The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin is a fall favorite in our home. It has a a great message, a fun animated film version, and likable fun characters. This week, my son and I decided to do a fun kids Halloween craft based on the character of Spookley.

The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin

In the story, Spookley is a square pumpkin, a fact that the other round pumpkins tease him for. He just wants to be like the other pumpkins so they won’t make fun of him anymore.When a storm comes, though, he’s happy that he can’t roll like the others. While the other pumpkins roll away, Spookley stay’s put, and in doing so is able to save the day.

Spookley’s story has a beautifully diverse message about accepting yourself and others for who they are. My son enjoys the film version a lot, and during this time of year we read the book very frequently.

This week’s Spookley the Square Pumpkin craft is a little square pumpkin lantern made from an emptied tissue box. It is a super fun and easy kids craft just in time for Halloween.

Easy to Make Spookley Lanterns

What You Need

An Empty Cube Tissue Box

You want one with a light outer design or plain light color if possible. Darker and bolder outer designs are much harder to cover entirely with paint.

Orange Paint

I recommend getting a darker shade and a lighter shade. I used both on my pumpkin lantern to add texture and help cover the design better. I like the way it turned out. Also, feel free to do a color other than orange. Nobody says pumpkins have to be round, or even orange for that matter.

Painting Sponges

You can use brushes if you prefer, but I find sponges are better for smaller children and create a more finished look.

An Exacto Knife and Scissors

An adult will do the cutting portions of this exercise. I found I used the exact knife for most of the cutting, but you may find scissors work better. I used scissors for cutting the plastic from the top, but used an Exacto knife for the rest.

Three Green Pipe Cleaners

These will be your leaves and stem/handle, so if you want them to be a different color, feel free to do you. Afterall, Spookley would want you to.

A Bottle Cap

Ours belonged to a Gatorade bottle. Any cap that is roughly 1-2 inches in diameter will do.

A Flameless Votive

Any small flameless votive will do. We had Halloween ones for this craft, but a plain flameless votive is fine since you will not see it.

Once you have everything ready to go, let’s get started!

Step 1 : Draw Spookley’s Face

Ensure that your tissue box is empty and pick which side you want to put the face on. Create the eyes by using the bottle cap to make two crescent shapes (my son called them “rainbows”). Then, use the cap to make a thinner and smaller “rainbow” for the nose. Finally, make a third crescent shape for your pumpkin’s mouth.

Step 2: Cut Your Tissue Box

NOTE: For safety, an adult should handle any parts of this craft that require the Exacto Knife. Use an Exacto knife to cut out the shapes for the face. At this time, you can also use the knife (or a pair of scissors) to cut away the plastic at the top of your box if you wish.

Step 3: Paint your Pumpkin

It will likely take a few coats, especially if your tissue box has a design. My son had a fairly light design on his box and only did one coat. His design shows through a little. I did 3 coats of paint on mine and alternated dark and light to add a textured look. I’m really happy with the coverage on mine. Once you finish painting, let it dry for a few minutes. once you can handle your pumpkin without getting all orange, you can start step 4.

Step 4: Add a Stem/Handle and Leaves

Make two cuts, one on each side of the top of the box using an Exacto knife. Then, take one of the pipe cleaners and thread it through the hole on each side, to create a handle. Twist the pipe cleaner to itself to hold the handle in place.

Cut the second pipe cleaner in half using the scissors twist the two into a “t” shape. Then bend the the two arms of the “t” upward and twist the three ends together into a leaf shape. The other end, or stem of your leaf will then be used to attach it to the handle. Do this with the other pipe cleaner to make a leaf on each side.

Step 5: Add a light

Add a flameless candle to light your lantern and VOILA! You now have a Spookley the Square Pumpkin lantern!

These lanterns are super easy to make, cheap and easy. They make a great kids halloween craft.

I hope you enjoyed making Spookley! For more activities, reviews, and fun be sure to Subscribe to The Book Badger and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, and Pinterest.