So, I got this itch, you know? My old mailbox was just… there. Boring. Plain metal box on a stick. And I thought, why not have a bit of fun with it? Something to make the mail carrier chuckle, or just make me smile when I pull into the driveway.
Getting the Idea Rolling
First, I spent a good while just thinking. What’s funny but not, like, too crazy? I didn’t want the whole neighborhood thinking I’d completely lost it. I browsed online a bit, saw some wild stuff. Some were cool, some were just… a lot.
Then it hit me. I had this old, standard-sized metal mailbox lying in the garage from a previous house. You know the kind, the classic rounded top. It was just gathering dust. Perfect! A blank canvas.
My mind went to animals. Animals are always a good bet for a bit of lightheartedness. I thought about a dog, maybe a cat. But then, a specific image popped into my head: a manatee. Yeah, a manatee! They’re kinda dopey-looking, in a charming way, and definitely unexpected for a mailbox.
Gathering My Supplies
Okay, so a manatee mailbox it was. I made a little list:
- The old metal mailbox, obviously.
- Some PVC pipe. I figured I could use this for flippers.
- Expanding foam. This was for shaping the body, giving it that rounded manatee look.
- Outdoor paint. Grey, of course. And maybe some black for details.
- Big googly eyes. Essential for any funny creature project.
- Strong adhesive and some screws.
I already had some of the stuff, but I did have to make a trip to the hardware store for the foam and the googly eyes. The paint I had leftover from another project, thankfully.
The Build Process – Getting My Hands Dirty
First things first, I gave that old mailbox a good scrub. It was pretty grimy.
Then, I tackled the flippers. I cut some short lengths of PVC pipe and then sliced them in half lengthwise to get a sort of cupped flipper shape. This took a bit of wrestling with the saw, not gonna lie. I attached these to the sides of the mailbox with a combination of screws (drilled from the inside out) and a ton of that heavy-duty construction adhesive.
Next came the expanding foam. This stuff is messy, people! If you ever use it, wear gloves. And old clothes. I started spraying it around the mailbox, trying to build up a more rounded, blubbery shape, especially around the front for a snout and the back for a tail. I probably used more than I needed to. It expands a lot, as the name suggests.
I let that foam cure completely, which took a good day. Then came the carving. I used an old bread knife and some sandpaper to shape the hardened foam. It was a bit like sculpting a lumpy cloud. I tried to make it look vaguely manatee-ish. Smooth-ish, anyway.
Painting was next. Several coats of grey. I found out that painting over carved foam isn’t the smoothest process, but I got there. It looked pretty grey, that’s for sure. Once the main grey was dry, I used a bit of black paint to define where the mail slot was – kind of like a little mouth.
And the grand finale: the googly eyes. I got the biggest ones I could find and stuck them on with more adhesive. Suddenly, it really started to look like a creature!
The Big Reveal (to Myself, and the Mail Carrier)
Getting it onto the post was the last step. I just unscrewed the old boring one and screwed my new manatee creation into place. I stepped back, and yeah, I had to laugh. It was ridiculous, in the best way possible.
The first time the mail carrier came, I was actually peeking out the window. I saw them slow down, pause for an extra second, and then I saw a definite smile. Mission accomplished!
A few neighbors have commented. Some love it, some probably think I’m a bit eccentric, but hey, it’s my mailbox, right? And it makes me happy. It’s a fun little project that didn’t cost a fortune, just a bit of time and imagination. Totally worth it if you ask me.
