- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 3.7 × 3.9 in (9.3 × 9.9 cm)
This pastel purple phone paper squishy shows both sides of a kawaii smartphone at once, complete with tiny pastel app icons, a happy smiling screen, and a dual-camera lens on the back. Your free printable PDF comes in US Letter and A4 and includes 3 versions: full color, a coloring page, and a blank outline to draw your own home screen. Pair it with our earbuds case squishy or the laptop paper squishy for a cute desk set!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your smartphone template at 100% scale on plain printer paper—make sure to turn off “fit to page” in your settings. Check the scale line in the top corner; it should measure exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page or blank version, color the phone case and little app icons now, and let marker ink dry completely.
2Tape the pieces
Cover only the front and back phone shapes with wide clear packing tape, rather than taping the entire sheet. Smooth each strip from the center of the screen outward without pulling or stretching it, because stretched tape will wrinkle later. This glossy layer makes your smartphone shiny, strong, and extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Cut out both the front and back smartphone pieces along the solid black outer line, keeping the narrow white border intact. Take your time around the rounded phone corners and the little dip at the top and bottom where the front and back phone views overlap.
4Add a tape border to the back
Flip the back piece so the printed purple phone is facing down, and lay it onto strips of clear tape with the sticky side facing up. Trim the tape about 1 cm (½ inch) past the paper edge, then snip this sticky border every 2 cm (1 inch) right up to the paper around the outline. These little flaps will hold your squishy together.
5Join front and back
Place the front piece right on top of the back piece with the white unprinted sides together, lining up the overlapping phone shapes. Fold the sticky tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them down firmly. Leave a 3.5 cm (1½ inch) gap open along the edge (the pink line in the picture shows where) for stuffing.
6Stuff it
Tear plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small bits and push them gently through the open gap. Fill the far rounded phone corners first, then fill the middle until the smartphone feels soft and puffy. Stop before it gets too tight, since too much stuffing can make the taped seams pop open.
7Close the gap
Fold the last tape flaps over the stuffing gap and tape the opening shut with an extra strip of regular clear tape. Run your finger firmly along all edges of the smartphone outline to press the tape down well so the seams stay closed.
8Squish!
Your kawaii smartphone is ready! Give the screen a good squeeze and watch it puff right back up. If you want a super satisfying slow-rising squishy, prick 1 tiny pinhole into the back of the phone so the air escapes slowly when you press it.
Free Smartphone Squishy Template
- Color
- Coloring page
- Blank, design your own
- Step-by-step guide
One free PDF: the template in three versions (pages 1–3) and the step-by-step guide (pages 4–5). Print the template at 100% on plain printer paper.
Tips for the perfect squish
- The phone feels too stiff. If your smartphone feels hard instead of pillowy, it has too much stuffing inside. Gently open the gap, pull out a bit of filling, and tape the edge shut again.
- Wrinkles across the screen. To keep the cute face and app icons smooth, use shorter strips of packing tape and lay them down gently without pulling.
- A corner seam pops open. The stepped dip between the two phone views gets extra tension when squished; if an edge splits open, put a new short strip of tape right across the edge, overlapping the old ones.
- Smudged app icon colors. Printer ink is fine to tape right away, but if you colored your own home screen with markers, let the ink dry fully before taping so the colors don’t smear.
Questions
How do you make a squishy phone out of paper without glue?
Glue does not stick to tape-covered paper, so the seams would open when squeezed. Instead, the snipped tape border folded over the edge holds the front and back phone pieces tightly together.
What paper works best for a printable paper squishy phone template?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best. Heavy cardstock makes the smartphone stiff, so it won’t squish as nicely in your hand.
What can I use to stuff my paper phone squishy?
You can use plastic grocery bags for a light, crinkly feel, or cotton balls and fiberfill for a soft pillow texture. Small pieces of memory foam also work great for a slow-rising squishy.
Can I print the phone paper squishy template bigger?
Yes! Finished at 100%, this squishy measures about 3.7 × 3.9 in (9.3 × 9.9 cm), or you can print the page at a larger scale like 120%. Just print the front and back together on the same sheet so they match.
Can I make these with a class or a group?
Yes—plan about 30 minutes from start to finish. Print 1 sheet per person and cut the tape strips in advance so kids can color the coloring page while you help with the taping.
More paper squishies to make
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