There are only six months left until Halloween, but don’t worry! We already have your costume picked out. Get an eyeful of these awesome cardboard samurai armors available soon from Showa-Note. They come in two styles and adult sizes (kids versions were available last year). They cost about $30 (sans shipping) and come in a flat-pack, ready to assemble in a mere 90 minutes. It’s not immediately clear if they’ll retail in America but hey there’s another reason to take that trip to Japan you keep putting off.
Image Courtesy Showa-Note.co.Jp
着れちゃうダンボール甲冑！ pic.twitter.com/VZxgEj6P5D
— カエ (@kae7kaeru) April 17, 2016
So, wondering what to do in your new cardboard samurai armor? First, you should probably stay out of the rain, but the rest is up to you. It might be nice to have one of these still in its package for emergency cosplay or costume party purposes (or ninja attack, of course) or you could always risk your 30 dollar investment in The Cardboard Arena. Yes, cardboard warfare is a thing and we have the videos to prove it:
That French cardboard cosplay battle royale is just one example of a “boxwar” which is apparently a semi-regular Australian event created in 2003. The Boxwars website describes the events as “both art and destruction using the near perfect medium of cardboard. The point is to build something from cardboard, then destroy it, which destroys the point.” That’s a very zen mentality about destroying costumes that, from the look of them, took weeks to build.
Image Courtesy Boxwars.net Image Courtesy Boxwars.net
These are just a few images from their site, which is worth a thorough perusal, just so you can be amazed at how innovative these costumes (and cardboard Mad-Max-esque vehicles) can be. And then you can revel in their destruction. It’s all part of the fun. Also you’ll note that the artists only work in recycled cardboard, so they are a environmentally conscious organization of artistic destruction.
Building costumes out of cardboard (or paper) is nothing new, although now, you can buy them off the rack. If you need me I’ll be in my blanket fort wearing my cardboard samurai armor and really just having the best time ever. I highly recommend you do the same. Be careful. The floor is hot lava.
Show us your cardboard costumes or tell us how much you want to buy the new cardboard samurai armor. Either way, do it in the comments, and do it quickly, it looks like rain.
Header Image Courtesy Showa-Note.co.Jp