As Christmas approaches and fancy dress costume parties become popular, you may have to think hard about what costume you are going to wear. You want to have an original costume without breaking the bank and if you look round the house for cardboard boxes of different sizes, ideas will start to form in your mind. Doctor Who has always been a popular TV programme and making an appearance as a Dalek, the good Doctor’s nemeses will certainly impress science fiction fans. With a little imagination and a lot of patience, you can design a very presentable Dalek from cardboard boxes and it will need to be robust enough to withstand rough handling and realistic enough to be recognisable.
The first port of call is to find pictures of Daleks so you can get a definite idea of what you are building. You will need cardboard boxes big enough to fit up to your waist for the base, a further cardboard box for the torso, and a smaller storage box for the head section. Scissors, hot glue, tape and spray paint will be needed to cut the pieces of cardboard box to size, stick them together and paint the overall costume. You will also need foam balls for decoration. The frame of the Dalek will be made from a heavy duty cardboard box, such as a removal box or a house moving box. Construct a circular frame wide enough to encompass your body comfortably using the cardboard box. Next, cover the frame of the base with sheets of cardboard box, fixing them with strong glue or tape. The appearance should be smooth, so use a few large sheets of cardboard box instead of lots of small ones.
The torso frame is made out of the same materials as the base section. Take your measurements carefully, leaving room for you to move around, and with holes for your arms, and cut sections of cardboard box for the sleeves. Daleks traditionally have several tools in their armoury, so you will need to study which tools you wish to incorporate into the costume. The tools can be mounted on the sleeves so they can be operated from within the costume. Custom tools can be made from storage boxes, or you can use items such as broom handles or new toilet brushes.
The Dalek’s head is the final piece of construction work before you decorate the Dalek, not forgetting that Daleks do not have eyes. You will of course need to cut some kind of holes in the cardboard box see you can see where you are going! The final part is to cut the foam balls in half and stick them on the costume before painting the whole costume using the spray paint. All sections of the cardboard box costume should be left to dry before wearing it.
When you arrive at the party, you will be the envy of the party wearing your Dalek costume made out of cardboard boxes and may even get the best costume award! It will inevitably be an ice breaker to start conversations about the adventures of Doctor Who and the Daleks.
