In the time of COVID-19, everyone is worried how much Halloween will be affected. A lot of towns and even some states are recommending people don't go trick or treating, or at best, stay socially distanced from other people when they do. To help out, we designed a simple DIY Halloween prop that'll help let you enjoy the night from a safe 6 feet away!

FREE Candy Slide Plans are Available on Our Website
https://thewickedmakers.com/projects/diy-halloween-candy-slide/

The "candy slide" is a simple DIY Halloween prop that only uses some basic PVC pipes and can be made by anyone! One person stands at one end of the prop and slides candy down to trick-or-treaters waiting at the bottom end. It's a simple Halloween prop and a blank canvas that can be decorated however you like!

We hope this DIY prop gets you a little closer to enjoying Halloween this year and helps create an extra buffer between you and the kids who might knock on your door on Halloween. If you do decide to participate this season, please remember to follow local guidelines regarding safety and be sure to wear gloves and sanitize everything if you plan to hand out candy!

We strongly recommend watching the video above
and following along with the written steps!

Supplies

STAND MATERIALS:

3” dia PVC pipe (7’)
1“ dia PVC pipe (22’)
1” 90 degree elbow (8x)
1” tee (14x)
1” 3-way elbow (4x)
Hot Glue

DECORATING MATERIALS:

Black Spray Paint - https://amzn.to/32XJkQ7
Cheese Cloth (Grade 10) - https://amzn.to/2Z7x8NI
Black Acrylic Paint - https://amzn.to/32SCQlG
Plastic Skeleton - https://amzn.to/353M0OY
Plastic Skull

TOOLS USED:

Hot Glue Gun - https://amzn.to/2DtrfR9
Hacksaw - https://amzn.to/359kb7Q
Scissors - https://amzn.to/3h1xQjy
Bandsaw (NOT REQUIRED) - https://amzn.to/2UdO0Mk

Step 1: Cutting the PVC Pipes!

The first step is to cut all the pieces of PVC pipe you'll need. There are many different ways to cut PVC pipe. You can use a hacksaw, a PVC cutter, or really any saw or power tools you have access to. In our project, we started with a hacksaw then decided to switch to using a bandsaw.

All of the measurements and the exact pieces you need are available in the FREE plans linked in step one. Definitely grab those! It's a PDF file you can download and print.

The 3" pipe is the main "slide" and that gets cut to 7' long. The 1" pipe is used to build the "stands" that hold up the slide.

It's designed to be 2' off the ground at the bottom and 4' at the top. This provides an ideal height for kids to retrieve their candy at the bottom end and also enough angle so candy slides properly and doesn't get stuck inside the pipe. We did LOTS of tests and nothing got stuck!

Step 2: Assembling the Stands!

There are two stands, a short one for the front and a tall one for the back. They're essentially the same design but the taller one has an extra section at the top for the added height. The bottoms of each stand are made up of a handful of connectors and pieces of pipe to create a stable base. At the top of each stand, there's a "H" shape that holds the larger pipe.

In the parts list, there are PVC connectors that are used to connect all of the small pieces of PVC that you just cut. In the video, we tried gluing all the parts together but soon realized we did NOT need the glue. You can dry fit the pieces together and they'll stay just fine. It also makes it easier to disassemble and store later on if you don't glue them together.

With all your parts cut, you can use the detailed diagram in the free plans to assemble the stands!

Step 3: Adding the Lips!

Since the larger pipe is round and slick, it will slide right off the stands. We need to create two small "lips" for it to stay on the stands properly. To make these, cut a 1" strip from the extra 3" pipe and then cut it in half. Put some hot glue on the inside of the halves and then press them onto the bottom of the pipe.

This creates just enough of an edge that you can now rest the larger pipe on the stands and it will stay there.

(Note: We attached it more securely with the "mummy wrap" in our design. Whichever way you decorate it, we recommend making sure this is secure so nobody accidentally knocks it off.)

Step 4: Painting the Stands! (Optional)

This is entirely optional, but depending on the decoration and aesthetic you're going for, this is the ideal time to paint the stands and/or the main pipe! We used two coats of simple black spray paint.

Step 5: Decorate Your Blank Canvas!

You've now got a perfectly functional candy slide! You can stand six feet away and send candy sliding down to trick-or-treaters! But, it's kind of boring looking, isn't it? Here's the fun part: now you get to decorate it!!

We designed it specifically so you could decorate it anyway you like! Witches, spiders, ghosts, vampires, pumpkins, skeletons, mummies, you can do anything to make your Candy Slide unique!

We turned ours into a mummy skeleton and put a skull at the bottom so the candy slides out of it's mouth right into the kid's baskets. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN! We used cheesecloth and dyed it with black tea bags and some black acrylic paint to make it look old. We then wrapped a plastic skeleton and made it look like he's holding the slide. You can see the whole decorating process in the video as well as our "test run" with the neighborhood kids. (They're all family and close neighbors who are together all the time.)

Let us know if the comments if you come up with a great idea for decorating your candy slide!! :)

Want to see more of our Halloween Projects?