Toys you can make from cardboard crafts! Authentic ideas you can build and play with
“It moves like the real thing!” “It’s just like an arcade!” Want to try making cardboard crafts that will amaze your family and friends?In fact, with a bit of ingenuity in assembling cardboard, you can create all kinds of fun projects like a claw machine, a basketball game, and even a cardboard car.Besides cardboard, most of the materials you’ll need are everyday items, along with a utility knife and glue.Why not take on the challenge of creating your own original project without fear of failure?In this article, we’ll share cardboard craft ideas that both kids and adults can enjoy!
Toys you can make from cardboard crafts! Authentic ideas you can build and play with (1–10)
Card vending machine
This project is about building, out of cardboard, a mechanism where inserting a coin and turning a handle dispenses a card.
The handle is connected to a tube wrapped with rubber bands, and the card is pushed out by this tube.
Once you enclose everything to form a box, the shape is complete.
Then decorate the front so people can see which card comes out.
If you mix winning and losing cards when you load them, it makes it more fun because people can enjoy the surprise of what they’ll get—highly recommended.
Wani Wani Panic
Wani Wani Panic is also found in arcades.
The home version of Wani Wani Panic is a game where you push down the teeth of a crocodile with its mouth open.
You set one of the many teeth to be the “winning” tooth, and when you push that tooth, the crocodile’s mouth snaps shut.
Cut the cardboard into parts and glue them together with a hot glue gun.
The key is to use a hot glue gun, which has stronger adhesion than woodworking glue.
It could also be fun to make it as your favorite anime or game character instead of a crocodile.
slot machine
A classic science project you can make out of cardboard is a slot machine.
There are many blueprints available online, and they generally fall into two types.
One is turned by hand, and the other uses an electric motor.
However, both can be difficult for children to make on their own.
But don’t worry—there are actually slot machine kits available for purchase.
These are designed for kids, so they’re easy to complete!
Switch 2
This project is about creatively recreating a hugely popular game console enjoyed by all ages using cardboard.
If you research it, you can find the shape, size, and detailed parts, so be meticulous about reproducing even the finer details.
Since the tactile feel of pressing buttons is part of the fun of gaming, it’s recommended to layer cardboard or use other tricks to simulate that sensation.
Aim to replicate features like the mechanism that lets the left and right controllers attach, as well as the overall design, including the logo.
Pazu’s cannon
Have you ever seen Castle in the Sky? There’s a cannon that Pazu uses in the film—the one that looks like a grenade launcher.
There’s actually a way to recreate that weapon using cardboard.
It’s often broadcast on TV during summer vacation, so it’s perfect for a summer project.
There are two main ways to make it: one that can launch a plastic bottle cap, and one that can’t.
Both are difficult to build, so adults should help.
Bring it to school and you’re sure to get noticed.
Whac-A-Mole
Let’s build a cardboard whack-a-mole game where you judge and hit moles that pop up at random.
When you turn the side handle, a complexly shaped piece of cardboard attached to an inner cylinder moves, causing the moles to pop up irregularly.
The popping pattern changes depending on the shape of the cardboard mechanism inside the cylinder, so customize this part and gradually make it more complex.
The popping also varies with the speed at which you turn the handle, making for a fun element of strategy as well.
cardboard gun
One thing boys like is guns, right? There are even instructions online for making a cardboard gun that can shoot chalk.
But that seems a bit too dangerous, so I’ll introduce a cardboard gun that shoots rubber bands instead.
First, cut cardboard into the shape of a gun and attach a clip slightly above the handle.
Make two of these and join them together to form the base.
Next, attach the trigger and set it up so that the rubber band hooked onto the clip will launch when you pull it.
Depending on how you build it, you can even make it fire in rapid succession, so be sure to look it up! Also, even though they’re just rubber bands, don’t aim at people.
cardboard car
It’s a simple craft where you assemble cardboard into the shape of a car, and the fun part is that you can actually get inside it.
First, take the cardboard apart to create parts, then put them together to form a car.
The key here is how you connect each part—use tricks like layering the cardboard so the structure doesn’t collapse.
Once the shape is complete, add decorations to make it look more like a car; adding a decorative door that shows you can get inside is also recommended.
rattle
We’re going to make a lottery drum (garagara).
The materials are lots of ping-pong balls, wooden chopsticks, and cardboard.
First, make the main body from cardboard.
It’s easiest if you imagine a whole uncut cake.
A hexagon or a circle will both work.
Make an exit on the side for the balls to come out.
The size should be just a little larger than a ping-pong ball.
If you have room, try making another opening on the side for putting ping-pong balls in.
Use hook-and-loop fastener (Velcro) so the lid doesn’t open.
Create an axle in the center of the main body using chopsticks, and fix it to a base made of cardboard to finish.
You can write prize numbers on the ping-pong balls, or simply write “Winner.”
piggy bank
A piggy bank is complete just by making a hole in a box, but adding a little twist might make it more fun.
For example, it could have several openings for taking money out even though there’s only one slot for putting money in, or dedicated slots for 10-yen, 50-yen, and 100-yen coins.
It might also be interesting to make it not only a rectangular shape, but a pyramid, a car, or a baseball bat.
You can enjoy crafting and save money at the same time—two birds with one stone!