Introduction: Gary the Snail

     My School was assigned a project to create a costume made of cardboard. The costume idea was to be associated with the ocean and marine life. All of the pieces must be slotted construction and made of cardboard. No other materials can be used.
    For the project, I was assigned responsibility  to create a snail costume. This costume needed to fit a person my size and also to be assembled easily. The materials used to construct the snail costume could only consist of single ply cardboard, double ply cardboard, and triple ply cardboard.
    The specifications for the costume were as follows. The costume needed to be made completely out of cardboard. It also had to be slotted construction, so tape and other support materials could not be used. Lastly, it had to be simple enough so that it could be built by a child's parent. The targeted age range for this project are children ages ten to thirteen. The costume also needed to be able to be taken apart so you could stack the pieces on top of each other for easy storage.
    There were a few limitations involved in the making of this costume. The cardboard materials used needed to be recycled. The costume also needed to be slotted construction. Therefore, you could not use any other material such as metal, plastic, or tape to hole the pieces together.

Materials:
- Single Ply Cardboard (22in. x 24in.)
- Double Ply Cardboard (48in. x 16in.)
- Single Ply Cardboard (18in. x 6in.)
- Single Ply Cardboard (18in. x 4in.)

Step 1: Part 1: the Shell

To start the costume you must first make the shell. The shell has two identical pieces. To make the shell, follow these steps:
1. Lay out a 22in. x 24in. piece of single ply cardboard (S1)
2. Draw the shell (P1) (22in. x 24in. or as seen in picture) on the cardboard with a pencil (T4) and ruler (T3)
3. Cut out the drawing of the shell (P1) with a utility knife (T2) on a cutting mat (T1)

Step 2: Part 2: the Body

For the next part of the costume you must make the body. Follow the steps below to make the body:
1. Lay out a piece of doubly ply cardboard (S2) (48in. x 16in.)
2. Draw the body (P2) on the cardboard with a pencil (T4) and a ruler (T3) (48in. x 16in. as shown in picture)
3. Cut out the body (P2) with a utility knife (T2) on a cutting mat (T1)

Step 3: Part 3: the Eyes

You will need two eyes. To make the eyes, follow the steps below:
1. Lay out a single ply piece of cardboard (S3) (18in. x 6in.)
2. Draw the eyes (P3) with a pencil (T4) and ruler (T3) (18in. x 6in. or as seen in picture)
3. Cut out the eyes (P3) with a utility knife (T2) and a cutting mat (T1)

Step 4: Part 4: the Holding Pins

You will need two holding pins. To make the holding pins, follow the steps below:
1. Lay out a single ply piece of cardboard (S4) (18in. x 4in.)
2. Draw the hodling pins (P4) on the cardboard (18in. x 4in. or as seen in picture)
3. Cut out the holding pins (P4) using a utility knife (T2) and a cutting mat (T1)

Step 5: Parts List

Parts:
P1 - SHELL (2)
P2 - BODY (1)
P3 - EYES (2)
P4 - HOLDING PINS (2)

Step 6: Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Cut out the body (P2), the shell (P1), the eyes (P3), and the holding pins (P4)
Step 2: Slide the shell (P1) pieces into the holes on the body (P2)
Step 3: Place the eyes (P3) into the holes on the body (P2)
Step 4: Slot the slidding pins (P4) into the holes on the shell pieces (P1) to hold the two pieces up and together.