RUN! It’s Godzilla!

No, wait! That’s not Godzilla! It’s GOURDZILLA!!! AHHHHHH!!!!

While this monster is not a 500 foot tall, city destroying, behemoth, it is a man-made, biological beast!

This Gourdzilla is my pumpkin creation!

Want to know how to create your own mini version of the 1950’s Japanese monstrosity?

Check out how I did it!

Step 1: Gather Your Materials!

First things first, I gathered my materials.

Body:

2 pumpkins of different sizes
1 butternut squash
1 spaghetti squash
4 cucumbers
24” X 26” sheet of poster board

Structural skeleton:

About 2 feet of ½ inch wooden dowel
About 4 feet of 1 inch PVC pipe

Paint:

Green
Red

Paper Mache (either a mix or home made):

Newspaper
Flour
Water

Tools:

Pumpkin carving kit OR sharp serrated knife
Scissors
Screwdriver (or something to punch holes with)
Glue
Marker
Masking tape

Optional décor for a scene:

Package of little green army men
Cityscape background from cardboard

Step 2: Ultimate Body Builders

First step to any monster creation is the monstrous body!

I found the flat spot of the larger pumpkin. This made it more stable.
Next, I let the pumpkin lay naturally on the flat spot.
Then, I gently stacked the smaller pumpkin on the top of the first pumpkin. The key was to position it to be the most balanced and stable. I paid attention to where the two gourds meet.
After that, I measured a length of the PVC to be as long as the two pumpkins are tall. Plus a couple of inches extra to work as a neck.
With the carving kit, I cut a hole the diameter of the PVC in the top of the top pumpkin.
Then, I turned the top pumpkin over and cut another hole in the bottom where the two stacked pumpkins met.
Next, I fed the PVC into the top hole and out the bottom hole. (Pumpkin-ka-bob!)
Now, I cut a hole into the larger pumpkin where the two stacked pumpkins met.
After that, I re-stacked the pumpkins; this time I fed the PVC from the bottom of the smaller pumpkin into the hole on the larger pumpkin. This made a skeleton to support the two stacked pumpkins.
The final stack now has a couple of inches of PVC sticking out of the top. (I left the stem on the top pumpkin as another piece of support.) There was more than a couple inches of PVC, so I carefully cut it off.

Step 3: Never Skip Leg Day!

The legs were made from the butternut squash.

First, I cut out the stem from the squash.
Then, I cut the squash lengthwise into two equal halves.
With the kit scoop, I hallowed out the seeds. This made it line up to the curve of the body better.
Next, I lined the halves against the lower pumpkin as the legs. Again, taking note of where they meet.
I cut the wooden dowel into 6 inch sections.
Using the screwdriver, I punched small holes in the pumpkin where the legs met.
I inserted the 6 inch dowels into the holes.
Now, I lined up the legs to the dowels.
Again, with the screwdriver, I made holes in the insides of the legs where the dowels meet.
This time, I used the glue to glue the dowels into the holes inside the legs. Set aside to dry.
Once the legs dry, I added glue to the holes in the body and attach the legs to the body lining up the dowels with the holes created in sub-step 6.
Finally, I wrapped the legs and lower body with masking tape to hold it all in place until dry.

Step 4: To Arms! to Arms!

The arms were created using two cucumbers.

With the knife, I cut a hole in the sides of the upper pumpkin the diameter of the cucumbers. I angled the cuts so the cucumbers will point more forward than straight out.
I inserted the arms.
I did not glue them in yet. I still have some work to do to the arms later.

Step 5: Head for the Hills!

The head is made out of the spaghetti squash.

Holding the squash horizontally, I determined the best side for the face.
With the marker, I traced out the mouth.
Now, using the knife, I carefully cut out the mouth. (Spaghetti squash skin is brittle and can crack easily.)
Next, I lined up the head with the neck pipe. As before, I made a mental note of where the neck meets the squash.
Again, with the knife, I carefully cut into the squash where the neck lined up.
This time, I added generous amounts of glue to the pipe.
Finally, I fit the head onto the PVC pipe (and stem).
I set him off the side for the glue to properly dry.

Step 6: Paper Mache Monster

Alright I now have something that resembles a snowman made of pumpkins. Not too intimidating yet, but once I clean up the seams, it will look better.

In this step the joints and seams will be covered with paper mache. If you don’t have paper mache, it can be made with equal parts flour and water mixed in a bowl.

First, I tore the newspaper into strips.
Next, I dipped the strips in the paper mache mixture. Careful not to make them too thickly coated.
Then, I applied the coated strips to the legs where they meet the body. Overlapping and crossing with each layer.
Applied more strips where the two pumpkins meet.
Again, more strips at the neck.
The great thing about the paper mache is it does not need to be smooth. It will mimic the rough scaly reptilian skin of the original King of the Monsters.
Again, I set him off to the side to allow to dry.

Step 7: Telling Tails!

Gourdzilla still does not look fear inducing. He needs his great and terrible tail!

To make the tail, I took the poster board and formed it into a long cone. The opening of the cone was just a little smaller than the larger pumpkin.
I cut the opening so it is a circle shape instead of the uneven shape.
Next, I lined it up on the backside of the lower pumpkin. More mental note taking. This time to see the length of the tail
I cut a one inch hole in the back as low as possible. This is where more PVC pipe will be inserted. It acts as a stabilizer to keep Gourdzilla from tipping backwards. It will be hidden by the tail cone.
Now, I inserted the pipe as far as it will fit. I noted of how much longer the pipe is than the tail cone.
I removed the pipe and cut off the extra.
Then, I re-insert the pipe all the way again.
CAREFULLY, I tilted Gordzilla forward and slid the tail cone over the pipe all the way to the body.
The final tail step was to paper mache the seam of the tail and the body.
I left it to dry.

Step 8: OOOH! Pointy!

Gourdzilla’s larger counterpart has these fantastic spikes that run from its head to its tail. Gourdzilla wants some, too.

With the scrap poster board left from the tail, I drew out some spike shapes. I left a tab about two inches long on the bottom of each spike. (Note that Godzilla’s spikes start small at the head, get larger as they follow the back, then get smaller again toward the tail.) The tail spikes will just be a series of shrinking points.
I cut them out with the scissors.
Now, starting at the top of the head, I cut a slit large enough to fit the tab of the first spike.
Then, I added a little glue to the slit then insert the smallest spike into the slit.
I made another slit for the next spike.
Then, glued the spike to the next slit.
I continued until I reached the tail.
For the tail spikes, instead of making slits, I just bent over the tab for the tail spikes and glued it to the paper cone.
I finished it with paper mache along the tail spikes’ tabs to make it more seamless.
Again, I set aside to dry

Step 9: Ain't Easy Bein' Green!

In a well ventilated area, I painted the entire mammoth with the green paint.

It took a few coats to insure the newspaper print from the paper mache does not show through.

After the body paint was dry, I painted the mouth. Using the red paint, I coated the inside of the mouth.

I finished with the red paint to add red eyes.

Step 10: The CLAAAAAW!

Almost done!

My creature was not very threatening looking. Gourdzilla needed some claws! I removed the arms from the body so it would be easier to manipulate. This was why they were not glued in.

First, with another cucumber, I cut thin slices.
Then, I cut the slices into halves.
At the end of each arm, I carefully cut a slit.
With the knife, I gently pried the opening.
I inserted the cucumber slice into the opening with the skin up.
I repeated until each arm has a few claws.
I added a little glue to the arm holes, and reconnected the arms to the body.
For the toe claws, I cut more cucumber slices.
Again, halve the slices.
Again, I cut slits into each foot and insert the slices just like in the hands.
Now, I have my own Gourdzilla, King of the Monsters. BWA-HAHAHAAAA

Unless.....

Step 11: RUUUUN!!! GOURDZILLA!!!!!

Admittedly, my Gourdzilla does look terrifyingly impressive, but Godzilla never just stood around, Gourdzilla does not want to either.

With a few extra little props Gourdzilla is laying waste to a small town.

Here, I created a cityscape with a sheet of cardboard painted and decorated to look like skyscrapers.

I added a few little green army men and a looping sound of Godzilla's roar, and BOOM! Now, I have a scene of epic destruction that would make any OG (Original Godzilla) proud!

I hope you enjoyed my Instructable.

Try it for yourselves!

And as always, thanks for checking out my Instructable!

(Author's note: Yes, Gourdzilla took first place at my work's annual pumpkin decorating contest!)