My son loves Thomas. Last year he was Thomas and this coming year he wants to be James.
The Thomas the Tank Engine costume is made from cardboard boxes, paint, and I used records as the wheels. The white on the wheels is white electrical tape. The red around the #1 is also electrical tape and I printed the #1 from my computer. Tissue paper is used for the smoke, and the smoke stack is an oatmeal container.
I put Velcro on the shoulders of his T-shirt and on the inside of the straps because it was front heavy and kept sliding down. He also had a small box on the inside that held the musical caboose that he pressed to get the Thomas music. I had a sign on the back that said “All Aboard”.
Needless to say he loved it and it cost about $6.00 to make because I had a lot of the stuff already.
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How did you attach the front box to the other box?
I used nuts and bolts. I just stuck a pencil through the two boxes, put the bolt through and screwed on the nut until it was tight. I also used some hot glue to give it extra reinforcement. I had no problems with it coming apart at all.
I am having a hard time attaching the boxes together…how did you do it?
What kind of paint did you use on the cardboard boxes?
I bet plastic wire ties would work really well to hold the boxes together.
How did you do the face? Did you print it or paint it?
I painted the face free hand by looking at a picture. I used acrylic craft paint and a paint marker for the outlines and smaller details.
What did you use for the straps?
that is super cute! I looked through all of the pics and your seems to be the easiest I don’t want to put to much into it just because I don’t have a lot of time. I’m pretty crafty and I know it will look great with what I have. I just wanted to see a smaller version of it. and of course some good ideas!
This is exactly what I was looking for! I DO NOT like the cheap- looking ones you can buy on the internet, but I am not crafty enough to come up with the idea on my own! Thanks so much for sharing your expertise! Do you think that I could print off a face and it would look okay? I know that I cannot free hand it and anyone know who it is supposed to be!
My 3 yr old son loves Thomas too. i think i will try my hand at making it this year.
The costume is extremely cute! Where did you get the Thomas music?
THANK YOU! My son Andrew and I will have a great time making this costume…so creative yet simple!
The music came from a wooden Thomas Train names the Musical Caboose. There is a button on the top you push and it plays the Thomas Theme Music.
Hi I would just like to thankyou on your creativity. I used ur idead abd tweeked them a tad foe my son who is a massive thomas fan. He has a dress up day at preschool and he loves his thomas that I made him. Casey …. Australia
This is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Would you please tell me what you used for the wheels?
Hi,
Your Thomas costume looks wonderful and I want to make one. I was wondering how you attached the straps to the large box and what they are made out of?
I really like the idea of putting velcro on the straps and on the kid’s shirt to keep it on, but I don’t know what to use for straps or how to securely attach them to the box.
Thanks!
Sara