Homemade Trident Inspired by Mako Mermaids

Ella has been obsessed with Mermaids, specifically Mako Mermaids, for awhile now – inspiring our Mermaid Slime and Mermaid Play Dough kit (among other Mermaid activities).

After making our own Mermaid Tiaras, we naturally had to make our own “Merman Trident” inspired by Mako Mermaids.

Our wooden trident was inspired by the Trident that is central to the 1st and 2nd season of Mako Mermaids.

Ella kept insisting that she was going to need a Trident for her Mermaid-inspired Birthday Party to help with her transformation into Queen of the Mermaids.

My first thought was to buy a plastic pitchfork and spray paint it gold, but I’m glad that I asked my super-busy stepdad if he wouldn’t mind helping Ella’s day a little bit more special.

Using a jigsaw, drill, and electric sander, he created the basic trident.

As you can see, my stepdad traced an outline of half of the trident on a sheet of wood, flipped the outline and traced again (to ensure symmetry).

He used a jigsaw to trace along his outline, and then sanded and buffed the trident to ensure a smooth surface and rounded edges, for safe mermaid pretend play.

He then used a 1/2″ drill bit to drill a hole into the bottom of the trident, and sanded the top of a 1″ dowel to match the hole size. This allowed him to use a thick, sturdy dowel with less chance of breaking, than if he had used a 1/2″ dowel and just drilled a 1/2″ hole.

After everything was cut and smooth, I set about decorating the trident.

Materials for Homemade Trident:

• Metallic paint
• Sponge
• 1″ Pine (or other wood)
• 1″ wooden Dowel
• Blue stone
• Permanent Glue

I alternated sponging on two shades of gold paint (one was a gold-bronze colour) to make the trident look textured and weather-worn. It took two coats of each to achieve the desired effect. You could also seal the paint with a sealant spray, but our Trident has held up to some heavy play without it.

Next, I attached a choice blue rock (chosen for it’s similarity to the Mako “Moon Stone”) using the strongest glue I had at home. I’ve had to reattach it twice, from the stone being whacked onto something or the Trident being dropped, so I don’t know that the glue I’ve used is the best choice.

And there you have it! A homemade Mako Mermaids trident!

Ella loved her Trident – I’ll be sharing the big unveiling with you later this week – and I’m thrilled with how well it turned out. I’ll have to figure out how I can continue to employ my stepdad in my toy-making schemes!

Be sure to check out our other homemade toys (most of them do not involve work working tools!) and be sure to check out our other Mermaid Play ideas, such as our Sparkly Mermaid Slime or our Mermaid Party Games.