Toy Story Vs. Chucky Halloween Costume

I drew some sketches, but I can't find them. That's always the first step. Now, instead of making a mock-up out of cardboard, you can skip right to building if you model your idea precisely in a 3d modeling program. I use Rhino 3d, which is fairly user friendly but it ain't free. You can Try Google sketch-up. Free and pretty easy to pick up.

Before I explain the build, I'll list the basic materials here.

1. Sheet styrere 0.40" thickness
2. Blue styrofoam 1" thickness
3. 1 - 8' length of foam crown molding - profile is your choice
4. 2 - 8' length vinyl moulding - for top and bottom of dresser
5. Double Side Tape - I used Elmer brand any type should do - wider is better
6. 1 - 8' length of plastic drywall corner bead
7. PL Premium - check the picture - most people buy it in a tube for use in a caulking gun - the kind I used is a little different
8. Utility knife for cutting plastic and foam - table saw works great if you have one
9. Latex caulking - optional - I used it to fill the joints where the body of the dresser meets the top and bottom
10. White Latex Paint - helps make the dresser look like wood - a lot of people were fooled
11. Ceramic Knobs - not pictured here- they're all on the dresser
12. 1 chucky mask - make it yourself or try Handiboy.com
13. 1 pair of child's overalls, pajama pants, and a shirt
14. 1 pair of child's shoes
15. Cotton stuffing
16. Lots of toys, and some stickers from the dollar store
17. Whatever nuts and bolts you can find to attach them all to the dresser



Now, I kind of skipped ahead just a tiny bit here, because I neglected to charge my camera the first night I started my build. At this point the main box of the dresser is assembled. What you need to know is this:

1. The blue styrofoam was cut on a table saw. You can use an exacto knife if you don't have a saw, it will just take you a little longer. Please wear a mask though. The blue foam dust is not good to breathe.

2. The corners of the foam were routered on a router table, so that the plastic drywall corner bead would fit over the edges. The individual panels are held together with double side tape. The corners are held on the same way,

3. The fronts and sides of the dresser body are cover in sheet styrene, again using double sided tape. This stuff sticks good. The Plastic sheets come from any plastic supply store and a 4' x 8' sheet of .040" runs about $15

4. This picture also shows the base of the dresser which will be shown further in a later step.

The top and bottom of the dresser are made with 2" Blue foam. I actually used spray adhesive to attach the plastic to the top portion of the dresser because I knew I was going to be cutting out a section later for me to fit in. I wanted to make sure I had a tight bond, and that wouldn't have happened with a few strips of the double sided tape.

Spray both surfaces with adhesive and then let dry for about 15 minutes. Then stick together. I made both pieces a little over-sized so that I could trim it perfectly afterwards. Be careful...... you only get one chance to stick things together with spray adhesive.

The decorative edge of the top and bottom pieces is simply made of vinyl molding that you can buy for about $8 at the hardware store. I mitered the corners and glued them on with PL Premium.

To make the drawers, I cut 1" blue foam and routed the edges with a half inch round-over bit on the router table. Again, if you don't have a router table, you could do this step with a knife, and some sand paper.

I then vacuum formed plastic over the blue foam to protect it, and to give me a surface I could paint.

Finally I trimmed each drawer front on the bandsaw to clean up the edges. This step actually helps to melt the plastic firmly to the foam at the edges.

* Note - if you don't have a vacuum former, you can make one. I had to do so in the next step because my vacuum former was too small to make the larger drawer fronts. Check youtube for DIY videos on vacuum forming. Check instructables too of course!!

1.To evenly heat the larger plastic panels I needed for the large drawer fronts, I made a box that fits over my small vacuum former's heating element. I wrapped the inside with tin foil to help reflect and distribute the heat.

2. I built a larger vacuum box to accommodate the larger drawers and I hooked it up to my shop vac.

3. Once the frame of plastic was hot enough, I placed it over the foam drawer piece and flicked on the vacuum.

The feet of the dresser are made from a length of foam crown molding that I purchased at home depot for $15. I simply mitered two pieces together and cut profiles on each side with the bandsaw. The two pieces were then glued together with PL Premium.

With the dresser assembled and the drawers completed, I started with the paint job. I could have left the plastic finish because the dresser was supposed to be white, but I decided to paint it to make it look more realistic. Most people think it's a real wooden dresser when the first see it and even after they've touched it.

I used an exterior grade latex paint, and simply brushed it on. I did two coats which was perfect. I should also mention that I used some latex caulking the seal the seams where the top and bottom meet the body of the dresser.

If you plan to use spray paint, make sure that all of your blue foam is sealed somehow. Spray paint will eat foam, and it would be a shame if some got on the inside and started melting your costume away.

Before I attached the real top to the dresser, I needed to do a mock-up to figure out and make sure I would fit in the dresser properly. I also had to figure out how I was going to make and attach the doll's overalls.

I first cut apart my overalls and made some fake legs with with some plastic bags and milk bottles I found in the recycling bucket. I used some cotton stuffing to pad the legs. I later replaced the plastic bags with a pair of child's pjs. I didn't like the crinkling sound the plastic bags made.

I then tested to see how well I fit, and once I was satisfied, I glue the top on with PL Premium.

With my top cut out and attached, I could finish attaching the drawers. These are held in place with a little double sided tape, and the actual knobs going all the way through the dresser. This was important, because several people tried opening my drawers. I then bolted down the lower half of Chucky's body, and started placing the toys. These were also bolted through the top of the dresser. I had to drill out Buzz and Rex and glue in a hex nut so that they could be attached permanently. Again, I glued the hex nuts in place with the same ol' PL Premium.