Paper Squishy Template Maker

How to make a paper squishy

1. Print the template on plain paper at 100% scale. Each design has a front and a matching back.
2. Color it in if you printed a coloring page. Color the back too; it's a mirror image, so it lines up with the front.
3. Cover both pieces with clear packing tape, front and back, overlapping the strips. The tape makes the squishy smooth, shiny and squeezable.
4. Cut out each piece along the grey line. The white border gives you room to tape the edges.
5. Tape the front and back together around the edge with small pieces of tape, leaving a gap about as wide as your thumb.
6. Stuff it through the gap with scrunched tissue, cotton balls or shredded scrap paper. Stuff it softly so it squishes back.
7. Tape the gap closed. Your squishy is done.

What you need

• A printer and plain printer paper (or card stock for sturdier squishies)
• Markers, crayons or colored pencils for coloring pages
• Clear packing tape, the wide kind; regular clear tape works for small sizes
• Scissors
• Stuffing: tissues, cotton balls, shredded paper or fabric scraps

Turn your own drawing into a squishy

Draw something on plain white paper with a dark outline, take a photo of it, and choose Your drawing. The template maker removes the white paper around your drawing, adds a white border and a grey cut line, and makes a mirrored back so the two pieces match.

• Use bright light and a flat page so the paper photographs white.
• Give the drawing a clear, closed outline. Gaps in the outline let the background leak in.
• Your drawing is processed on your device. It isn't uploaded or saved anywhere, and it isn't included in the Copy link address.

Tips for better paper squishies

• Tape before you cut. Taping the whole sheet first is faster, and the cut edges come out clean.
• Pick bigger sizes for younger kids. Large and jumbo shapes are easier to cut and stuff.
• Simple shapes squish best. Hearts, clouds, cookies and donuts are the easiest to tape around.
• Grown-ups: help with the scissors and keep plastic bags away from young children if you use them as stuffing.
• Make a set: choose several designs and "Fill the page" to print a mix for a party, a classroom craft or a blind bag swap.
• Want a squishy phone? Print one with the Paper Phone Template and tape and stuff it the same way.

Paper squishy template FAQ