Make a doll size ice chest for picnics, camping and sporting events!

        A cooler, portable ice chest, ice box, cool box, chilly bin (in New Zealand), or esky (Australia) is an insulated box used to keep food or drink cool. I found an empty, heavy duty plastic box used for nails to be transformed into our doll ice chest.

       Ice cubes are most commonly placed in it to help the contents inside stay cool. Ice packs are sometimes used, as they either contain the melting water inside, or have a gel sealed inside that stays cold longer than plain ice (absorbing heat as it changes phase). I decided to fill our doll version with plastic pellets; these look just like ice! Plastic beads would also be convincing looking ice if you want to use them.
       Coolers are often taken on picnics, and on vacation or holiday. Where summers are hot, they may also be used just for getting cold groceries home from the store, such as keeping ice cream from melting in a hot automobile. Our 18" dolls will be using their version on picnics and to also carry food stuffs to the beach.

       Even without adding ice, this can be helpful, particularly if the trip home will be lengthy. Some coolers have built-in cup holders in the lid, so I have cut two holes in the lid for the same purpose. 

Supply List:

• recycle a plastic nail container
• white school glue
• masking tape
• acrylic paints: white and blue
• Mod Podge
• clear acrylic beads or doll pellets (for the pretend ice)

See Photos to Show How I Made the Ice Chest:

Left, I found a nail container to have the best shaped lid for our doll's camp cooler.
Right, I cut an extra layer of cardboard to add on top of the container
in order to make the cup holders a bit deeper.

 

Left, I used white school glue to cover our doll's ice chest with blue paper and then I
used Mod Podge to seal these paper areas and make the surface look more like the
heavy-duty plastic most frequently molded into modern ice chests. Right, see the 
inside of the ice chest is lined with white typing paper and treated with Mod Podge.

Left, are the plastic pellets that we use for pretend ice-cubes. Center, see the cup holder
details on the ice chest. I cut these holes out with an Xacto knife; have a parent do this 
part of the craft. Right, see the heavy cord that I used for handles. This looks like rope to
an 18" doll. To make these handles, punch holes in the sides of the plastic box with a nail
and hammer. Then, tie a knot on the ends of the cord inside of the box after pushing them
through from the outside.

      Ice chests are usually made with interior and exterior shells of plastic, with a hard foam in between. They come in sizes from small personal ones to large family ones with wheels. Our doll version includes rope handles instead of wheels, so the dolls will need to carry their picnic supplies.

More Doll Ice Chests:

• Beach Cooler Playset Review
• Make a Cute Cooler for Your Doll
• Our Generation's polka dot camping set and Sophia's "Colman" cooler for American Girl Doll