Tetris Duo

45 min + drying · $3-8 · Easy

Two interlocking tetromino shapes built from painted cardboard boxes, worn like sandwich boards.

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DIY this week — ~$3-8, 45 min + drying

• Buy the paint, ribbon, and painter's tape.
• Mark a grid of 12-inch squares on the cardboard with the ruler.
• Paint each shape its color and let dry fully, flat, for at least 2 hours.
• Tape ribbon loops to the top of each shape for shoulder straps.
• Each person wears one shape like a sandwich board, front and back panels tied with the ribbon straps.

Tip: stand so the two shapes interlock for photos, and let strangers name your pieces. The click-together pose is the whole costume.

You need

• Two large cardboard boxes, flattened (make: from shipping boxes)
• Acrylic paint in two bright colors, 1 set (buy: craft store)
• Wide ribbon or webbing for shoulder straps, about 4 yards (buy: craft store)
• Painter's tape, 1 roll (buy: dollar store)
• Scissors or a box cutter, 1
• Ruler or yardstick, 1 (own)

Steps

1. Buy the paint, ribbon, and painter's tape. Break the boxes down flat.
2. Mark a grid of 12-inch squares on the cardboard with the ruler. Each block shape is 4 squares: cut an L shape for one person and a T or square shape for the other. Cut the squares oversized first and trim after a fitting.
3. Paint each shape its color and let dry fully, flat, for at least 2 hours.
4. Tape ribbon loops to the top of each shape for shoulder straps. Test the hang before the party: each shape should sit at chest height.
5. Safety: cut on a protected surface with the blade pointed away from fingers, and round the cardboard corners so nobody gets poked in a crowd.
6. Each person wears one shape like a sandwich board, front and back panels tied with the ribbon straps.
7. Optional pro finish: stand so the two shapes interlock for photos, and let strangers name your pieces. The click-together pose is the whole costume.

Common questions

What are the easiest block shapes to build?

The 2 by 2 square and the L shape: both are rectangles with one extra cut, no fiddly notches. Paint them different colors so they read as two pieces.

How do you keep the cardboard from flopping?

Use double-wall cardboard from a shipping box, not a cereal box, and keep each piece to 4 squares. Bigger pieces fold at the seams.

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