DIY Bob-Omb Decorations for a Mario Party

Finished family of DIY Bob-ombs lined up with black lantern bodies, yellow feet, blue hats, and gold winders.

No Mario party is complete without Bob-ombs lurking around! These little guys ended up being the most challenging build of all my Mario decorations, which is why I decided to put together a full tutorial. I pieced mine together after seeing some inspiration on Pinterest, then experimenting until I figured out a method that worked for me. It wasn’t exactly quick and easy (let’s just say paper lanterns don’t love having things glued to them), but the end result was totally worth it.

➡️ Free Printable Bob-Omb Stencils
To make this project even easier, I created a set of printable stencils for the eyes, feet, hat top, and winders. [Download the free Bob-Omb stencils here] and print at 100% scale. Cut them out and use them to trace onto craft foam or cardstock.

Supplies You’ll Need

DIY Bob-omb tutorial materials laid out, including black paper lanterns, yellow foam, blue cardstock, and glittery gold shapes.

8” black paper lantern – forms the Bob-Omb’s body.
Yellow craft foam – cut into a strip (used for the top edge of the feet).
Yellow craft foam feet – trace and cut using the stencil printable.
Blue card stock circle (hat top) – trace and cut using the stencil printable, then poke a small hole in the center for the fuse.
Blue card stock strip (hat band) – cut into a strip and glued into a ring the same diameter as the circle.
Blue card stock rectangles – cut into 4 small rectangles, each folded in half (used to support the hat).
White card stock eyes – trace and cut using the stencil printable.
White pipe cleaner – cut short and colored with orange and black Sharpie to look like a fuse.
Black foam core (small scrap) – used to attach the winder.
Glitter gold craft foam winders – trace and cut using the stencil printable (2 per Bob-Omb).
Thin strips of black card stock – folded into a “bird shape” to help anchor the winder.
Glue – both hot glue and white glue.
Weights for stability – I used metal mending plates hidden under the feet.

Step 1: Build the Hat

Blue cardstock ring with folded tabs glued inside to form the base of the Bob-omb’s hat. — 1. Glue folded blue rectangles inside a card stock ring to create supports.

Close-up of a blue cardstock hat base with glue applied along the inside edge. — 2. Attach the blue circle on top with white glue, adjusting as needed so it lines up.
3. Add glue around the inside rim to lock it in place.

Weighted container placed on top of a blue cardstock hat piece while the glue dries. — 4. While it dries, set something heavy on top to keep it flat.

Blue cardstock hat with white pipe cleaner fuse attached and glued in place. — Once dry, Insert the pipe cleaner fuse through the center of the hat, folding the end underneath and securing it with a dab of hot glue.

Step 2: Assemble the Winder

Gold glitter foam cut into winder shapes, glued together for the Bob-omb wind-up key. — 1. Glue two gold foam winders together, but leave the small tabs at the end open.

Close-up of folded black cardstock glued inside the winder tabs for reinforcement. — 2. Insert folded black strips inside the tabs and glue them down for strength.

Gold glitter winder glued to a black foam square for attaching to the Bob-omb body. — 3. Glue the two sides of the V together so it forms a thick “T” shape.
4. Attach this to a small square scrap of black foam core.

Step 3: Put the Bob-Omb Together

Bottom of black lantern with yellow foam circle attached to create Bob-omb’s feet. — 1. Hot glue the yellow foam strip around the hole at the bottom of the lantern.

Yellow foam feet glued to the bottom of the black lantern, helping the Bob-omb stand up. — 2. Attach the feet to the yellow foam ring with hot glue

Bob-omb lantern with large white oval eyes glued to the front. — 3. Glue on the eyes.

DIY Bob-omb with completed hat and fuse glued on top of the lantern body. — 4. Hot glue the hat onto the top of the lantern.

Hand holding glittery gold winder attached to the back of the Bob-omb lantern with hot glue. — 5. Finally, glue the winder to the back. (Use plenty of hot glue and hold it in place for a minute until it cools and hardens.)

Step 4: Balance Him Out

Here’s the part that gave me trouble: the winder made my Bob-ombs too heavy in the back. To fix it, I glued metal mending plates to the bottoms of the feet. That extra weight kept them upright and sturdy.

Bottom of Bob-omb showing a metal mending plate glued to the feet for weight and stability.


The Finished Bob-ombs

After repeating the process a few times, I had an entire squad of Bob-ombs ready for the party!

They ended up being one of my favorite details from the whole Mario build. A little time-consuming? Definitely. But also one of those DIYs that really made the whole party space come alive.

DIY Mario party Bob-omb decoration made from a black paper lantern with yellow foam feet, blue cardstock hat, white eyes, a pipe cleaner fuse, and a gold glitter winder, displayed in front of a Mario-themed backdrop. — A finished Bob-omb on display in the Mario party setup, ready to bring the game world to life!

DIY Bob-Omb party decoration made from a black paper lantern with yellow feet, a wind-up key, and fuse, displayed on a Mario-themed party table.


Looking for more Mario-themed DIYs?

If you enjoyed making these Bob-Ombs, you won’t want to miss my tutorial on DIY Piranha Plants! They’re the perfect companion piece for a Mario party, and I’ve even included free printables to make the process easier. Check out the Piranha Plant tutorial here.