All it takes to make this SpongeBob SquarePants costume is some inexpensive paints, a box and a few accessories. Kids can help with some of the steps, so it is a great weekend project.
Supplies for the SpongeBob Costume
Here are the items needed for creating this funny costume:
- Brown, white, yellow, light blue and red tempera paint
- Paintbrush
- Large black permanent marker
- A large cardboard box (A flat, 2½’ X 1½’ box works well)
- Scissors or a box knife
Preparing the Box to Make a Funny Costume
To make the box a wearable SpongeBob SquarePants costume, some prep work is needed.
First, the child should be allowed to jump up and down on the box several times to break it in. This makes the cardboard less stiff and almost resembles fabric.
Next, an adult should cut wide arm holes and a head hole in the box. The child should try on the costume to see if their head and arms can comfortably fit through the holes. (See photos of the process, below. You can click on them to see more detail.)
Last, paint the entire box yellow. It may take several coats to cover the brown of the box material. Once the paint dries, add sponge holes by mixing a little of the brown paint with the yellow paint and paint different shaped circles all over the body.
Painting SpongeBob’s Face and Clothing
Even a non-artist can paint SpongeBob’s face and clothing.
SpongeBob has a wide array of facial expressions. Do a search on “SpongeBob images” to find a facial expression the child likes. This site has a large list of SpongeBob SquarePants faces.
Print out the picture of SpongeBob, enlarge it using a copier and use transfer paper to add the face to the SpongeBob costume. The face can also be drawn freehand. See this article for tips on drawing cartoon faces: How to Draw Cartoon Facial Expressions.
To make perfect circles for the eyes, use the bottom of a drinking cup as a guide. This also works well for drawing his round cheeks.
No matter which way the face is added, outline it with the black marker to finish it.
For the clothing, follow these steps:
- Paint a white stripe just below the mouth, all the way around the body and let the paint dry.
- Paint a brown stripe all the way around the body below the white stripe.
- Let the paint dry.
- On the white stripe, draw two triangles with black marker for Sponge Bob SqarePants’ collar.
- Paint two triangles in red for the tie.
- Draw black rectangles for the belt.
SpongeBob Costume Accessories
For a finished look, have the child wear a white t-shirt, yellow leggings, striped tube socks and black dress shoes. The arms and face should be painted with yellow body paint.
This costume should only take an hour or two to make and it is an inexpensive costume alternative to a store bought costume.
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