Instructables Travel Mascot - NachoMahma Annoying Back Seat Driver Stuffed Animal

Cause pets can't drive.

It would be nice to bring along the family pet, but unfortunately they don't accomodate them in First Class unless they sit in your lap and are housebroken. Who says you can't take along the family pet...at least something that resembles one.  It'll go anywhere You can take it anywhere.  Wouldn't it be fun to take a road trip with NachoMahma?

Hack a stuffed toy( this is a Sing-A-Ma-Jig toy with cool voice ) to look like awesome swag only obtainable by winning an awesome Instructables contest or something.  Yup, there is a whole line of Instructables themed products out there just waiting to be discovered...or needing to pass safety requirements and be judged in good taste for the masses.


 
  DISCLAIMER: Do not take the Robot's image in vain.  But do spread the word of NachoMahma because he's so v.......

In your trips to the dollar store or wherever, keep an eye out for all things bright orange.  You never know what you can make that will be Instructables themed.

I found this cool "animatronic" plushie that sings or speaks when you press it's tummy.  It's a Sing-a-ma-jig toy that they seem to be dumping in the better discount stores nowadays.  It has a programmed song that it can sing or will utter other random syllables.

You can do this process to actually any other plushie, Robotize it or Nachosize it.

You will need:
Pieces of felt or material - red for ears, eyes and dogtag, yellow for the collar, white or some kind of gray for the buttons.

Double sided tape - I prefer to use double-sided carpet tape, greater sticky than the regular double-sided tape and you don't have to deal with the hot glue gun or other liquid adhesives.

Sewing machine or serger. You can actually do without or hand sew.  I just used that method to make the ears easier.

CAUTION: Know how to cut with sharp pointy scissors.  Hopefully you will know that if you also operate a sewing machine or serger.

We will be hacking the visual appearance of the original plushie toy.

The activation mechanism and voice chip could probably be modified but I don't have the time to do that.  Add glowing red LED eyes for that evil bot if desired.

So, we just need to add a pair of long red ears, eye surrounds, robot buttons, and a NachoMahma dog bone collar.  I could have also added a unibrow, but that is already implied.

Implement the use of your carpet tape.  

Stick a piece of double-sided tape to the back of a small piece of red felt and of white felt. Leave on the peeler backing so you can work with it before application.

Cut out the eye rings.  One should be slightly larger than the other.

Cut out three robot belly buttons.

Peel off the backing liner like a band-aid.  Attach eye rings and belly buttons to plushie.

Make a pair of ear extentions.

Take a piece of fabric doubled over that is a little more than the length down to the shoulders.

Serge around a curved line to shape the ear.

Flip inside out so you have a finished seam on the outside.

Put the ear-sox on the plushie.

You can attach with more double-sided tape or hot glue or hand-sew on.

I used a safety pin at the back so I could also pin back the ears.

Shape and smooth out the part where the ear meets the head.

Make Nachodoggie's rocking collar.

Seam a straight piece of fabric to make the collar and drop extention.

Double layer a piece of felt with sticky tape to make the dog bone tag cutout.

Attach with tape to the collar extention,

Fit collar around neck and secure with sticky tape.

What better way to have a piece of wherever you have visited than to get a t-shirt.  

This old dog gets a custom shirt that reflects the attitude of many a traveller.

Cut off the cuff of an old sock.

Flip it inside out.

Seam it across the cut edge.

Flip it back outside out.

Cut holes on top for the head and arms to fit through.

Embellish with whatever you have in mind.

So as you go down that highway of life, find a reliable travel companion...or just make them up.

Do not leave alone in a parked car with the windows rolled up and doors locked.

Never let him drive no matter how much he compliments you on your shiney red car.

Also.

Don't get him wet.

Keep him away from bright lights.

and never feed him after midnight.

Later...