- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 4.1 × 3.8 in (10.4 × 9.7 cm)
This smiling toadstool has a bright red spotted cap, striped beige gills, rosy pink cheeks, and a tiny heart on its plump stem. Grab the free mushroom paper squishy template below to get all 3 versions (full color, a coloring page, and a blank outline) formatted for both US Letter and A4 paper. At about 4.1 × 3.8 in (10.4 × 9.7 cm), it is the sweetest woodland pillow to pair with a happy flower squishy or a cozy house squishy.
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your toadstool mushroom template at 100% scale on plain printer paper, making sure to turn off “fit to page”. Check the scale line in the top corner: it should measure 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page, color the spotted cap and sweet face now, then let any marker ink dry completely before moving on.
2Tape the pieces
Lay strips of wide clear packing tape right over the front and back mushroom designs, covering just the two pieces rather than the whole sheet. Smooth each strip from the center outward without stretching the tape, because pulled tape will wrinkle later. This glossy coat makes your toadstool shiny, strong, and extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Cut out the front and back toadstool pieces along the solid black outer line. Take your time curving around the wide mushroom cap and turning into the inner corners where the cap meets the stem, keeping the small white border intact all the way around.
4Add a tape border to the back
Place the back mushroom piece printed side down onto strips of clear tape with the sticky side facing up. Trim the tape so it extends 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 around the curved cap and stem corners. These little flaps will hold your squishy together.
5Join front and back
Lay the front toadstool piece on top of the back piece with the white sides facing each other. Fold the sticky tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them down firmly around the cap and stem. Leave a gap of about 4 cm (1½ in) open along the bottom of the stem (the pink line in the illustration shows where) for stuffing.
6Stuff it
Tear your plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small pieces and push them in through the gap at the base. Tuck filling into the far left and right tips of the wide mushroom cap first, then fill the round stem until it feels soft and puffy. Stop before it gets too tight so the seams don’t pop.
7Close the gap
Fold the remaining tape flaps over the bottom of the mushroom stem and tape the gap shut with an extra strip of clear tape. Run your finger firmly along the entire outer edge, especially in the dips under the cap, to make sure the tape is pressed down well.
8Squish!
Your kawaii toadstool mushroom is ready! Give the puffy cap and chubby stem a big squeeze and watch it puff right back up. If you want a slow-rising squishy, prick one tiny pinhole into the back of the mushroom.
Free Toadstool Mushroom 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 mushroom cap feels hard. There is a bit too much stuffing inside. Gently open the bottom gap, pull out a few pieces of filling until the toadstool feels pillowy, and tape the base shut again.
- Tape wrinkles on the dome. The wide red cap is easiest to cover when you use shorter strips of packing tape and lay them down gently without pulling.
- Seam splits under the cap. The inward curve where the cap meets the stem gets a lot of pressure when squeezed. Fix it by pressing a new short strip of regular tape right across the edge, overlapping the old ones.
- Red marker ink smeared. Bright red caps and dark eyes need a moment to set, so let your markers dry fully before adding packing tape. Standard printer ink on the color version is fine right away.
Questions
Can I use glue instead of tape for the paper squishy face?
Not for the edges. Glue won’t stick to tape-covered paper and the seams would pop open, so folding a snipped tape border over the edge holds your toadstool together best.
What paper works best for this mushroom paper squishy?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best. Cardstock makes the toadstool too stiff, so it won’t squish and puff back up nicely.
What can I stuff my paper squishy emoji and mushroom crafts with?
You can use plastic grocery bags for a light and crinkly feel, cotton balls or fiberfill for a soft pillow, or small pieces of memory foam if you want a slow-rising squishy.
Can I print the toadstool template bigger?
Yes! Print the page at a larger scale, for example 120%, and make sure the front and back mushroom pieces print together on the same sheet so they match.
Can I make these paper squishies with a class or group?
Yes! Print one sheet per person and cut the tape strips in advance; kids can color the coloring page while you help with the taping, so plan about 30 minutes.
More paper squishies to make
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