DIY Hot Wheels Book Week Costume Using a Cardboard Box Car

Looking for a fun and creative Book Week costume for a child who loves cars? This DIY Hot Wheels Book Week costume is a real standout, using a racing outfit and a homemade cardboard box car to bring the look to life.

Book Week costumes don’t always have to be complicated, and this Hot Wheels costume is a great example. It has plenty of wow factor, but most of it comes together with simple materials like a cardboard box, paint, paper plates and a few printed Hot Wheels signs.

The finished costume looks like a mini Hot Wheels race car, with the child sitting inside the car body while wearing a bright racing outfit underneath. It’s eye-catching, fun and perfect for children who love all things cars and racing.

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What You Need for a Hot Wheels Book Week Costume

To make a costume like this, you’ll need:

A kids’ racing outfit
A large cardboard box
Red paint
Black, yellow and orange paint, or printed flame graphics
Cardboard for extra details
Printed Hot Wheels logos and racing signs
Paper plates for the wheels
Black paint for the wheels
Elastic straps to hold the car on
Glue or a hot glue gun
Tape
Scissors or a craft knife
Optional Hot Wheels book to complete the Book Week look

If you want to keep things simple, you can start with a ready-made kids’ racing driver outfit from Amazon.

Start With the Racing Outfit

The racing outfit is what helps make the costume instantly recognisable.

A red driver-style costume works particularly well because it has that classic Hot Wheels feel. The racing details and bold colours give the whole costume a proper race-day look.

If you don’t have a ready-made racing outfit, you could also pull something together using:

Red pants
A red jacket or hoodie
A black-and-white checked top
Racing-style patches or printed logos
Comfortable sneakers

The outfit is really the base. The cardboard car is what turns it into a full Hot Wheels Book Week costume.

How to Make the Cardboard Box Car

The car itself is made from a simple cardboard box.

Choose a box that is big enough to fit comfortably around your child’s waist and hips, while still being light enough for them to carry around during the Book Week parade.

Step 1: Cut the Box

Start by cutting the box down so it forms the basic body of the race car.

You’ll want:

An open top so your child can stand inside it
Enough room around the middle so they can walk easily
A lower section towards the back
A raised front section to create the bonnet and windscreen area

Trim and shape the cardboard until it starts to resemble the body of a car.

Don’t worry about making it perfect. Once the paint, wheels, flames and Hot Wheels details are added, the whole thing comes together really quickly.

Step 2: Paint the Car

Paint the outside of the cardboard box red.

Depending on the cardboard, you may need two coats to get a strong, even colour.

Once the red base coat is dry, add details such as:

Yellow and orange flames along the sides
Black detailing
A blue windscreen panel
Simple headlights
A front grille

You can paint the flames by hand or make things even easier by printing flame graphics and gluing them onto the sides.

Add the Hot Wheels Details

The Hot Wheels logos and racing signs are what really bring this costume to life.

Print out a selection of:

Hot Wheels logos
Racing numbers
Checkered flag graphics
Flame designs
Race car signs

Cut them out and glue them around the cardboard car.

This is a great shortcut if you don’t want to hand-paint every detail. Once the logos and racing graphics are added, a basic painted cardboard box suddenly starts looking much more like a Hot Wheels race car.

Make the Wheels With Paper Plates

The wheels are one of the easiest parts of the costume.

Use four paper plates and paint them black.

Once dry, add grey or silver details in the centre to create simple hubcaps.

Attach the paper plate wheels to each side of the cardboard box using strong glue or tape.

Paper plates work particularly well because they’re lightweight, inexpensive and won’t make the costume difficult for your child to carry.

If you want slightly sturdier wheels, you can cut circles from cardboard instead and use a paper plate as your template.

Add Elastic Straps to Hold the Car On

To make the Hot Wheels car wearable, attach elastic straps inside the cardboard box.

The straps sit over your child’s shoulders, almost like suspenders, and keep the box at the correct height while they walk.

Attach one end of each piece of elastic securely to the front of the car and the other end towards the back.

Before finishing the costume, have your child try it on and check that:

The elastic feels comfortable
The cardboard car sits at a good height
They can walk easily
The box doesn’t tip forwards or backwards
Nothing is digging into their shoulders

This step makes a huge difference because it keeps their hands free and makes the costume much easier to manage during a school parade.

Finish the Front of the Hot Wheels Car

A few extra details on the front of the car help make it look complete.

For ours, we added:

A simple grille
Two headlights
A blue front windscreen panel
A printed Hot Wheels logo

You can make the headlights and grille from paper or cardboard and simply glue them onto the front.

This is one of those costumes where the little details make a surprisingly big difference.

Add a Book for the Book Week Connection

Because this is for Book Week, it’s a good idea to make the connection to an actual book nice and clear.

We used a Hot Wheels Ready-to-Read book and attached it to the costume where it could easily be seen.

You could also have your child carry their Hot Wheels book during the parade.

If you can’t find a Hot Wheels book, look for another children’s book featuring cars, racing or vehicles and adapt the costume around that.

Why This Hot Wheels Book Week Costume Works So Well

This is such a fun Book Week costume because it combines an outfit with a homemade prop.

It works particularly well because:

It’s instantly eye-catching
Kids who love cars and racing will actually want to wear it
The cardboard car adds plenty of wow factor
The materials are simple and inexpensive
You can customise it using whatever craft supplies you already have
It feels different from many of the traditional Book Week costumes

It’s also a great option for a child who doesn’t necessarily want to dress as a traditional character but still wants to take part in the Book Week parade.

Tips for Making Your Hot Wheels Costume Easier

If you’re running short on time, there’s absolutely no need to make every detail from scratch.

Try these shortcuts:

Print flame graphics instead of painting them
Keep the shape of the cardboard car simple
Use paper plates rather than cutting perfect wheels from cardboard
Start with a ready-made racing driver costume
Use strong tape for details that don’t need to be permanently glued
Concentrate on the red car, wheels, flames and Hot Wheels logos rather than lots of tiny details

Even a simplified version will still have plenty of impact.

More Easy Book Week Costume Ideas

Looking for more Book Week inspiration? Take a look at some of our other easy DIY costumes:

A Hot Wheels Book Week costume is such a clever option for any child who loves racing and cars. With a cardboard box, a bit of paint, some simple printouts and a fun driver outfit, you can create a costume that really stands out on parade day.