- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 3.6 × 3.9 in (9.2 × 9.9 cm)
This hard candy bag looks good enough to eat, featuring a ruffled pink wrapper with a sweet kawaii smile and a clear window packed with glossy strawberry, kiwi, lemon, grape, and heart-shaped sweets. Grab the free candy paper squishy template below—the PDF includes 3 versions (full color, a coloring page, and a blank outline) in both US Letter and A4 sizes. Pair it with our gummy candy bag squishy to build your own paper sweet shop!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your hard candy bag sheet at 100% scale on plain printer paper—make sure to turn off “fit to page” in your printer settings. Check the line in the top corner to see that it measures exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page, color the pink wrapper and fruit candies now with bright citrus and berry shades, then let any marker ink dry completely.
2Tape the pieces
Cover only the front and back candy bag designs with strips of wide clear packing tape, not the whole sheet. Smooth each strip from the center of the candy window outward without pulling or stretching the tape, because stretched tape will wrinkle later. This clear layer gives the hard candies a glassy shine and makes your squishy strong and extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Take your scissors and cut out the front and back bag pieces right along the solid black outer line. Go slowly around the wavy, ruffled top and bottom edges of the pink wrapper, and be sure to keep the small white border intact all the way around both pieces.
4Add a tape border to the back
Lay the back piece printed side down onto strips of regular clear tape so the sticky side faces up around the outline. Cut 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, especially along the curvy corners and ruffled wrapper edges. These little flaps will hold the bag together.
5Join front and back
Line up the front piece on top of the back piece with the white paper sides facing together. Fold the sticky tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them down firmly along the wavy top, bottom, and sides. Leave a 3.5 cm (1½ inch) gap open on one side—the pink line in the picture shows where—for your stuffing.
6Stuff it
Tear plastic grocery bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small pieces and push them inside the candy bag through your open gap. Fill the far wavy corners of the pink wrapper first before stuffing the middle candy window. Stop once the pouch feels soft and puffy, since too much stuffing can make the taped seams pop open.
7Close the gap
Fold the last tape flaps over the open side to hold the stuffing inside, then tape the gap shut with an extra strip of clear tape. Run your finger firmly along all the wavy wrapper edges and sides to press the tape down well.
8Squish!
Done! Give your hard candy bag a good squeeze and watch the glossy fruit candies puff right back up. Want a slow-rising squishy? Prick one tiny pinhole in the back of the pink wrapper so the air escapes slowly.
Free Hard Candy Bag 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
- Patch a split wrapper edge. If an edge splits open along the wavy pink wrapper, place a new short strip of clear tape across the seam so it overlaps the old strips.
- Fix a stiff candy bag. If your pouch feels too hard instead of squishy, gently open the stuffing gap, take some filling out, and tape the edge shut again.
- Avoid wrinkles on the window. Use shorter strips of packing tape across the fruit candy window and lay them on without pulling so the glossy front stays smooth.
- Prevent smeared candy colors. Printer ink is fine to tape right away, but if you colored the fruit candies and wrapper with markers, let the ink dry fully before taping.
Questions
What paper works best for this candy paper squishy template?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best. Cardstock makes the squishy stiff around the ruffled wrapper edges and it won’t squish as nicely.
What can I stuff my candy paper squishy with?
Plastic grocery bags make the candy pouch crinkly and light just like a real wrapper! For a soft squish, use cotton balls or fiberfill, or try small pieces of memory foam for a slow-rising squishy.
Can I use glue instead of tape on the edges?
Not for the edges. Glue doesn’t stick to tape-covered paper, so the seams would open. The snipped tape border folded over the edge holds best.
Can I make this hard candy bag squishy bigger?
Yes. Print the page at a larger scale, for example 120%, and print the front and back together on the same sheet so they match.
Do you have more candy paper squishy ideas for a group craft?
You can build a whole sweet shop by pairing this pouch with a swirl lollipop squishy! These templates also work well for a class or group—print one sheet per person, cut tape strips in advance, and plan about 30 minutes while kids color and you help with taping.
More paper squishies to make
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