cutbored's DIY cardboard robots keep kids amused during lockdown

if you’ve been in lockdown with young children, perhaps you’ll appreciate this boredom-busting project. with kids becoming restless at home and parents running out of things to keep them occupied with, this project began when a designer at VMDPE asked his son, ‘what would you like to do if you can’t go outside? his reply — ‘I would like to have an alien friend that comes to earth in a rocket to save the world’ — then gave birth to the cardboard robot and rocket, and a new creative line, cutbored.

all images courtesy of cutbored / VMDPE designs

VMDPE designs then started to make the boy’s imagination a reality. to build the body of both the robot and rocket, they used heavy-duty cardboard. for the support and inner structure, they applied timber to strengthen the base. they also used plastic screws to join the structures together, meaning the robot and rocket could both be easily assembled and easy to store as flat pieces.

without professional machinery or tools at home, for the main structure the project utilizes a more readily-available material: cardboard. easy to manipulate without machines, safe for kids and easy to find, cardboard also affords the possibility of creating different shapes. it can also provide a more environmentally friendly option by the use of recycled material.

‘after finishing this project, we found out that creating installations for children is a fantastic thing to do. working alongside children and sharing with them, let us realize their incredible potential, and that inspired us to start a new creative line by the name of cutbored; this line will focus on designs that have a lot of interactions with children, letting them grow their creativity even further.’ – cutbored / VMDPE designs

project info:

project name: cardboard robot & rocket project

design: cutbored / VMDPE designs

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom