A bean bag toss game made from a box, also called cornhole or corn toss, is one of the most versatile of party or carnival games, since it can be decorated for a theme, occasion or holiday. It also can be made easier or harder to win, depending on the age groups playing with it. Making your own is easily done with a large cardboard box, or use plywood for a more permanent beanbag game.
Materials
If you only want to use the bean bag toss for one party or carnival, sturdy cardboard will stand up to the day's events. Using the side of an appliance box, like that of a washer, dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher or stove, will provide a nice, large area to cut out and decorate, and the cardboard should be heavy enough to withstand the use. If you are looking to make a beanbag box that can be used time after time, buy some sheet plywood. It doesn't have to be very thick, but sand rough edges down so they don't snag clothing or fingers. You also may want to stain or seal rough plywood before painting for a nicer look. Make sure you have paint, markers or coloring materials that will work on the surface you are using for the box. Poster paint works well on cardboard, but for plywood, acrylic paint will work better. You will need either heavy work scissors, a box cutter, or a small saw, hand or power, to cut the cardboard; you will certainly need a small power saw to cut plywood.
Making the Box
You can either use a plain square or rectangle as the bean bag toss front, or, with a little more work, you can create a themed shape--a cowboy hat, a rocket ship, a princess castle--or a carnival shape like a clown face or circus tent. Just draw the outline of your design on the cardboard or plywood with pencil, and cut it out. Use a small jigsaw for intricate parts. Cut openings for the bean bags to be tossed through; varying sizes will give players of different skills a chance to have fun. For a shaped bean bag box, think about using the eyes and mouth of a clown as the openings, or the windows and doors of a ship or castle. Make sure all the holes are big enough for the bean bags you will be using, however. Both cardboard and wood boxes will need support; the easiest way to do so is nailing straight pieces of wood in a triangle shape between the back of the box and the ground. Another method with a large cardboard box is to use two sides of an appliance box, in a triangle shape, and attach a third piece of cardboard on the ground for support. You then can put rocks, bricks or other weights on the third side to keep the game upright. For more permanent games, you may want to add a bean bag collector pocket or box on the back of the setup as well, to store the bean bags along with the game. If you are using plywood, but don't have room to store an upright, three-dimensional beanbag game, you may want to put hinges between the front and back sides, with a removable stick for support. When you are done with the game, it can fold up for easier storage.
Decorating
If you have made a special shape out of the bean bag box, paint the box to look like the object, with several colors of paint. Don't skimp on the details, if you have the time. A castle or horse can be accented with glitter paint, ribbon or braid, and a lion's mane could be added with yarn. Outline the bean bag openings with a contrasting color of paint, so players can judge their tosses. Mark the number of points each opening scores in a contrasting color from the background also. If you are working with a square or rectangle, but still want to decorate for a theme, paint designs like spooky spiders, pumpkins, birthday gifts, or Easter eggs. For a birthday party, you could paste photos of the honoree, and friends and family above each hole.
