How to make a paper squishy for blind bags
Short answer: Draw and color your design twice, cover both pieces with clear packing tape, then cut them out. Tape the edges together, leaving a 2–3 cm (1 in) gap, push in scrunched tissue or strips of a thin plastic bag, and tape the gap shut. Keep it about 5 cm (2 in) wide to fit a paper blind bag.
Paper squishies are a favorite paper blind bag surprise: soft, shiny and squeezable, made from nothing more than paper, tape and tissue. Here’s how to make one in about 20 minutes, which stuffing to use and plenty of designs to try.
What you need
- Ordinary printer paper (20–24 lb, 75–90 gsm). Thin paper squishes better than card.
- Markers or colored pencils, plus a black pen for outlines.
- Clear packing tape about 5 cm (2 in) wide. Ordinary clear tape works too; it just takes more strips.
- Scissors — an adult should help younger children.
- Stuffing: tissues, toilet paper or paper towel; a thin plastic bag; or cotton balls.
- A pencil to push the stuffing in.
Step by step
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Draw and color two pieces
Draw your design about 5–6 cm (2 in) across, then draw a matching back beside it — the same shape again, or the back of your character. Color both and go over the outlines in black.
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Cover them with clear tape
Lay strips of clear tape over each drawing, overlapping them a little, until the colored area is completely covered. Rub out bubbles with a fingernail. This tape “lamination” makes the squishy shiny and stops the paper tearing when you squeeze it.
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Cut out and tape the edges
Cut out both pieces, leaving a thin border of about 2 mm (⅛ in) around the outline. Hold them back to back, colored sides out, and join the edges with short strips of tape folded over from front to back. Leave a gap of 2–3 cm (1 in) open.
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Stuff and seal
Tear tissue into small pieces, scrunch them and push them in through the gap with the blunt end of a pencil, filling the far corners first. Stop when it is plump but still soft, then tape the gap closed.
Which stuffing is best?
| Stuffing | How it feels | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Tissue, toilet paper or paper towel | Soft and quiet | The classic. Tear it small so it doesn’t go lumpy. |
| A thin plastic bag, cut into strips | Puffy and springy, a little crinkly | Keep loose plastic away from babies and toddlers. |
| Cotton balls or polyester fiberfill | Plush and pillowy | Pull it into fluffy wisps before stuffing. |
| Shredded scrap paper | Firmer, with a crunch | A good use for drawings that went wrong. |
No cotton? No problem — tissue is the classic paper-squishy stuffing and works just as well.
Tips for a better squishy
- Keep shapes chunky. Thin legs, tails and ears tear and won’t hold stuffing — round them off.
- Don’t overstuff. Too much stuffing makes it hard, and the tape splits. Give it a squeeze as you go.
- Let the ink dry before taping; wet marker and gel pen can smear under tape.
- Practice big. A first squishy about 8 cm (3 in) across is easier to stuff. Go smaller once you have the knack.
- Hide a message inside. Write a secret note on the inside of one piece before you tape them together.
- Make the rares special. Use gold or silver marker, glitter tape or a shiny sticker on your rare and secret rare squishies.
Paper squishy ideas
Food
- Donut with sprinkles
- Slice of toast with a face
- Cupcake
- Ice cream cone
- Watermelon slice
- Dumpling
- Sushi roll
- Bubble tea cup
- Avocado half
- Strawberry
Animals
- Cat face
- Bunny
- Panda
- Penguin
- Whale
- Frog
- Axolotl
- Chick
- Capybara
Shapes and things
- Cloud
- Heart
- Star
- Rainbow
- Crescent moon
- Smiling sun
- Gift box
- Marshmallow
- Mini phone with a cute case
For blind bag sets
- Six donuts with different icing, plus a golden one as the secret rare
- One squishy for each character in your theme
- A squishy version of a figure from a printed set
- A matching pair for best friends — one each
Making squishy blind bags
- Check the size. A printed Oolshak bag is about 6.8 × 9.0 cm (2.7 × 3.5 in), so keep squishies under 5 cm (2 in) wide and only lightly stuffed. For bigger ones, fold a no-glue pouch from a large square. Inside flat space: about 6 × 8 cm; fold the figure’s base flat before inserting.
- One squishy per bag, plus a small extra such as a sticker or a note — see what to put in a blind bag.
- Label the rarity on the back with a sticker or a tiny tag, so the opener knows what they found.