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!
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Toys You Can Make with Cardboard! Authentic Ideas You Can Build and Play With (11–20)
crane game
It’s a “claw machine” that doesn’t use electricity.
The materials are a magnet, ribbon or thick string, chopsticks, and cardboard.
Small candies or erasers make good prizes.
First, make the main body out of cardboard.
Cut a slit in the top that’s the same thickness as the chopsticks.
This is where the chopsticks will move.
Attach a string to the chopsticks and fix a magnet to the end.
Put magnets on the prizes as well.
Set it up so that turning the chopsticks makes the string move up and down.
That’s basically it.
There are lots of parts you can decorate, so let’s make it a sparkly claw machine!
gachapon
You can make a dream-like, endlessly playable gacha machine for kids using materials from a 100-yen shop! Stack assembly-style cardboard to create the main body of the machine, then use a utility knife to cut holes where the capsules drop and where they come out.
For the rotating mechanism, repurpose items like a socket or a doorknob, connect them to an internal board, and set up a system that lets the capsules fall.
Finally, cover the front of the capsule compartment with transparent cellophane, decorate the sides so the cardboard isn’t exposed, and you’re done!
Marble Maze
We’re going to make a toy where you roll a marble and guide it to the goal.
The materials are cardboard and a marble.
You can also attach a plastic sheet on the top so the marble doesn’t fall out.
To make it, first build a box about 3 cm deep.
Decide on the start and goal positions, then combine pieces of cardboard about 2 cm high to freely create a maze.
Dead ends make it fun, so go ahead and build a maze that makes your head spin.
Before showing it to anyone, be sure to test it yourself to see if you can actually reach the goal.
vending machine
Some of you may have seen videos of people making vending machines out of cardboard.
It sounds kind of fun to build your own, doesn’t it? This video shows how to make a small box-shaped gum vending machine.
When you press the button, the product drops into the slot below.
What’s great about projects like this is that you can learn the basic inner workings of a simple vending machine.
Give this cardboard vending machine a try—it’s educational and fun to play with even after you’ve finished making it.
wristwatch-type tranquilizer gun
You’re familiar with the nationally beloved anime Detective Conan, right? Many kids probably admire the wristwatch-type tranquilizer gun that appears in the series.
Some people even make that watch-shaped tranquilizer gun out of cardboard.
There are versions that shoot BB pellets or hairpins, and the blueprints for them are available online.
It’s probably difficult for children to make on their own, so we recommend that an adult take the lead.
Once it’s finished, you might be tempted to shoot at people, but don’t—someone could get hurt.
It’s much more fun to use illustrations or toys as targets!
