The Robox are here! These little overlords will steal your heart and help to empty your recycle bin. Make them with any two boxes of different size. The arms and legs assemble in a surprising way you have to see to believe. The sturdy design lets these boxy bipeds stand up on their own.

• A sturdy stand-up robot you make with boxes and tape

• Works with any two boxes of different size

• Zero clean up!

• Make together, then play together

• Robox come fully decorated - but ready for whatever you want to add

Every pair of boxes will make a unique Robox. Make a bunch and you’ll end up with a lovable crew in all different shapes and colors. Like all Right Now Crafts they’re open-ended for you to add your own creative extras. Perfect for using up stray pompoms, bottle caps, buttons and what have you. If you really love to draw on things, try the inside-out version shown at the end.

Steps At a Glance:

Ready? Here’s how:

1

You’ll need:

• Two rectangular cereal, cracker, or similar boxes, one bigger than the other

• Scissors

• Tape

• Ball point pen

(If you’re wondering, bulgur wheat is a delicious rice-like side dish that really needs a better name.)

2

Make the Head and Arms

Take the smaller box and draw a line across, 1/2 to 1/3 of the way up from the bottom, on the front and the back (shown in red in the picture. Note that the box is upside down!).

Starting at the open top, cut the box in thirds, stopping at the line you drew.

Cut the center third off - we won’t need that. Cut along your line to the left and right edge of the box. Repeat so the front and back of the box are cut this way. The sides stay uncut.

Flip the arms out. Tape the flaps closed at both ends, and your head is done.

3

Make the Legs

Set the bigger box sideways in front of you and get your pen.

Place your four fingers together at the middle of a front side edge.

Make a pen mark at the halfway point between your hand and the left and right ends of the box.

Mark both side edges of the front and back of the box the same way. You’ll have four marks on the front, four on the back.

Tip: If your box is smaller than a cereal box, use three fingers here instead of four.

4

Choose one narrow side of the box and write something on it to remind you not to cut there (I drew X’s here). Then cut across the other 3 sides of the box going through the two sets of hand marks you made.

Tip: Start each cut by snipping into a mark, through both layers of box, and cutting toward but not past the “don’t cut” panel. Then turn around and cut in the opposite direction, stopping again at the “don’t cut” panel. To recap: you’re leaving that one side alone, and cutting the other three.

5

Flip the legs out to the sides and tape the open flaps closed from end to end.

Now you have two legs and a body.

6

Make the Neck

Center the head box on top of the body, with their top ends lined up.

Mark the body along the left, right, and bottom of the head. Set the head aside.

Fold the top of the body to flatten it.

Cut two L-shaped notches through both layers, cutting a little inside the side marks, down to a little past the bottom mark, and out, making a neck.

7

Assembly

Wrap a piece of tape around itself sticky side out, and put two or three of these pieces on the bendy end of the leg.

Bend the leg to the body and press to adhere. Same for the other leg.

Pop the fold to the inside so it makes an M shape. This makes the neck adjustable to fit your head.

Fit the head onto the neck as far as it will go.

Flip the arm up so you can put your hand inside for support. Tape the head to the body, front and back.

(I find one piece of tape does the job.)

That’s it! Stand your new Robox up, and maybe give it a name.

Now that you know how to build one, you can try different things. You can make the arms shorter, and the head taller, by moving the cutting line further up the box. You can make the space between the legs wider or narrower by using four, three, or even two fingers to measure with (if your box is small). You can even swap heads and legs before you tape them together.

Questions

Help! My Robox is wobbly.

It happens - some boxes are sturdier than others. Here are a few easy fixes to try:

• Make sure that the end flaps on the legs are sealed from end to end.

• Look at your Robox from the side to see that the head is balanced over the body. If it’s too far to the front or back just untape the head and retape so the head is centered as you look at it sideways.

• For maximum body strength tape the arms to the body where they overlap at the front and back.

• Make sure the bottoms of the feet are flat. If they bow out, push them in to correct it.

What kind of boxes will work?

Any boxes that are taller than they are wide, such as cereal boxes, macaroni & cheese boxes, sugar boxes, and most frozen entree boxes. Square boxes are not recommended, but are great for Solar-Powered Letters.. Boxes that are very tall (like spaghetti or some cracker boxes) are not recommended either, but are perfect for Tall-Box Nichos! Or go ahead and make a Robox with them and see what you get - breaking rules is what creating is all about.

Is Robox singular or plural?

Both!

and try this:

Inside-Out Robox

If you’ve tried making a Cereal Box Theater or a Mac&Cheese House, this is similar. Before making your Robox do this to both boxes:

• open the bottom flaps and the side seam by gently separating them

• reassemble the box inside-out, taping the side seam and the bottom flaps closed. Leave the top open.

Then make your Robox as usual. You’ll have a blank paper surface ready to decorate (or leave plain) when you’re done. See this post for decorating ideas.

Thank you for reading! If you have questions, please drop me a line.