How to Make a DIY LEGO Costume (Quick Overview)
To make a DIY LEGO brick costume, cut a large cardboard box in half to make two open backed boxes, then cut a head hole and arm holes in each. Make the studs from 2 inch slices of a concrete form tube topped with card stock circles, glue six onto each box, and spray paint them classic LEGO colors. The whole thing cost us under $20 and we made it the day of our Halloween party. Here is the step by step.
We had one day and one cardboard box to make two costumes for our Halloween party! What would you make?
Here’s what I came up with: LEGO bricks! We had pretty much everything we needed to make these so it cost us just our time. And we managed to finish them the day of our party! I’m really happy with how they turned out and our guests loved them!
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Here’s what you need to make 2 LEGO brick adult sized costumes:
- 1 Extra Large Cardboard Box
- 1 Concrete Form Tube
- Tape Measure
- T-Square
- Sharpie
- 12 Pieces of 12×12 Card Stock
- Hot Glue Gun
- Hot Glue Sticks
- Box Cutter
- Hand Saw
- Scissors
- Safety Glasses
- Respirator Mask
- Blue Spray Paint
- Yellow Spray Paint
- Optional Prop: LEGO Flowers
STEP 1: Flatten the cardboard box and lay it down somewhere you can cut it. Cut it in half vertically with a box cutter in the middle of the biggest side.
After you make the first cut, unfold it and cut the same panel on the opposite side in half, exactly the same way.
You will have two identical boxes with flaps on the top and bottom and open on the back side.
STEP 2: Glue down the flaps on the top only. Leave the bottom ones free. This will make it easier to walk and sit down.
STEP 3: Cut a hole in the top for your head on the top side where you glued the flaps down.
STEP 4: Put the box over your head and have a friend draw where the arm holes should be on both sides.
STEP 5: Cut out the arm holes with the box cutter.
STEP 6: Cut the concrete tube into 2″ rounds with the hand saw so you have 12 in total (6 for each box).
One tube is plenty to cut all 12 rounds. I happened to have this concrete form leftover from another project which worked out perfectly! I love when I save things and they end up coming in handy, don’t you?
STEP 7: Trace the rounds on card stock with a Sharpie and cut out 12 circles. Make sure you cut outside of the drawn line so that it will overlap the circle and you can glue it down.
STEP 8: Glue the 12 card stock circles onto the 12 concrete tube rounds.
STEP 9: Glue the buttons onto the box with the hot glue gun. I did 6 buttons on each box. By the way, having a good hot glue gun makes all the difference! I had a crappy one for a long time and upgraded to this one and it is elite! What a game changer!
STEP 10: Spray paint! Note: the yellow spray paint did not cover well with the first coat. I either should have primed it first or picked another color. Red would have worked better I think. The blue covered great! The yellow needed a second coat and I ended up having to buy another can of spray paint which was a bummer.
STEP 11: Let them dry for a few hours and you’re done!
These would make really cute costumes for kids too, with a smaller box of course. You could have an entire LEGO family with all different colors!
This was a fun project, super easy and cost under $20! We literally made these the day of our Halloween party and they came out great! Bonus if you have the LEGO flowers which makes a really cute prop! We happened to have these already too!
It was also hilarious that we “fit” together just like LEGO bricks! So funny!
DIY LEGO Costume FAQs
How much does a DIY LEGO costume cost?
Ours cost under $20 for two adult costumes, mostly the cost of spray paint. We already had the cardboard box, concrete form tube, card stock, and glue, so your total depends on what you have on hand.
What do you use for the LEGO studs?
Slice a cardboard concrete form tube into 2 inch rounds with a hand saw, then glue a card stock circle on top of each one. Six studs per brick gives you that classic LEGO look. One tube makes all 12.
Can you make this costume for kids?
Yes. Use a smaller box and scale down the studs. You could make a whole LEGO family in different colors.
What spray paint colors work best?
The blue covered great in one coat. The yellow was tricky and needed a second can, so prime light colors first or choose a bolder color like red that covers cardboard more easily.
How long does it take to make?
We made both costumes in a single day, the day of our party. It is a great last minute costume since the steps are simple and the materials are easy to find.
Let me know if you try this or if you have any other ideas for easy costumes you can make out of one cardboard box!
Happy Halloween!
Until next time,
Happy DIY-ing!
-Selene
About the author: I’m Selene Teitelbaum, the DIYer behind Selene Builds Things. I share seasonal crafts, home projects, and beginner friendly tutorials so anyone can make something they are proud of. More about me.
