Walking Cereal Box Animal Puppets
Sure, you can make cute animals from a cereal box. But cereal box animals that move and groove are even better. The paper towel rolls allow you to walk these guys around any which way. Or run. Or even sit. Basic shapes, such as circles, rectangles and triangles, make up these animals, so anyone can put them together.
What other animals can you create? If you eat enough cereal and use enough paper towels, you can have a whole circus or zoo!
How to make moving cereal box animals.
You will need:*
Cereal box
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Paint
Paintbrushes
Black marker
Googly eyes
Hole punch
Brass fasteners
Paper towel rolls
Construction paper (optional)
Tape (optional)
*Find the googly eyes at the craft store. Find the brass fasteners in the craft store or office supply store. I used 1-inch brass fasteners here. However, a smaller size may work even better.
First, cut your shapes from the cereal box and paint each piece. Note that when you paint the cardboard, it may buckle a bit, but it will flatten as it dries. It’s best to paint on the non-printed, inside section of the box shapes.
To make the pig, you will need:
Body: 1 oval (6 inches long by 4 inches tall)
Head: 1 circle (2 ½ inches across)
Snout: 1 small circle (about 1 to 1 ½ inches across)
Ears: 2 triangles (3/4 inch high)
Legs: 4 rectangles (2 ½ inches by 1 inch)
Paint each piece pink. Make the small circle a darker pink. TIP: Use the same color pink for both, just add a bit of red to make a darker pink or white to make a lighter pink. Let dry completely. Glue the small circle onto the larger circle and glue the ears to the back of the larger circle as shown. Then, glue the head to the body.
Glue googly eyes to the head and draw two lines on the snout with the marker. Draw a curly tail with the marker.
Punch four holes across the bottom and a hole at the top of each leg. Attach the legs behind the body with brass fasteners.
Punch a hole at the top of the pig and a hole at the bottom of a paper towel roll and attach the pig to the paper towel roll with a brass fastener. If desired, glue or tape a piece of construction paper around the paper towel roll first.
To make the cat, you will need:
Body: 1 oval (6 inches long by 4 inches tall)
Head: 1 circle (2 ½ inches across)
Ears: 2 triangles (1 inch tall)
Legs: 4 rectangles (3 ½ inches tall)
Tail in any shape you like
Paint each piece as you like. Shown here, the body and head are all gray. The legs and tail are gray and white and the ears are white. TIP: To make gray, mix white with a little bit of black paint. Let dry completely. Glue the ears to the back of the head and the head to the body. Glue two eyes on the head and draw a nose, mouth and whiskers with the marker.
Punch holes at the end of the tail and legs and corresponding holes on the body. Attach the tail and legs with brass fasteners. Punch a hole at the top of the cat and a hole at the bottom of a paper towel roll and attach the cat with a brass fastener.
To make the lamb, you will need:
Body: 1 oval, but cut with bubble edges as shown, about 6 inches by 4 inches
Head: 1 circle (2 ½ inches across)
Ears: 2 ears with rounded tops (1 inch tall)
Legs: 4 rectangles (4 inches by ¾ inches)
Paint each piece. Paint the body white. Paint the legs, head and ears black. Let dry completely. Glue the ears to the back of the head and the head to the body. Glue two googly eyes to the head.
Punch holes at the end of the legs and corresponding holes on the body. Attach the legs with brass fasteners. Punch a hole at the top of the lamb and a hole at the bottom of a paper towel roll and attach the lamb with a brass fastener.
TIPS: If you’d like the fasteners to blend in, paint them the same color as the animals after they are assembled. And if you’d like to hide the fasteners better behind the animals, tape down one side in the back.
Here are more puppet crafts to master:
Meaghan Mountford, author of Sugarlicious: 50 Cute and Clever Treats for Every Occasion, has been creating crafty sweets for 15 years. She is especially fond of decorating cookies, marshmallows and putting sweets on sticks. See more on her blog, the decorated cookie.