Introduction: Make Rick and Morty

By Monster Mache

Rick and Morty are sci-fi, space-tripping adventurers from the hit animated series "Rick and Morty".

Want to make Rick & Morty for yourself? Don't even trip, dawg, I got your back.

Step 1: Headward Free Now to Rise

This step assumes that you have some familiarity with paper mache. Basically you need to cover some forms with paper strips and a simple flour-water paste. Masking tape is very useful, if not essential.

For Rick's head I made two balls and joined them to make a lozenge shape. Morty's is simpler: just find a suitably sized beach ball and paper mache it. Once dry you can save the beach ball for reuse.

Let the heads dry out fully in front of a fan, then halve some craft store Styrofoam balls for the eyes and hot glue them into place.

Features are molded from something called "paper clay" - you can buy a commercial version or google a home-made recipe.

Step 2: Anatomy: Hark!

Full-size figures need full-size skeletons. I bought 3/4" PVC, adhesive and a bunch of connectors from my local home supply store and got to work.

Because I wanted articulated arms some extra work was needed. After determining the desired proportions, I heated up the joint ends with a heat gun. Once soft, I squished the ends flat in a vise, drilled holes and joined the limbs with wire.

The necks are sections of heavy cardboard tube joined to the heads. The heads are made to be detachable, with pvc tubes inside. Great Stuff insulating foam in the necks holds the tubes in place.

Step 3: Big Trouble If Skinny Sanchez

If you have access to them, foam swimming pool "noodles" work nicely to pad the limbs.

Trash bags filled with crushed newspaper will put some squanch on their bones.

If you don't flesh out the figures they'll look like clothes racks!

Step 4: Hand-shaped Jar-opening Device

If you can find some cheap pre-made hands then use them, bro! Otherwise you'll need to make them.

Cut some coat hanger wire and wrap with paper and masking tape. Do this ten times! Tape digits to cardboard palms then paper mache it.

Note the short length of pvc connector at the wrist so the hands can be attached.

Paint as desired.

Step 5: Heads Bent Over

Paint the heads - easy.

At some point you'll want to go shopping at your local thrift store for wigs and clothing. Rick's hair was a white "afro" style costume wig I was lucky enough to find after a short search. This was pinned into place, shaped and glued on. The spray adhesive acts like super hairspray, enabling Rick's wild hairstyle! Costume hair color was sprayed on.

Morty's hair was far easier to create since it was just a curly wig.

Check out those eyebrows, bro.

Step 6: Final Assembly: Get Schwifty!

Once I found appropriate attire for these guys the rest was easy.

Rick's lab coat is really a used cook's uniform. It was almost impossible to find a used yellow Tshirt without a logo - so I bought a new one at a craft store. Morty doesn't normally wear long sleeves, but dude! It's cold out!

There are many ways to attach the figures to a stand. I used self-tapping screws and 2x4's.

That's all there is, dawg! Have fun making your own Rick and Morty!

Halloween Decor Contest 2015

Participated in the
Halloween Decor Contest 2015