Build Your Own Bobcat Loader Halloween Costume

If your kids want to dress like a real superhero this Halloween, build this custom loader outfit so they can bring Bobcat Tough to the streets of your neighborhood. Bonus: the costume’s bucket makes it easy for them to load up on candy!

Supply List

• Large cardboard box (24x16x19 in. was used in the example)
• 25-inch poster tubes (4)
• Large cutting board
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Black duct tape
• Packing tape
• Hot glue gun with hot glue sticks
• Scissors
• Craft knife
• Jigsaw
• Drop cloth
• White spray paint
• Orange spray paint
• Black spray paint
• Printable Bobcat loader decals

Step One: First collapse your cardboard box and place it onto a cutting board. Use the craft knife and the ruler to remove all but one of the box’s width flaps. Cut off all of the length flaps. Set severed flaps aside for later use.

Step Two: Reassemble the box so it can stand upright. Fold the remaining flap inward so it’s level with the top of the box. Use duct tape to secure the flap in place, taping it to the sides of the box. Cover the entire top of the flap in duct tape.

Step Three: Place the box and cut-off flaps on a drop cloth. Spray-paint the front and sides of the box white and the back of the box (the side with the taped flap) orange. Coat two of the long flaps with white spray paint. Let the box and flaps dry for one hour.

Step Four: Once the paint has dried, draw a loader arm onto one of the white flaps. Cut out the arm, then use it to trace a second loader arm onto the other white flap. Cut out the second arm and use a hot glue gun to attach each arm to the sides of the box, placing the thicker end of the arm about six inches away from the backside edge of the box and two inches down from the top of the box.

Step Five: Cut each of the poster tubes down to 20 inches in length using the jigsaw, then spray-paint the tubes black. Let dry for one hour.

Step Six: Place one tube in each corner inside the box and secure with hot glue. Reinforce with strips of duct tape.

Step Seven: Take two of the leftover small flaps from Step One and place them side by side so their long edges are touching. Connect the flaps with a long strip of duct tape.

Step Eight: Place a strip of duct tape horizontally across the bottom of the connected flaps. Continue adding strips, working your way up the cardboard, until 75 percent of the cardboard is covered. Cut off the uncovered cardboard.

Step Nine: Lay the duct-taped cardboard on top of the tubes and hot glue in place to create the roof of the cab. Reinforce the roof with duct tape.

Step Ten: To create the loader’s wheels, take two small leftover flaps from Step One and use a pencil and the outside of the duct tape roll to trace three circles on one of the flaps and a fourth circle on the other flap. Then create four smaller circles on the second flap by tracing the inside of the duct tape roll. Cut out the circles with your craft knife, and spray-paint the large circles black and the small circles orange. Let dry for one hour.

Step Eleven: Once the circles are dry, place an orange circle in the middle of a black circle and secure with hot glue. Repeat with remaining circles to create the loader’s wheels.

Step Twelve: Wrap the remaining leftover box flap completely in duct tape. Set the flap at a 45-degree angle to the bottom of the box’s front. Form the loader’s bucket by securing the flap to the box with duct tape, making sure to maintain the 45-degree angle.

Step Thirteen: Use scissors or a craft knife to cut out all of the Bobcat S86 Loader decals.

Step Fourteen: Attach the Bobcat head logo on the front of the loader, the loader arm decals on each arm, the S86 side-body decals on each side of the box under the top of the loader arms, and the Bobcat wordmark logo decal to the back of the loader.

Step Fifteen: Using hot glue, attach the wheels so that part of the wheel hangs off the edge of the box.

Step Sixteen: Create two shoulder straps by sticking two long pieces of duct tape together for each strap. Attach one end of the straps inside the front of the box using duct tape and size the straps so that the roof of the loader is just above the child’s head, then secure the other end of the straps inside the back of the box using duct tape. Cut off any excess with scissors.

All done!

Congratulations on finishing your homemade skid-steer loader Halloween costume! Now, it’s time to head out for some trick or treating and show off your masterpiece to everyone.