One of the highlights of being a kid is PLAYING. This innately creative activity brings kids together, strengthens their imaginations and makes them laugh like crazy! All good things, in our opinion. To make playing even more fun, kids love to use toys. Whether it’s a doll, a car or a stuffed animal, kids go crazy over fun characters they can animate. Speaking of animation, it’s no secret that kids are also super into cartoons — or any animated character they can watch on a screen. That’s why today, together with Disney•Pixar, we’re creating a DIY Arlo dinosaur from the movie The Good Dinosaur that your kiddos will adore. They’ll be able to re-create scenes from the heartwarming film (perfect for the whole family) or conceive their own new adventures with this kind-hearted character and his lovable little buddy Spot. Did we mention The Good Dinosaur is available on Blu-ray™, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere February 23rd?! Order your copy today at Disney.com!
The other great thing about this toy: You probably have all of the materials you need lying around your house! Recycle a soap bottle, a cork and lids, and grab some common household items like straws and aluminum foil. Now check out the how-to in the video below.
Make one of these toys WITH your little one or make one for him/her as a gift!
Materials:
— aluminum foil
— champagne cork
— brown Sharpie
— black paint pen
— 8 straws
— 4 bottle tops
— green spray paint
— empty plastic bottle
— white, ball-shaped beads
— seed beads
Tools:
— scissors
— hot glue gun
— duct tape
— X-ACTO knife
Let’s get started!
Cut off the top and bottom of a plastic bottle. Also slice down one side. This will be the body of the dinosaur.
Next we’ll create the neck and tail out of aluminum foil. Cut a piece and roll it, shaping it so that it has a point on one end just like a tail. Make a second one that also narrows at the end for the top of the neck.
Time to start putting Arlo together! Tape the neck and tail in place, inserting them into the bottle. We used two pieces of tape on the inside of the plastic bottle, then put two more pieces on top. Finally, we taped the open edge of the bottle, connecting the ends of the tape to the neck and tail.
This little guy needs legs! Grab your straws and tape them together in sets of two. Then trim them so that they are a good size. You can hold them up to the body to see what looks best. When you’re ready, tape them to the sides of the plastic bottle.
All that’s left is the head and some feet! Take your champagne cork and slice an open mouth with your X-ACTO knife. Kids — make sure you have an adult helping you with this part. The knife is sharp! We used plastic bottle tops to create our feet. Hot glue the head and feet in place.
Time to paint! Spray paint Arlo’s entire body from head to toe.
Now let’s add some teeth. It’s a dinosaur, after all! Add a small amount of hot glue to the inside of Arlo’s mouth. Then add seed beads as teeth.
Last but not least, he needs some eyes and nostrils. First hot glue the white, ball-shaped beads to make eyes. Then, grab your black and brown pens and draw some eyeballs to really animate Arlo. Of course he also needs a sniffer, so add in two black dots to represent his nose.
Off on a journey.
Best buds!
Share your Good Dinosaur creations with us using the hashtag #iamcreative and #GoodDino.
This post is a collaboration with Disney•Pixar.
© 2016 Disney•Pixar
DIY Production and Styling: Alonna Morrison
Photography: Kurt Andre
