Build Your Own Coin Block

by Randy

This Super Mario Brothers coin block is a lot of fun, and just the thing to add a little flavor to a Mario-themed party! It's pretty easy to put together with some basic supplies.

What You'll Need

Gold spraypaint

1-2ft. square box

1 piece Foamboard

About a pound or so of gold foil-covered chocolate coins

Brown construction paper

Black marker

Box knife

Tape

Glue

Desk bell (like you find at a motel counter; we got ours from the game Pit)

Short bungee-cord

Step-by-Step Instructions

1.      Spray-paint the outside of the box gold (excluding the top). You may need several coats.

2.      Tape the base of the desk bell to the bottom center of the inside of the box. Make sure NOT to tape the stainless steel dome of the bell, only the base.

3.      Fold the flaps of the top inside the box.

4.      Cut a piece of the foamboard so that it will fit very snugly inside the top of the box, about ¾ inch from the top.

5.      Cut a 1 inch wide strip of foamboard about the height of the box. Tape one end to the button on the desk bell.

6.      Cut a rectangular hole in the middle of the foamboard top to accommodate the foamboard strip snugly, then put the foambord top on; the strip attached to the top of the bell should protrude a little.

7.      Test the box by hitting it straight upward from the bottom; it should give a loud “ding!”. 

8.      Outline 16 1-inch wide circles for rivets and 4 large question marks on the brown construction paper and cut them out.

9.      Glue one rivet in each corner of the sides, and one question mark on each side face.

10.   Hang with a bungee cord (you will need to make a slot in the top of the foamboard. You can hook the end of the bungee cord into the slot. You can also decorate the cord with cut out leaves to make it look like one of the climbing vines.

11.   Put a handful of the chocolate coins on top between each player. The force of the hit will cause the coins to fly out. Hang the block up high to keep some of the mystery intact and encourage jumping Marios!

That’s it! When hit from the bottom, this should give a loud “ding!” and spill coins! Here's a quick video of the block in action, They don't need to hit it quite so hard as shown here, but it stood up to quite a few big bonks!!

If you try this, please let us know how it went! As always, we'd love to hear your feedback and comments. Thanks!