The trick-or-treaters clamber up the steps of the next house on their evening route. The porch light is on, but no one comes to the door.
What’s this? On a small table, a spooky-looking cardboard box sits next to a lamp. A sign on the lamp says “Touch Here for a Treat.”
A small but brave goblin reaches out her hand, but before she can touch the lamp, an electronic disk lights up with a ghoulish orange smile, haunting notes play, and the box springs open as if to laugh at the foolish children.
But perhaps not as foolish as they seem … for inside the box are spider rings and creepy crawlies for the taking. They each take a treat and move on in their quest to fill their Halloween bags.
This spooky laughing box comes to life thanks to a Circuit Playground Express, a servo motor, and a power source. The project is easy enough for kids to do themselves (with a little help cutting), and you can decorate it any way you choose.
The CPX’s onboard light sensor is simple to program using MakeCode software to trigger the lights, music, and motion. If you want, you can add extra features like a mouth-opening mode or change up the eerie tunes. Keep reading to find out how!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Every day this month we’ll be bringing you ideas and projects for an Electronic Halloween! Expect wearables, hacks & mods, costumes and more here on the Adafruit blog! Working on a project for Halloween this year? Share it with us in the comments below, the Adafruit forums, Facebook, Discord, Instagram or Twitter— we’d love to see what you’re up to and share it with the world (tag your posts #ElectronicHalloween). You can also send us a blog tip! Tune in to our live shows, 3D hangouts with Noe and Pedro, Show and Tell and Ask an Engineer, featuring store discount codes, ideas for projects, costumes, decorations, and more!