You know that tower of empty toilet paper rolls hiding under your bathroom sink? Yeah, that one. With Halloween creeping closer, it’s time to arm your little monsters with glue guns and googly eyes.
Why buy expensive decorations when you can build an entire monster army from trash? I’ve done the dirty work (and cleaned up the glitter) to bring you 31 ridiculous, roll-based crafts. Your kids will beg to save every last cardboard tube.
1. One-Eyed Purple Glurp
Slather a roll in bright purple paint. Glue one giant googly eye in the center and draw a zigzag mouth.
2. Mummy Wrap Nightmare
Wrap white yarn or torn fabric strips around the roll. Leave small gaps so the cardboard “skin” peeks through like a real mummy.
Use school glue to hold the wraps in place. Add two tiny black dots for eyes.
Then dab a little brown paint on the edges for that ancient, dusty look.
3. Fuzzy Werewolf
Cover the roll with brown construction paper. Glue on cotton balls for fur, focusing on the top and sides.
4. Frankentube
Paint your roll green. Staple two small bolts (or silver paper circles) to the sides of the neck area.
Draw a stitched smile across the front. Add a flat black rectangle for hair.
Now poke pipe cleaner arms through the sides. Bend them so Frankenstein waves at passing siblings.
5. Vampire Fang Roll
Paint the roll black or deep red. Cut two small triangles from white craft foam and glue them inside the top opening to look like fangs.
Hang a tiny black cape from the back using felt. Draw angry eyebrows above two red eyes.
For extra drama, glue on a pair of plastic bat wings from the dollar store.
6. Slime Zombie
Squeeze green and brown paint directly onto the roll. Smear it with a sponge to create a rotting texture.
Glue on one droopy eye made from a flattened pom-pom. Tear the bottom edge into uneven shreds.
7. Ghost Roll Stack
Paint three rolls white. Stack them vertically and glue. Draw sad or spooky faces on each one.
8. Skull Soldier
Paint a roll white. Cut out black eye sockets and a nose hole from paper. Wrap the bottom with a torn piece of black ribbon as a uniform collar.
Make five of these. Line them up on a shelf like a bony battalion.
Glue tiny crossbones on their chests using toothpicks and white thread.
9. Pumpkin Monster
Paint the roll orange. Draw a carved pumpkin face, but make the mouth extra wide with sharp teeth.
10. Alien Invader
Cover the roll in metallic silver or neon green. Poke three pipe cleaners through the top and curl them into antennae.
Glue three googly eyes in a row. Draw a tiny frown. Then set it next to your toilet to guard the bathroom.
11. Spider Legs Crawler
Paint the roll black. Cut four short slits on each side, then insert black pipe cleaners as legs. Bend the legs so it stands.
Glue on eight tiny eyes (because spiders are creepy like that). Use a red marker to draw an hourglass on the back.
12. Dragon Breath
Paint the roll red or forest green. Cut flame shapes from yellow and orange felt, then glue them inside the top opening.
Add scales by gluing on rows of sequins or cut-up egg carton pieces. Two angry yellow eyes finish the beast.
13. Cyclops Kid
Use one large roll. Paint it light blue. Glue a single huge googly eye right in the middle.
14. Skeleton Ribcage
Paint the roll black. Draw white bones across the front using a paint pen. Cut two arm holes and insert tiny bone-shaped paper strips.
Hang three of these from a string. They look like marching skeleton torsos.
Add a mini top hat made from black cardstock. Now your skeleton is fancy.
15. Toilet Kraken
Paint the roll dark purple. Cut six strips of green pipe cleaner and twist them into tentacles coming out of the bottom.
16. Garbage Golem
Don’t paint the roll at all. Leave it brown. Glue on random trash: a broken crayon, a bottle cap, a stray button. Call it recycled art.
Draw a grumpy face. Tell your kids the golem only eats homework and dirty socks.
Make three more and hide them in the recycling bin for unsuspecting victims.
17. Witch’s Familiar
Paint a roll black. Glue on two pointy felt ears at the top. Draw a cat nose and whiskers.
18. Candy Corn Goblin
Paint the bottom third of the roll white, the middle third orange, and the top third yellow. Draw a mischievous grin.
Add two tiny horns made from toothpick halves. This goblin steals candy from your bowl, so watch him.
Glue on a felt bow tie for extra personality. Set him by the front door as a greeter.
19. Bat Attack
Flatten a roll and cut it in half lengthwise to make two half-tubes. Each half becomes a bat body. Paint black. Cut wings from black cardstock and glue to the sides.
20. Cackling Crone
Paint the roll gray. Draw wrinkles with a thin marker. Glue on white yarn hair that sticks up like a crazy scientist.
Add a wart using a brown bead. Give her a toothless smile. Then set her on a broomstick made from a twig and more yarn.
21. Headless Horseman
Paint a roll dark brown. Cut a tiny paper head (a pumpkin or a skull) and glue it to the top of the roll, not on the front. Confuse everyone.
22. Swamp Thing
Cover the roll with green tissue paper, crumpling it for texture. Sprinkle on dried oregano or coffee grounds for dirt.
Glue on two bulging eyes made from green beads. Let it sit in a puddle of blue play-doh.
Make a whole squad of these and call them the Bog Brigade.
23. Invisible Monster
Don’t add anything. Just write “YOU CAN’T SEE ME” on a plain roll in marker. Your kids will groan. That’s the point.
24. Robot Zombie
Paint the roll silver. Draw circuit lines with a black marker. Add one red eye (a sticker dot) and one missing eye (just a hole).
Glue a bent paperclip to the side as an antenna. Program it to shuffle and groan “beep… brains… beep.”
25. Jack-o’-Lantern Tower
Stack three rolls and glue them. Paint orange. Draw three different jack-o’-lantern faces, one on each roll.
26. Harpy Horror
Paint a roll tan. Cut wing shapes from brown felt and glue them to the back. Add a beak made from a folded orange triangle.
Draw angry eyes. Glue on messy black yarn for hair. Hang it from the ceiling so it “flies” over your candy bowl.
27. Medusa Roll
Paint the roll green. Glue on six or seven green pipe cleaner snakes coming out of the top. Draw stone-gray eyes that stare straight ahead.
28. Clown Monster
Paint the roll white with red stripes. Glue on a red pom-pom nose. Draw a huge, creepy smile with too many teeth.
Add crazy rainbow hair made from twisted pipe cleaners. Hide this one under the bed for maximum sibling screams.
29. Pumpkin Golem
Paint the roll orange. Glue on pumpkin seeds as “armor scales.” Draw a fierce face with a vine stem on top.
30. Shadow Creature
Paint the roll black. Don’t draw a face. Just cut random jagged holes all over it. Place a tea light inside (battery operated!) and watch the shadows dance.
31. The General
Paint one roll gold or silver. Glue on a tiny cardboard medal and a folded paper hat. Draw a stern mustache face.
Build Your Monster Army
Line up all 31 creations on your mantel or dining table. Your kids will feel like evil geniuses commanding a recycled cardboard battalion.
Save every roll starting now. Hand your child a glue stick and say, “Go forth and conquer Halloween.” Then grab a roll yourself—I’ll be making five more mummies while nobody’s looking.