Connor, you were six years of age when you built your first cardboard figure. How did you get started?
Connor: I’ve loved to build stuff since I was little. I started with the basics: paper and LEGO. Eventually, my mom took me to my grandpa’s work; he sold radios and had large cardboard boxes around. I would build during my free time there. When I was in fourth or fifth grade I built my first cardboard figures. R2-D2 and Iron Man. I’ve been building and improving ever since.
Bauer: Just like Connor, I’ve always loved building. I started with paper crafts and paper airplanes. My first designs were the Stormbreaker axe and Hulk hammer.
Tell us about your non-profit organization, Cardboard Superheroes.
Connor: After we built a few models, our friends and family started seeing them and really enjoyed them. They were interested in building, too. We created kits for creating a cardboard Captain America’s shield and Thor’s hammer. We discovered we loved teaching as well as building. We reached out to the Comic-Con Museum to see if they were interested in what we do. Then in December 2019, we hosted a workshop at the Museum. There were over 600 visitors to our workshop! Comic-Con then invited us to be panelists at Comic-Con@Home in July.
Bauer: We wanted to start Cardboard Superheroes because we love teaching others to be creative. We get excited to do what we do!
You participated in Comic-Con International’s WonderCon@Home in Anaheim in April. What was that experience like?
Connor: We found out about the WonderCon event through the Comic-Con Museum. It was an amazing environment to share our craft through a workshop and so inspiring to be there.
Bauer: We’ve always been huge Comic-Con fans. It was so much fun and we got to see all the other panelists. We love superheroes. It’s a super cool environment. We just really want to thank the Comic-Con Museum for their support. They’ve been amazing to work with!
What is the most complex figure you’ve built?
Connor: I would definitely say Hulkbuster. It’s the most complex, for sure. Everything we’ve learned these past years was put into building him.
Bauer: It’s taken us the longest; almost a year now.
Do you have advice for people who want to build a character but may be intimidated by the process?
Connor: I would say to start small and build your way up. LEGO is the perfect way to get into designs, building, and learning how to go from a build of a few pieces to a castle. Go slow, experiment, and improve as you learn.
Bauer: My brother kind of hit it. It’s okay to make mistakes. A lot of what we do is trial and error. Just take it one step at a time.
Visit cardboardsuperheroes.com to see Connor and Bauer’s creations and follow their impressive evolution as creators.