Joe's Toes ( Hot Dogs on a Stick)

Halloween is just around the corner,  so here is a gruesome treat that will surely impress your kids. Jotoze are simple to make and will generate conversations at the table.  Easy enough to fix several times before Halloween to get the kids into the Halloween spirit.  I will be sharing a few different versions you can make.  

For  Joe's toe you will need:

• 1 Package regular hot dogs 
• 1 Package Jumbo hot dogs.
• 1 Turnip.
• Ketchup.
• Lettuce ( optional ).
• Cutting board.
• Knife.
• Plate.
• Tooth picks if serving a crowd.

For the specimen jar you will add:

• 1 Small jar for each toe.
• 1 LED light for each toe.

I did not think of it until now but a tag on the jar would be super.  

For the Coroner's Office you will add:

• 1 Loaf pan.
• 5 Skewers.
• Dental floss.
• White cardboard for the tag and door.
• Clear contact paper for the window.
• Coroner's Office font  here:  http://www.fonts.com/findfonts/searchresults.htm?kid=backwards+&st=12&osadcampaign=1001&submit=Search
   
• Reynolds wrap.
• Small white cloth.
• Something like batting to form the body.
• Several rubber bands.
• Styrofoam.
• Marker pen.
• Scissors.
• Tape.

 


 

Cooking the dogs:

• It is best to boil the dogs to give them a realistic look.  
• You can get 2 big toes out of 1 Jumbo hot dog.  

Here is how to carve the dogs:

• The trick of carving is to carefully make a thin cut.
• Carve leaving a little of the edges alone to make it more realistic.
• Trim a slit so the turnip or toe nail can slip under to secure it.
• Trim a toe nail from the turnip rounding the edges.  You want this pretty thin so it is transparent.

Here is how to place the toe nail:

• Slip the toe nail into the slit and position it to look natural.

Serving the Jotoze:

• You can either place them on a serving platter or plate with ketchup in the center to make it look gruesome.
• I used the lettuce to enhance the picture but lettuce is not needed necessarily.  
• Tooth picks are optional. 

Here is how to make the jar specimen:

• Place the toe in a baby food jar.
• Put the lid on top.
• Place a LED light under the jar.
• Turn on the light!  

That is all there is to the jar specimen.  It looks really cool.

How to make the Coroner's Office:

• Cut out the cardboard for the backdrop.
• Draw a door with a window.
• Cut out the window.
• Draw the door knob.
• Print out the text for the door.
• Cut it out.
• Cut 2 of the clear contact paper to fit the opening of the window.
• Center the text on the window pane and stick it to it.
• Stick the 2ND piece of contact paper over the text.
• Set aside while you work on the table.

Here is how to make the table:

• Place the Styrofoam in the loaf pan.
• Cover the loaf pan with tin foil.
• The tin foil keeps the hot dogs from touching the foam.
• Make a dummy from batting or cotton.
• Place the dummy on the table.
• Cover the dummy with the white cloth.

 

Here is how to place the toes:

• Stick a skewer in the center of each toe.
• Set the toes out on the cutting board to form the shape of a foot.
• Mark the skewer where it needs to be cut.
• Cut off the extra where you marked.
• Place each toe in order at the end of the table into the foam.
• It should look like the picture.

Making the tag:

• Cut a piece of the white cardboard for the tag.
• Punch a small hole in the corner to insert the dental floss.
• Tie the dental floss to the tag.
• Write the name on the tag.
• Tie the tag to the big toe.

Does that look awesome or what?

Here is how to place the back drop:

• Place the table where it will be.
• Either tape the back drop to a wall or:
• Tape it to the end of the table.

If you can tape it to a wall and have the table close that would look the best.

I must say this looks gruesome!  It turned out much better than I had expected.  After making this I am sure this would be a huge hit for any crazy party.  You could easily make this for a large crowd.  I wanted to make this with 2 feet  but I did not have enough room.  You could have the table wider and make it with 2 feet.  You could make tables from cardboard and line them up on a long table.  If you noticed on one of the toenails I used the purple part of the turnip.  It gave the toe nails a different look.  You could use apples instead of the turnips.  I think it would work great.  

If I was to win the Epilog Challenge I could create a lot more projects that I can't make now.  Precision cutting is needed for more intricate crafts.  The sky is the limit with a precision cutter.  

Thank you for stopping in and do have a Happy Halloween!  
Sunshiine