- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 2.7 × 4.5 in (7.0 × 11.4 cm)
With its bright orange body, rosy cheeks, and bushy green leaves on top, this **carrot paper squishy** is the cutest veggie in the patch. Grab the free printable PDF in US Letter or A4, which includes 3 versions: full color, a coloring page, and a blank outline for your own designs. You can even pair it with our happy broccoli squishy for a whole garden basket!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your chosen page at 100% scale on plain printer paper, making sure to turn off “fit to page.” Check the test line in the top corner—it should measure exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page, color the leafy top and orange root now, or try fun rainbow colors! Let any marker ink dry completely before moving on.
2Tape the pieces
Lay strips of wide clear packing tape over the front and back carrot shapes, rather than taping the entire sheet. Smooth each strip down from the middle toward the edges without pulling, since stretched tape wrinkles later. This glossy coat gives your veggie its shine and makes the paper strong and extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Use your scissors to cut out the front and back pieces right along the solid outer line. Take your time curving around the scalloped green leaves at the top and down to the rounded tip at the bottom, making sure to keep the small white border intact all the way around.
4Add a tape border to the back
Place the back piece printed side down onto strips of regular clear tape so the sticky side faces up. Cut the tape about 1 cm (½ inch) past the paper edge, then snip into this sticky border every 2 cm (1 inch) right up to the paper. These little flaps will hold your squishy together around the curved sides and leafy top.
5Join front and back
Set the front piece directly on top of the back, with the plain white sides together. Fold the sticky flaps over the front edge one by one and press them down flat, working carefully around the dips between the leaves. Leave a 3 cm (1¼ in) gap open along one smooth side (the pink line in the picture shows where) for stuffing.
6Stuff it
Tear plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small pieces and push them in through the side gap. Fill the far corners first—up into the leafy top and down into the narrow bottom tip—before filling the middle. Stop when your carrot feels soft and puffy, since too much stuffing makes the seams pop.
7Close the gap
Fold the last tape flaps over the gap and tape it shut with an extra strip of clear tape. Run your finger firmly along all edges to press the tape down well, especially in the little indents where the green leaves meet the orange body, so every seam stays tightly closed.
8Squish!
Done! Give your sweet carrot’s chubby cheeks a squeeze and watch it puff right back up. If you want a slow-rising squishy, prick one tiny pinhole in the back so the air escapes slowly.
Free Sweet Carrot 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
- My squishy feels too hard. There is too much stuffing packed inside the carrot body. Open the side gap, take some filling out, and tape it shut again.
- The tape has wrinkles. Use shorter strips of packing tape and lay them across the carrot without pulling. Smoothing from the center outward keeps the orange face and leaves flat.
- An edge splits open. The dips where the green leaves meet the orange top can pull apart if stuffed tightly. Put a new short strip of tape right across the edge, overlapping the old ones.
- The marker colors smeared. Let dark green and bright orange markers dry fully before taping. Printer ink on the color version is fine right away.
Questions
Can I use glue instead of tape for my carrot paper squishy?
Not for the edges. Glue doesn’t stick to tape-covered paper, so the seams would open when squeezed. The snipped tape border folded over the edge holds your carrot paper squishy together best.
What paper works best for a paper squishy carrot?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best. Cardstock makes the squishy stiffaround the rounded carrot tip and it won’t squish as nicely.
What can I stuff my squishy with?
You can use plastic grocery bags for a crinkly and light feel, cotton balls or fiberfill for a soft texture, or small pieces of memory foam for a slow-rising squishy.
Can I make the carrot template bigger?
Yes! The standard finished size is about 2.7 × 4.5 in (7.0 × 11.4 cm), but you can print the page at a larger scale, for example 120%. Print the front and the back together on the same sheet so they match.
Can I make these with a class or a group?
Yes—plan about 30 minutes, print one sheet per person, and cut tape strips in advance so kids can color the coloring page while you help with taping. For a fun garden theme, let them also make a crunchy pickle squishy!
More paper squishies to make
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