Hi there, Shelfy here with instructions on how you can make your very own Super Mario “?” block perler box!

Materials Needed:

• Perler beads
  • Black
  • Brown
  • Dark yellow
  • Light yellow
  • White
  • Dark green or Dark red
  • Green or Red
  • Light green or light red
• Peg boards
• Ironing/ perler paper
• Iron
• Hot glue gun & glue sticks

Creating Perler Pieces:

Question Block Panel

To begin, use the question block guide below to lay out 4 of these blocks onto your peg boards.

Next, we need to remove some of the perler beads on the side edges of each sprite. Make sure to do this BEFORE you iron the beads together. On two of your question blocks follow the pattern: keep two, remove two starting at the bottom and working upward. For the other two question blocks follow the reverse pattern: remove two, keep two starting at the bottom and working upward. The pictures provided below show what the final products should look like.

Once all the appropriate perler beads have been placed and then removed from your question block, place perler paper over them and iron them together.

Top and Bottom Panels

Use the guide below to create the bottom and top panels.

When all your perler beads are placed appropriately on the peg board place ironing paper over them and iron them together.

1-Up or Super Mushroom

Use the guide below to create the item that will serve as a handle.

When all your perler beads are placed appropriately on the peg board place ironing paper over them and iron them together.

*Pro-Tips for Ironing Perler Beads

When you iron perler beads, work slowly! Move your iron in small circles over your project. Make sure that all the beads are sticking properly to the ironing paper; you know that this happens when you can clearly see the perler beads underneath the paper (the colors appear very bright and vivid). It is important to be careful so ensure that the perler beads do not move around on the peg board while you are ironing. I’ve had some times where beads have come loose and flipped sideways in the middle of ironing and my sprite was trashed.

Assembly:

Start with your four question block panels and hot glue them together by snapping them together using the crevices you’ve made. You can put hot glue in these holes but the “puzzle piece” like nature of them makes them perfectly stable without any glue.

Once all four question blocks are together and the glue has dried place hot glue all around the edges of your bottom panel and attach your question block piece. I found it helpful to turn the question block sides piece upside down and attach the bottom from the top.

Finally, glue the 1-Up or Super Mushroom that you have made in the middle of the top panel and there’s your lid.

Congratulations you’ve made a Super Mario “?” Block Perler Box!

*Pro-Tips for Working with Hot Glue

When working with hot glue, work quickly but do not rush or worry! Hot glue has a generally quick drying time, but it can be scratched off of perler beads with relative ease (so long as the glue isn’t smushed between two panels or in a really tight space). Waiting an appropriate amount of time for your hot glue gun to fully heat up is especially important. When working with a fast drying glue, you’re going to want enough to come out of the gun so you can glue your project correctly. Some glue guns can also be finicky with what position you hold them in; mine, for instance, won’t have any glue come out of it if it is pointed downward. It only works if I have it pointed side to side or up. If your glue gun won’t shoot any glue just try moving it around a little bit.