Introduction: Potato Pac-Man and Ghosts

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Question: How much cuter will your next cheese tray or veggie platter be with Pac-Man and his googly-eyed nemesi hanging out around it?

Answer: Way cuter.



What You'll Need

Materials
5 Medium white potatoes
5 Tbs white vinegar
Food coloring - Red, blue, orange, pink and yellow
5 Sets of googly eyes
6 Toothpicks
Glue

Tools
5 Small bowls (or one bowl and patience)
Sharp blade (carving tool or EXACTO knife)
Cutting board/mat




Step 1: Carve Out Pac Man and Ghosts


  1. Cut out four 1" wide, 2" high cylinders from the potatoes.*  You may be able to get more than one out of a potato, but I ended up needed to use the center to get a decent size piece.
     
  2. Using your very sharp carving tool, round the top of each piece.  I wasn't able to get each as even as I'd like but it's not hard to achieve a reasonable roundness.
     
  3. Turn tater over and score down the middle.  This will guide the other cuts for the ghost feet (now that I think about it, I am not sure of the correct term for ghostly semi-appendages).
     
  4. Make two more cuts, about two thirds out from the center.
     
  5. Cut inward at an angle on either side of each line until they meet
     
  6. Remove triangular pieces and even out and/or tidy up each section
     
  7. For Pac-Man himself, you just need two half spheres.  If you are able to carve a perfect potato sphere and divide it, that would be ideal, but a weird superpower.  I had to cut two separate pieces and make them close to a sphere when put together.

*Note: No need to waste the rest of the potatoes...toss the scaps in a pot to boil while you carve and enjoy some mashed potatoes when your classic game charaters are complete!

Step 2: Dye


Prepare the yellow, blue, red and orange dyes by combining about a 1/4 teaspoon of each with 1 Tbs white vinegar and 1/2 cup warm water.  Amount of dye may vary by brand and color...pink took a more and still didn't absorb as well at the others.

Let everyone bath at least 30 minutes.  Mine reached maximum color at this point but again expect some variation.

Step 3: Ghost Eyes


Cut points off toothpicks a 1/2" in from the end and glue to the backs of the googly eyes.

Allow to fully dry and poke eyes in all the ghosts.  While it does not sound it, this is a very cute step!

Step 4: Assemble Mr. Man


Use one of the toothpick pieces to piece together both Pac halves at one end.

Open up the last set of googly eyes and as in previous step, glue toothpick to the back of the eye and once dry, push into either side of his head.

Cut across bottom piece so he doesn't embarrass himself by tipping over.

It's up to you where they go, but remember to keep away from table cloths or any other fabric that may stain easily.


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