating and they lasted all night.

Everyone loved the end result!!